Pianoman
Encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Piano ManPiano ManPiano Man may refer to:*Piano Man , a 1973 rock album by Billy Joel**"Piano Man" , a 1973 hit song from the album**A nickname for Billy Joel*Pianoman, an alias of dance music producer James Sammon...
Pianoman is an alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
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...
, James Sammon from Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
who got to number 6 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with the hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Blurred" in June 1996. His follow-up to "Blurred" released on 3 Beat Records
3 Beat Records
3 Beat Records is a British record shop and independent record label which was founded by Jon Barlow in 1989.-History:3 Beat Records was founded as a dance music record shop in 1989 by Jon Barlow, Dave Nicholl, Phil Southall and later joined by Phil Beddard and Hywell Williams who were students at...
was from a Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of "Live Your Life Be Free
Live Your Life Be Free (song)
"Live Your Life Be Free" is a song written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, produced by Nowels for Belinda Carlisle's fourth album Live Your Life Be Free . The single reached the Top 20 in Australia, the UK, and Italy. The song was also an airplay hit in the UK, reaching a peak of #5, and also...
", entitled "Party People (Live Your Life Be Free)" and narrowly missed a place in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 40.
As well as his own commercial releases and remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es Sammon has worked and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
/ remixed musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s such as Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Ian George Brown is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses, which broke up in 1996 but are confirmed to reunite in 2012. Since the break-up of the Stone Roses he has pursued a solo career...
, Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
and Donna Air
Donna Air
Donna Air is an English television presenter, singer and actress.-Early life:As a former student of Gosforth High School, Donna attended the Drama School at First Act in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was a pupil alongside Jill Halfpenny, Ant & Dec and Dale Meeks.-Television:She became...
. Pianoman has had many other guises, the most successful being Bass Boyz which was signed to Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
and reached the number 74 in September 1996, with ""Gunz and Pianos".
The track "Blurred" can be found on many compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s including Now That's What I Call Music! 34.
The name Pianoman was first popularized by the Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Piano Man
Piano Man
Piano Man may refer to:*Piano Man , a 1973 rock album by Billy Joel**"Piano Man" , a 1973 hit song from the album**A nickname for Billy Joel*Pianoman, an alias of dance music producer James Sammon...
", but this was not the reason for Sammon's use of the name, due to the many records he released during the 1990s (whilst he managed a record shop
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
, and worked on several local Yorkshire pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
stations) that were dance music piano anthems, including "That Whitney Tune" featuring samples from "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody " is the first single from Whitney Houston's second studio album Whitney. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously written the number-one Whitney Houston hit "How Will I...
", a Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
record shop owner would call Sammon 'Pianoman' whenever they met. This would lead to the use of that name for his future releases, and become his best known moniker.
Although known for the commercial dance sound he has produced tracks and released vinyl in many dance styles, from drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, garage, two step, house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
. His first release was "The Happy Hardcore EP" billed as DJ Sammon, the name he took to using during his ten-year stint on pirate radio.
In his twenties, Sammon began on one of Yorkshire's first pirates radio stations, the Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
based station Paradise City Radio, and worked at several others, including Dream 107.6 FM
Dream 107.6 FM
-Notes:ORIGINAL CREW FROM 1994 - 1998* Dj Spinback * Dj Rhythm Master * Mc Fiaz * Dj Energy * Mc Suicide * Tom Thumb * Swiflee * Vinyl Trixta * Jimmy J * Krazy G * Mc Chucky * Dj Flyte * Dj Frenzy * Red Headz * Mc Charge * Diamond White * Mc Base * Dj Spirit * Mc Orgasm * Boots Hi-Fi * Pieman *...
.
Since 2006 James Sammon along with his writing and producing partner Alan hinton has written, produced and remixed tracks under a variety of aliases covering different genres of dance music. These include Bassline House
Bassline house
Bassline is a type of music related to UK garage that originated from speed garage, and shares characteristics with fellow subgenres dubstep and grime for their emphasis on bass. The style originated in Sheffield around 2002....
, House, Hardcore, Euro Dance and Funky House
Funky house
Funky house is a loose definition for a commercially oriented, disco-influenced subgenre of house music. Like most variants of house, the genre follows a traditional four to the floor house beat, and makes heavy use of synthesizers, samples and soulful vocals, although unlike in more...
. As of 2008 he was signed to Ministry Of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
in the U.K. as one half 2 Tyme, a mainly U.K. Bassline house
Bassline house
Bassline is a type of music related to UK garage that originated from speed garage, and shares characteristics with fellow subgenres dubstep and grime for their emphasis on bass. The style originated in Sheffield around 2002....
act and co writing original material such as "Missing You", "Aint Your Sweet Thing", "So Hot" and "Tease Me Please Me". Other names used by Sammon to produce Bassline House include, Service Crew, Hidden Agenda and Serious Business.
Alongside his partner Alan Hinton, they are signed as Phonik to AATW Records in the U.K. with a track called "Something Special" which featured Sally Jaxx on vocals. Additional members of Phonik Include Kenny Hayes and Ben Trengrove. Currently James Sammon has his own publishing company called Blurred Music which is administered by Bucks Music Group
Bucks Music Group
Bucks Music Group is an international and independent music publisher, whose core business evolved from a strong 60s and 70s back catalogue of copyrights...
and a record label called Salford Central Records, which as of June 2009 will have a website.