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Keith Forsey | |
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Born | London, England | 2 January 1948
Genres | Rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels | RCA Victor, Epic, Casablanca, Hansa, Oasis |
Website | Official website |
Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer. [1]
Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The Spectrum [2] and as the drummer in Udo Lindenberg's Panik Orchester until 1976, during which he also played percussion for Amon Düül II. [3] By late 1970s, he was a pioneer of disco, working with artists such as Lipstique, Claudja Barry, La Bionda, the Italo disco pioneers and Boney M. He became Giorgio Moroder's drummer and played on records by Donna Summer, including Bad Girls , and Sparks' "No. 1 in Heaven." Forsey's own band, Trax, a collaboration with Pete Bellotte, was not as popular. [3] Forsey was influenced by Moroder and began experimenting with electronics and European dance rhythms.
Like Moroder, Forsey started producing albums himself, and in 1982 produced Billy Idol's solo debut album, Billy Idol and Icehouse's global breakthrough album Primitive Man . Idol's 1983 follow-up, Rebel Yell , went even further, combining Forsey's affection for synthesized pop, Idol's punk grit, and guitarist Steve Stevens' heavy metal sound. [3] 1983 was the year that established Forsey as a producer. He co-wrote "Flashdance... What a Feeling" with Moroder and Irene Cara, who sang the track, for the movie Flashdance . In 1984, the song won an Academy Award. The popularity of Flashdance led to his co-writing songs featured on the soundtracks of Ghostbusters , Beverly Hills Cop , The NeverEnding Story and The Breakfast Club . The 1985 hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club was originally offered to Simple Minds, who declined. After Bryan Ferry, Billy Idol and several other artists passed on the song, Simple Minds reconsidered; their recording went on to top the charts in several countries. [4]
In 1985, Forsey produced the debut album for the singer Charlie Sexton.
In 2003, Forsey produced the American guitar pop band Rooney. 2005 saw his return to Billy Idol, producing Devil's Playground . [3]
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had a significant influence on several music genres such as hi-NRG, Italo disco, synth-pop, new wave, house, and techno music.
Rebel Yell is the second studio album by the English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 10 November 1983 by Chrysalis Records. After the release of his 1982 eponymous debut studio album, Idol continued his collaboration with producer Keith Forsey and multi-instrumentalist Steve Stevens. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Initially recording without a drummer, utilizing only the LinnDrum and Roland TR-808 drum machines, Forsey and Stevens later decided to hire Thommy Price to play drums on some of the songs. Musically, Rebel Yell is a new wave album with hard rock and other influences. The cover sleeve and images were shot by Brian Griffin. Idol got the idea of the album's title after attending a party with the Rolling Stones and drinking Rebel Yell bourbon whiskey.
Irene Cara Escalera was an American singer and actress who rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film Fame, and for recording the film's title song "Fame", which reached No. 1 in several countries. In 1983, Cara co-wrote and sang the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling", for which she shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984.
Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, composer and record producer.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the record producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff for the film The Breakfast Club (1985). Simple Minds initially declined to record it, preferring to record their own material, but accepted after several other acts also declined.
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" is a song from the 1983 film Flashdance with music by Giorgio Moroder and lyrics by Keith Forsey and the song's performer, Irene Cara. The song spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts around the world. It was awarded Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of one million copies and won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song and earned Cara the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 2023, the song was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
Thomas Ross Whitlock was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing the Academy Award– and Golden Globe–winning song "Take My Breath Away", performed by Berlin from the film Top Gun, with Giorgio Moroder. He wrote another song for the film, "Danger Zone", performed by Kenny Loggins.
Billy Idol is the debut studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 16 July 1982 by Chrysalis Records. After the breakup of the band Generation X and the release of his first solo extended play, Don't Stop (1981), Idol began working on his debut album. Produced by Keith Forsey, Billy Idol is a rock album with strong influences of new wave music.
Kiss Me Deadly is the third studio album by the English punk rock and new wave band Gen X. Produced by Keith Forsey it was issued in the United Kingdom on 23 January 1981. It was the final album to be released before their disbandment, though they would briefly reunite in 1993.
Nº 1 in Heaven is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sparks. Recorded with Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the album marked a change of musical direction for the group and became influential on later synth-pop bands.
Peter John Bellotte is a British songwriter and record producer most noted for his work in the 1970s with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer.
I'm a Rainbow is the ninth studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. The album was recorded in 1981 and scheduled to be released on October 5 of that year but was shelved. It was not released until fifteen years later, on August 20, 1996 by Casablanca and Mercury Records. There was no promotion for the album. No singles or music videos were released. AllMusic gave the album a positive review, naming it her most personal record.
What a Feelin' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Irene Cara. Released on November 2, 1983, this album is a continuation of the work that Cara began with producer Giorgio Moroder on the soundtrack to the 1983 film Flashdance. The dance-pop song she co-wrote with Moroder and Keith Forsey for the film, "Flashdance... What a Feeling", went to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 and foreshadowed the style of this album, which was unlike her R&B-heavy debut. Although Cara was more accustomed to composing music, she relinquished most of those duties to Moroder here and shifted much of her songwriting focus to lyrics.
Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1983 film Flashdance, which tells the story of Alex Owens, a welder and exotic dancer who dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. The nightclub performances by Alex and her co-workers and other set pieces involving training and auditioning provided opportunities to present the songs that would make up the soundtrack album. The film's music supervisor, Phil Ramone, made selections that he felt were the best fit for their respective scenes, and composer Giorgio Moroder contributed additional tracks in the process of scoring the film. One of his contributions, "Flashdance...What a Feeling" by Irene Cara, was released as a single in March 1983, weeks before the film's April 15 release, and eventually spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The soundtrack was released on April 11, 1983 by Casablanca Records.
American Gigolo is the soundtrack album to the 1980 film of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. The music was composed and performed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and was released worldwide on the Polydor label. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart. All the cuts from the soundtrack also went to number two for five weeks on the disco/dance charts.
Foxes is the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name, starring Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid as well as The Runaways' lead singer Cherie Currie. The double-album was released on the disco label Casablanca Records.
"Why Me?" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and the song's performer, Irene Cara, that was the first official single to be released from Cara's 1983 album, What a Feelin', making it the follow-up to the songwriting trio's previous project for Cara, "Flashdance... What a Feeling". This new collaboration, however, was described as having more of a hard rock edge and had lyrics that conveyed the difficulties in a relationship.
"Lady, Lady, Lady" is a 1983 song written by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey and performed by singer Joe Esposito for the film Flashdance. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the film.
"When I'm with You" is a song released by Los Angeles band Sparks. The song relies on disco and new wave as its two main genres with rock guitars audible throughout the song. The song did not chart on any Billboard charts, but was Sparks' only Top 40 single in Australia, where it peaked at number 14, whilst it peaked at number 1 in France for six weeks. It is not known who produced this song as Giorgio Moroder produced it alongside Harold Faltermeyer, with the latter claiming to have produced much of the album. Keith Forsey, best known as producer for Billy Idol in the 1980s and then resuming in 2006, and for writing several other works including "Don't You " and "Flashdance... What a Feeling" among others, played drums on the song. The B-side is an instrumental version of "When I'm with You".