Beau Hill
Encyclopedia
Beau Hill is an American
record producer
who is best known for his work with Alice Cooper
, Kix
, Winger, Streets
, Warrant
, Fiona
, Europe
and Ratt
.
He also played instruments and sang backing vocals for some of the artists that he produced, as well as for his own band Airborne released in 1979 on Columbia.
Beau Hill’s experience ranges from recording artist, to record production, with sales approaching 50 million units, to artist management and record company executive, as one of the founding partners of Interscope Records
. He has co-written hit singles, fronted his own band, and worked with many well-known rock musicians on both sides of the studio glass.
but declined to attend in order to pursue a career in recording and production. Beau attended the University of Colorado
from 1971 to 1974, majoring in music and history, while working as an engineer at Applewood Recording Studios.
1974 - 1978
After being promoted to head engineer at Applewood, Beau got his first production job working for Chicago
producer and Caribou Ranch Studios
owner James William Guercio. During this time period Beau honed his production skills after hours at Applewood doing demos with his band “Airborne”. These demos caught the ear of veteran producer Keith Olsen
(Fleetwood Mac
, Foreigner
, Whitesnake
, Grateful Dead
).
“Airborne” signed in 1978 a major recording contract with Columbia Records and a management contract with Irving Azoff
and Bob Buziak at Frontline Management. Keith Olsen produced the debut album in LA.
1980
Beau moved to New York City, signed with Chrysalis Records
and Aucoin Management (Kiss
, Billy Idol
), and recorded the debut album with his new group “Shanghai”, produced by Bruce Fairbairn
and Bob Rock
.
1981 - 1982
An opportunity presented itself for Beau to develop and record Houston based singer/songwriter Sandy Stewart
. Sandy’s demos found their way to Stevie Nicks
, immediately after her first platinum solo effort, and resulted in Sandy getting signed to Modern / Atlantic Records (Stevie’s label), with Beau as the producer. Sandy and Beau went on to co-write three songs with Stevie for her next solo venture The Wild Heart
.
1983 - 1984
Atlantic Records
president Doug Morris
recruited Beau to produce the newly signed group Ratt
. The debut effort sold over 3 million copies domestically alone, and made Beau Hill an internationally acclaimed producer. Beau went on to produce the next three Ratt albums, which all enjoyed multi-platinum success.
1985
At the same time he worked with Ratt, he also produced Midnite Dynamite
by Kix
and Crimes in Mind
by Streets
.
1986
In London, Beau produces and arranges the original motion picture soundtrack to Hearts of Fire
. The recording features three new songs by Bob Dylan
with Eric Clapton
and Ron Wood
.
1987 - 1990
The formation of ‘Control Management’ found Beau stretching his talents in a slightly new direction, working with Winger, whose debut Atlantic Records album
sold 1.8 million copies.
He worked with multi-platinum band Warrant
and the Japanese female rock band Show-Ya as well.
1990
Beau was tapped by Doug Morris to form a new label for Atlantic Records with multi-platinum producer Jimmy Iovine
. Shortly after the introduction of Ted Field
, Interscope Records
was born.
1991
Produced Prisoners in Paradise, Europe's fifth album.
1994–Present
Beau has continued producing, mixing and developing new talent including up and coming Michigan rockers, Bad Side. Beau mixed some songs for the band's 2007 CD, Bad Side II (released September 18, 2007). He has also been involved with several successful international business ventures, but his passion and drive is to work with up and coming artists, and help create the next big recording act.
AES Audio Engineering Society
BMI Broadcast Music, Inc. Writer / Music Publisher
ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Music Publisher
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who is best known for his work with Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Kix
Kix (band)
Kix is an American hard rock/heavy metal band who achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Band members continue to tour, recently appearing at the Rocklahoma festival in 2008 in Oklahoma and the M3 Rock Festival in May 2011 in the band's home state of Maryland.-Formation:Kix was...
, Winger, Streets
Streets (band)
Streets was a band made up of singer, keyboardist Steve Walsh, guitarist Mike Slamer, bassist Billy Greer, and drummer Tim Gehrt.Steve Walsh had also been in the band Kansas and Mike Slamer has been in several other bands, including Britain's City Boy. He has also been a session guitarist...
, Warrant
Warrant (American band)
Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...
, Fiona
Fiona (singer)
Fiona is an American rock music singer and actress best known as the love interest in the 1987 Bob Dylan vehicle, Hearts of Fire.-Life and career:...
, Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
and Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
.
He also played instruments and sang backing vocals for some of the artists that he produced, as well as for his own band Airborne released in 1979 on Columbia.
Beau Hill’s experience ranges from recording artist, to record production, with sales approaching 50 million units, to artist management and record company executive, as one of the founding partners of Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. He has co-written hit singles, fronted his own band, and worked with many well-known rock musicians on both sides of the studio glass.
Biography
At age six Beau entered The Texas Conservatory of Music and studied classical piano and composition. Five years later he was playing guitar in local groups and began learning how to write pop / rock music. He graduated from Jesuit College Prep, Dallas, and was accepted at YaleYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
but declined to attend in order to pursue a career in recording and production. Beau attended the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
from 1971 to 1974, majoring in music and history, while working as an engineer at Applewood Recording Studios.
1974 - 1978
After being promoted to head engineer at Applewood, Beau got his first production job working for Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
producer and Caribou Ranch Studios
Caribou Ranch
Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou...
owner James William Guercio. During this time period Beau honed his production skills after hours at Applewood doing demos with his band “Airborne”. These demos caught the ear of veteran producer Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the industry.-Career:With over 120 albums produced netting a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, of which more than 24 are Platinum or better, and more than 14 are multi-Platinum, sales from Keith Olsen’s work exceeds 110 million...
(Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
).
“Airborne” signed in 1978 a major recording contract with Columbia Records and a management contract with Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff is an American personal manager, representing recording artists in the music industry such as Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, X Japan, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, David Archuleta, Alter Bridge, Van Halen, 30 Seconds to Mars, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely...
and Bob Buziak at Frontline Management. Keith Olsen produced the debut album in LA.
1980
Beau moved to New York City, signed with Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
and Aucoin Management (Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
), and recorded the debut album with his new group “Shanghai”, produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...
and Bob Rock
Bob Rock
Robert Jens Rock, , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, and record producer best known for producing bands such as Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, 311, Metallica, Our Lady Peace, The Offspring and most recently Bush.-Payola$ and Rock and Hyde:Rock began his music career in Langford,...
.
1981 - 1982
An opportunity presented itself for Beau to develop and record Houston based singer/songwriter Sandy Stewart
Sandy Stewart (musician)
Sandy Stewart is a songwriter, singer and keyboardist from Houston, Texas, USA. She is mostly known for her album Cat Dancer, and her association with Fleetwood Mac vocalist and solo act Stevie Nicks. Sandy's first single, "Saddest Victory" was released in 1983. Its video played on MTV for...
. Sandy’s demos found their way to Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, immediately after her first platinum solo effort, and resulted in Sandy getting signed to Modern / Atlantic Records (Stevie’s label), with Beau as the producer. Sandy and Beau went on to co-write three songs with Stevie for her next solo venture The Wild Heart
The Wild Heart (album)
The Wild Heart is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks. Released on June 10, 1983, a year after Fleetwood Mac's successful #1 album, Mirage, it reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts and achieved platinum status on September 12th, 1983...
.
1983 - 1984
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
president Doug Morris
Doug Morris
Doug Morris is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011.-Life and career:...
recruited Beau to produce the newly signed group Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
. The debut effort sold over 3 million copies domestically alone, and made Beau Hill an internationally acclaimed producer. Beau went on to produce the next three Ratt albums, which all enjoyed multi-platinum success.
1985
At the same time he worked with Ratt, he also produced Midnite Dynamite
Midnite Dynamite
Midnite Dynamite is the third album released on Atlantic Records in 1985 by the glam metal band Kix.- Track listing :# "Midnite Dynamite" – 3:51# "Red Hot " – 3:23...
by Kix
Kix (band)
Kix is an American hard rock/heavy metal band who achieved popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Band members continue to tour, recently appearing at the Rocklahoma festival in 2008 in Oklahoma and the M3 Rock Festival in May 2011 in the band's home state of Maryland.-Formation:Kix was...
and Crimes in Mind
Crimes in Mind
Crimes in Mind is a 1985 album by Streets.-Track listing:#"Don't Look Back" - 3:22#"The Nightmare Begins" - 3:16#"Broken Glass" - 3:54#"Hit 'N Run" - 3:08...
by Streets
Streets (band)
Streets was a band made up of singer, keyboardist Steve Walsh, guitarist Mike Slamer, bassist Billy Greer, and drummer Tim Gehrt.Steve Walsh had also been in the band Kansas and Mike Slamer has been in several other bands, including Britain's City Boy. He has also been a session guitarist...
.
1986
In London, Beau produces and arranges the original motion picture soundtrack to Hearts of Fire
Hearts of Fire (soundtrack)
Hearts of Fire is a very rare soundtrack to the critically savaged film, Hearts of Fire. Columbia released the soundtrack October 20, 1987, with the record number SC 40870. It was recorded on August 26 and 27th in London in 1986. The record has long been out of print, and can only be found...
. The recording features three new songs by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Ron Wood
Ron Wood
Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and current member of The Rolling Stones. He also plays lap and pedal steel guitar....
.
1987 - 1990
The formation of ‘Control Management’ found Beau stretching his talents in a slightly new direction, working with Winger, whose debut Atlantic Records album
Winger (album)
Track 11, "Higher and Higher", was a CD bonus track. It wasn't on cassette copies of the album. It was also the B-side of the "Madalaine" single. In this day and age, just as CDs were beginning to become popular, it was not uncommon to include a bonus track like this.-Band:* Kip Winger – bass...
sold 1.8 million copies.
He worked with multi-platinum band Warrant
Warrant (American band)
Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...
and the Japanese female rock band Show-Ya as well.
1990
Beau was tapped by Doug Morris to form a new label for Atlantic Records with multi-platinum producer Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
. Shortly after the introduction of Ted Field
Ted Field
Frederick Woodruff "Ted" Field is an American media mogul and entrepreneur and film producer.-Biography:Field was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the son of Katherine Woodruff Fanning, an editor of the Christian Science Monitor, and Marshall Field IV, who owned the Chicago Sun-Times. He is...
, Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
was born.
1991
Produced Prisoners in Paradise, Europe's fifth album.
1994–Present
Beau has continued producing, mixing and developing new talent including up and coming Michigan rockers, Bad Side. Beau mixed some songs for the band's 2007 CD, Bad Side II (released September 18, 2007). He has also been involved with several successful international business ventures, but his passion and drive is to work with up and coming artists, and help create the next big recording act.
Affiliations
NARAS National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Grammys) Voting MemberAES Audio Engineering Society
BMI Broadcast Music, Inc. Writer / Music Publisher
ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Music Publisher