The Producers (band)
Encyclopedia
The Producers is a new wave
and power pop
band from Atlanta, Georgia
in the 1980s. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former Whiteface
member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former Billy Joe Royal
sideman "Wayne Famous" (Wayne McNatt) on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums.
subsidiary Portrait Records
by producer Tom Werman
, who had worked with Cheap Trick
, REO Speedwagon
and Mother's Finest
, among others. They released two albums for the Portrait label, The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does To Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine singles charts."What's He Got" had some popularity as a music video
but did not chart. They toured extensively opening for Cheap Trick
, and The Motels
. "She Sheila" from their second album was a popular MTV
video. They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve in 1982.
's Christian rock
label, Kerygma Records and was replaced by future Jellyfish
, Umajets and Sheryl Crow
bassist Tim Smith (not to be confused with another musician named Tim Smith--born 1961—of the Progressive Art Punk outfit Cardiacs). The next Producers album, Run For Your Life, was released in 1985 on a small Atlanta-based independent label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and Kansas
, "Can't Cry Anymore," a song which appeared on both Run For Your Life and the 1986 Kansas album Power. The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with MCA Records
and recorded what was to be their fourth album, Coelacanth, but the band was one of several dropped in a 1989 label purge at MCA before the album could be released. Coelacanth was finally released in 2001. The band "retired" in 1991 but still plays shows from time to time around the Southeast.
Original bass player and vocalist Kyle Henderson now fronts a new band called Kyle Henderson's Blue Eyed Soul which is a Madison, Wisconsin area based four piece that covers songs by Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Otis Redding, plus modern purveyors of that tradition. http://www.kylehendersonmusic.com
Van Temple now plays in a Classic Rock band called Reason Y in Atlanta. http://reasonyband.com
Wayne Famous is currently a taxi driver in the Atlanta area and occasionally doing session work and occasional composer and sound effects jobs.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in the 1980s. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former Whiteface
Whiteface (band)
Whiteface was an Atlanta-based pop-rock-funk band formed in the late `70's. Its members were technically-proficient and each was a lead vocalist, giving the band an incredible vocal harmony sound...
member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former Billy Joe Royal
Billy Joe Royal
Billy Joe Royal is an American singer.-Biography:Born in Valdosta and raised in Marietta in 1942, Royal became a local star at Savannah, Georgia's Bamboo Ranch in the 1950s and 1960s...
sideman "Wayne Famous" (Wayne McNatt) on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums.
History
Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
subsidiary Portrait Records
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....
by producer Tom Werman
Tom Werman
Tom Werman was an A&R man and record producer for Epic Records from 1970 into 1982. He has produced albums by acts including Mother's Finest, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet, Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Stryper, Kix, LA Guns, and Poison. While in A&R at Epic Records, he...
, who had worked with Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
and Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest is a funk rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia by Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock in the early 1970s. The group charted with the singles "Fire" , "Baby Love" , "Don't Wanna Come Back" , "Love Changes" , and "Piece Of The Rock" in the mid to late 1970s.-History:Mother's Finest...
, among others. They released two albums for the Portrait label, The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does To Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine singles charts."What's He Got" had some popularity as a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
but did not chart. They toured extensively opening for Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, and The Motels
The Motels
The Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
. "She Sheila" from their second album was a popular MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
video. They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve in 1982.
Albums
| Year | Title | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Record Label | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Producers | 163 | Portrait Records Portrait Records Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered.... |
Single "What She Does To Me" reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. | |
| 1982 | You Make The Heat | Portrait Records Portrait Records Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered.... |
Single "She Sheila" reached number 48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. | ||
| 1985 | Run For Your Life | — | Marathon Records | ||
| 2000 | The Producers/You Make The Heat | — | One Way Records One Way Records One Way Records was a record label established by Larry Norman in 1970 to distribute his own work, and that of other Christian musicians including Randy Stonehill, after he had been released by Capitol Records in 1969.-History:... |
First two LP's, The Producers and You Make The Heat remastered and released on one CD. | |
| 2001 | Coelacanth | — | One Way Records One Way Records One Way Records was a record label established by Larry Norman in 1970 to distribute his own work, and that of other Christian musicians including Randy Stonehill, after he had been released by Capitol Records in 1969.-History:... |
Originally recorded for MCA Records in 1988/89 but never released by the label. | |
Aftermath
Despite this success, Portrait Records dropped the band after only two albums. Kyle Henderson became a born-again Christian and left the band shortly after they were dropped to record a solo album for Kerry LivgrenKerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren is an American musician and songwriter, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the 1970s progressive rock band, Kansas.-Biography:...
's Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
label, Kerygma Records and was replaced by future Jellyfish
Jellyfish (band)
Jellyfish were a power pop band from San Francisco. It formed after Beatnik Beatch broke up in 1989. The core members were drummer/singer/songwriter Andy Sturmer and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Roger Joseph Manning, Jr...
, Umajets and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
bassist Tim Smith (not to be confused with another musician named Tim Smith--born 1961—of the Progressive Art Punk outfit Cardiacs). The next Producers album, Run For Your Life, was released in 1985 on a small Atlanta-based independent label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
, "Can't Cry Anymore," a song which appeared on both Run For Your Life and the 1986 Kansas album Power. The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
and recorded what was to be their fourth album, Coelacanth, but the band was one of several dropped in a 1989 label purge at MCA before the album could be released. Coelacanth was finally released in 2001. The band "retired" in 1991 but still plays shows from time to time around the Southeast.
Original bass player and vocalist Kyle Henderson now fronts a new band called Kyle Henderson's Blue Eyed Soul which is a Madison, Wisconsin area based four piece that covers songs by Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Otis Redding, plus modern purveyors of that tradition. http://www.kylehendersonmusic.com
Van Temple now plays in a Classic Rock band called Reason Y in Atlanta. http://reasonyband.com
Wayne Famous is currently a taxi driver in the Atlanta area and occasionally doing session work and occasional composer and sound effects jobs.
External links
- Unofficial Website for The Producers
- Fan Site
- http://www.michaelmastro.com/photo_producers.html The Producers first promotional photo, ©Michael Mastro.
- The Producers official MySpace site