Joe Boyd

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Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd in Brussels – May 2008
Joe Boyd in Brussels – May 2008
Background information
Born (1942-08-05) August 5, 1942 (age 81)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Years active1960s–present
LabelsHannibal Records
Websitejoeboyd.co.uk

Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band, R.E.M., Vashti Bunyan, John and Beverley Martyn, Maria Muldaur, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Billy Bragg, James Booker, 10,000 Maniacs, and Muzsikás.[1] He was also one of the founders of the highly influential nightclub venue UFO.

Life and career[edit]

Boyd was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Princeton, New Jersey.[2] He attended Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut. He first became involved in music promoting blues artists while a student at Harvard University. After graduating, Boyd worked as a production and tour manager for music impresario George Wein, which took Boyd to Europe to organise concerts with Muddy Waters, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.[3] Boyd was responsible for the sound at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when Bob Dylan played a controversial set backed by electric musicians.[4]

In 1964 Boyd moved to London to establish the UK office of Elektra Records.[5] In 1966, Boyd and John "Hoppy" Hopkins opened the UFO Club, a famous but short-lived UK Underground club in London's Tottenham Court Road. He produced the first single "Arnold Layne" by UFO regulars Pink Floyd, and recordings by Soft Machine.[6] Boyd worked extensively with audio engineer John Wood at Sound Techniques studio in Chelsea. In this studio, Boyd and Wood made a succession of celebrated albums with British folk and folk rock artists, including the Incredible String Band, Martin Carthy, Nick Drake,[7] John Martyn, Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson.[8] Some of these were produced by Boyd's company Witchseason Productions.

Boyd returned to the United States at the end of 1970 to work as a music producer for Warner Bros. with special input into films, where he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on the sound track release of A Clockwork Orange.[9] Boyd also contributed to the soundtrack of Deliverance, directed by John Boorman, where he supervised the recording of "Dueling Banjos", which became a hit single for Eric Weissberg.[10] Boyd also produced and co-directed the film documentary Jimi Hendrix (1973). In the States, Boyd produced albums by Maria Muldaur and Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Boyd subsequently founded the Hannibal Records label in 1980 (later absorbed into Rykodisc), which released albums by Richard Thompson and many recordings of world music, including Hungarian band Muzsikás. Boyd also produced R.E.M.'s third album Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) and records by Billy Bragg and 10,000 Maniacs.

Boyd was executive producer for the 1989 feature film Scandal, starring John Hurt and Bridget Fonda about the Profumo affair in UK politics in 1963. Boyd left Hannibal/Ryko in 2001 and his autobiography, White Bicycles - Making Music in the 1960s, was published in 2006 by Serpent's Tail in the UK.

In 2008, Boyd was a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[11]

Boyd was a producer on the long-delayed Aretha Franklin concert film "Amazing Grace."

Records produced or co-produced[edit]

Date Artist Album Label Notes
1966 The Incredible String Band The Incredible String Band
1966 Sydney Carter Lord of the Dance
1966 Alasdair Clayre Alasdair Clayre
1966 various artists, 3 tracks by Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse What's Shakin'
1966 various artists: Cyril Tawney, Matt McGinn, Johnny Handle and Alasdair Clayre[12] A Cold Wind Blows Elektra
1967 Shirley Collins The Power of the True Love Knot
1967 The Incredible String Band The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
1967 Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy & Diz Disley Rags Reels and Airs
1967 Pink Floyd "Arnold Layne" / "Candy and a Currant Bun"
1967 The Purple Gang "Granny Takes a Trip" see 'Further reading' section
1967 Soft Machine "She's Gone", "I Should've Known" recordings for projected single (Sound Techniques, London), released 1977 on Triple Echo, CD rel.: Turns On Volume 1, Voiceprint 2001
1968 Pink Floyd tracks of compilation Tonite Lets All Make Love in London
1968 Chris McGregor Very Urgent
1968 Fairport Convention "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" / "If (Stomp)"
1968 Fairport Convention "If (Stomp)" / "Chelsea Morning"
1968 Fairport Convention Fairport Convention
1968 The Incredible String Band The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
1968 The Incredible String Band Wee Tam and the Big Huge
1968 various Indian artists Kalpana compilation of instrumental and dance music from India
1969 Fairport Convention What We Did on Our Holidays
1969 Fairport Convention "Si Tu Dois Partir" / "Genesis Hall"
1969 Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking
1969 Nick Drake Five Leaves Left
1969 Fairport Convention Liege & Lief
1969 Dr. Strangely Strange Kip of the Serenes
1969 The Incredible String Band "Big Ted" / "All Writ Down"
1969 The Incredible String Band Changing Horses
1970 Nico Desertshore
1970 Vashti Bunyan Just Another Diamond Day
1970 John and Beverley Martyn Stormbringer!
1970 The Incredible String Band U
1970 Fairport Convention Full House
1970 Fotheringay Fotheringay
1970 The Incredible String Band I Looked Up
1970 The Incredible String Band Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending
1970 Geoff and Maria Muldaur Pottery Pie
1970 Brotherhood of Breath Brotherhood of Breath
1971 Nick Drake Bryter Layter
1971 Mike Heron Smiling Men with Bad Reputations
1971 Mike Heron "Call Me Diamond" / "Lady Wonder"
1971 John and Beverley Martyn The Road to Ruin
1971 Dr. Strangely Strange Heavy Petting
1973 Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur
1973 Maria Muldaur "Midnight at the Oasis" b/w "Any Old Time"
1973 Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel "Dueling Banjos" b/w "Reuben's Train"
1973 Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix soundtrack[13]
1974 Maria Muldaur Waitress in a Donut Shop
1974 Muleskinner Muleskinner
1975 Kate and Anna McGarrigle Kate & Anna McGarrigle
1975 Geoff Muldaur Geoff Muldaur Is Having a Wonderful Time
1976 James Booker Junco Partner
1976 Fairport Convention Live at the L.A. Troubadour
1976 Maria Muldaur Sweet Harmony
1976 Toots & the Maytals Reggae Got Soul
1977 Kate & Anna McGarrigle Dancer with Bruised Knees
1978 The Albion Band Rise Up Like the Sun
1978 Julie Covington Julie Covington
1981 The Act (a band fronted by Nick Laird-Clowes) Too Late at Twenty
1981 Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns Party Safari
1981 Geoff Muldaur I Ain't Drunk
1982 Richard and Linda Thompson Shoot Out the Lights
1982 Richard and Linda Thompson "Don't Renege on Our Love" / "Living in Luxury"
1982 Defunkt Thermonuclear Sweat
1982 Cool It Reba Money Fall Out the Sky
1983 Richard Thompson Hand of Kindness
1983 original cast recording Poppie Nongena
1984 Richard Thompson Small Town Romance
1985 Richard Thompson Across a Crowded Room
1985 R.E.M. Fables of the Reconstruction
1985 10,000 Maniacs The Wishing Chair
1986 Fairport Convention House Full – Live at the LA Troubador
1986 Dagmar Krause Supply and Demand, German version: Angebot und Nachfrage
1987 Balkana The Music of Bulgaria
1987 John Harle Habanera
1987 Danny Thompson Whatever
1988 Nazakat & Salamat Ali Nazakat & Salamat Ali
1988 Billy Bragg Worker's Playtime
1988 The Trio Bulgarka The Forest Is Crying
1988 Toumani Diabaté Kaira
1988 Ketama, Toumani Diabaté and Danny Thompson Songhai
1988 The Dinner Ladies These Knees Have Seen the World
1988 Brotherhood of Breath Country Cooking
1988 Mary Margaret O'Hara Miss America Boyd uncredited[14]
1989 Ivo Papasov and His Bulgarian Wedding Band Orpheus Ascending
1989 June Tabor Some Other Time
1990 The Blackgirls Procedure
1991 The Blackgirls Happy
1991 Ivo Papasov and His Bulgarian Wedding Band Balkanology
1991 The Watchman The Watchman
1992 Orbestra Trans-Danubian Swineherd's Music
1994 Ketama, Toumani Diabaté and Danny Thompson Songhai 2
1996 ¡Cubanismo! ¡Cubanismo!
1996 Toumani Diabaté Djelika
1997 Alfredo Rodriguez Cuba Linda
1997 ¡Cubanismo! Malembe
1998 ¡Cubanismo! Reencarnation
1998 The Hank Dogs Bareback
1998 Jazz Jamaica Double Barrel
1998 Dana and Karen Kletter Dear Enemy
1998 Kate & Anna McGarrigle The McGarrigle Hour
1998 Philip Pickett The Bones of All Men
1998 The Yockamo All-Stars Dew Drop Out
1999 ¡Cubanismo! Mardi Gras Mambo
1999 Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté Kulanjan
1999 Loudon Wainwright III Social Studies
2002 The Hank Dogs Half Smile
2004 Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble Private Astronomy
2004 Virginia Rodrigues Mares Profundos
2005 Pink Floyd London '66-'67
2007 Athena Breathe with Me
2014 Robyn Hitchcock The Man Upstairs
2017 Maya Youssef Syrian Dreams Executive Producer
2020 Damir Imamović Singer of Tales Wrasse Records co-production Andrea Goertler

References[edit]

  1. ^ Boyd, Joe, White Bicycles – Making Music in the 1960s, Serpent's Tail, 2006. ISBN 1-85242-910-0
  2. ^ Richie Unterberger. "Joe Boyd Interview". Richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  3. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 21–27.
  4. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 96–107.
  5. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 109–117.
  6. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 143–166.
  7. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 191–202.
  8. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 166–170.
  9. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, pp. 235–238.
  10. ^ Boyd, 2006, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, p. 238.
  11. ^ "7th Annual IMA Judges". Independent Music Awards. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  12. ^ "A Cold Wind Blows". informatik.uni-hamburg. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  13. ^ Jimi Hendrix at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ Larry Crane, "Interview with Joe Boyd", Tape Op, July/Aug 2007

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]