Kevin Beamish

Last updated

Kevin Keith Beamish is a Canadian-born American record producer, sound engineer, songwriter and mixer. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he became a naturalized American citizen at the age of nine.

Classically trained on woodwind instruments, he secured a recording deal for his band "The Weathervane" by the age of 16. Crystal Recording Studios hired him to be a studio assistant; short for make coffee, answer the phones and stand in the studio all day and night, learning and helping. His entrance into recording was while assisting on Cisco Kid by War, and offering a few lines to help them when they were stuck. Their songs were long, cascading jams and they were short on lyrics. Beamish added a few ideas, naively. Told quickly by a manager (after they used a few words he suggested), to never mention it again; when Beamish asked how he would be credited. This was a quick study on the publishing business and perils of the business.

During this time at Crystal, The Miracles were recording and he mixed his first number one, worldwide, #1 Record "Love Machine". It would catapult him into being one of the top recording engineers and producers for 30 years. "Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. [1] This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973’s "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced Miracles founder and lead singer Smokey Robinson as lead singer in 1972. The song features a growling sound by Miracles tenor Bobby Rogers.

Kevin Beamish produced and engineered REO Speedwagon’s No. 1 album Hi Infidelity and sang parts on the hit single "Keep on Loving You", with 15 million albums and four million singles sold worldwide. Beamish produced five of REO's catalog.

Beamish produced and engineered/mixed Jefferson Starship's Winds of Change (1982), Saxon’s Crusader (1984) [2] and Y&T's Contagious (1987). He started producing heavier rock such as Keel, Leatherwolf, and into the 1990s with Contraband and Michael Schenker Group. [3] [4]


Related Research Articles

<i>You Bought It – You Name It</i> 1983 studio album by Joe Walsh

You Bought It – You Name It is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh. The album was released in mid 1983, on the label Warner Bros., two years after Walsh's successful album There Goes the Neighborhood. It was Walsh's second and final studio album to feature George "Chocolate" Perry as producer.

<i>Hi Infidelity</i> 1980 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, spending 15 weeks at number one. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Just Whitney</i> 2002 studio album by Whitney Houston

Just Whitney is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on November 27, 2002, by Arista Records. It was her first studio album to be released after her greatest hits compilation, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000), and the follow-up to her multi-platinum fourth studio album, My Love is Your Love (1998). Just Whitney was also Houston's first to be released after re-signing her contract with Arista in 2001 for $100 million - the largest recording contract for a female artist at the time.

<i>The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken</i> 1990 studio album by REO Speedwagon

The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog and a Chicken is the thirteenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, and was released in 1990.

<i>Wheels Are Turnin</i> 1984 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Wheels Are Turnin' is the eleventh studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in November 1984. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The lead single was "I Do' Wanna Know," which stalled at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Can't Fight This Feeling," was REO's second and longest-running number one single. Other singles released were "One Lonely Night" and "Live Every Moment". These singles also reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #19 and #34, respectively. The singles from the album also had success on other Billboard charts: "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "I Do' Wanna Know" each reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, with "One Lonely Night" reaching #17, and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "One Lonely Night" reached #3 and #10, respectively on the Adult Contemporary chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Crook</span> American guitarist

Paul Crook is an American guitarist known for his work recording and performing with Meat Loaf. He has also recorded and toured with Anthrax, Sebastian Bach and Marya Roxx.

<i>N.B.</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Natasha Bedingfield

N.B. is the second studio album released by British singer Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. In the United Kingdom it produced two top ten hits, "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". In January 2008, the album was released in the United States and Canada under the name Pocketful of Sunshine with new packaging and an alternative track listing featuring only six of the original songs. The US version's title song became a top-five hit whilst the lead single, "Love Like This" with Sean Kingston, became a top-fifteen hit. US critics said that the album felt inorganic and awkwardly assembled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Machine (The Miracles song)</span> 1975 single by The Miracles

"Love Machine" is a 1975 single recorded by Motown group the Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. The song was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and the biggest-selling hit single of the Miracles' career. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 top-20 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced Miracles founder Smokey Robinson as lead singer in 1972. The song features a growling vocal by Miracle Bobby Rogers, with group baritone Ronnie White repeating "yeah, baby" throughout the song.

<i>Winds of Change</i> (Jefferson Starship album) 1982 studio album by Jefferson Starship

Winds of Change is the seventh album by Jefferson Starship and was released in 1982. It was the first studio album produced after Grace Slick rejoined the band as a full member. Aynsley Dunbar plays drums on the album, but was replaced by Donny Baldwin for the supporting tour. The album reached number 26 on the Billboard charts.

<i>Good Trouble</i> (album) 1982 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Good Trouble is the tenth studio album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1982 as a follow-up to Hi Infidelity. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts. The single "Keep the Fire Burnin'" gave the band a #7 hit on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart and a #2 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, their highest-charting hit on this chart.

<i>Nine Lives</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1979 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Nine Lives is the eighth studio album by REO Speedwagon. It peaked at number #33 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1979. The album went gold on December 5, 1979. The title Nine Lives was chosen because the album was the band's ninth, including their live album, and it also featured nine songs. It was the last REO album to prominently feature a more hard rock sound. The group would turn to more pop-oriented material with 1980's Hi Infidelity. In 2013, the album was released on CD by UK-based company Rock Candy Records, with expanded liner notes and photos.

<i>Guy</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Guy

Guy is the 1988 debut studio album by American R&B band Guy. Released on June 14, 1988, by Uptown Records. It was produced by group member Teddy Riley and manager Gene Griffin. The album peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 chart. In July 1994, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of two million copies in the United States. In 2007, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the album, Geffen Records reissued the recording complete with a remastered version of the original album and a second CD of remixes.

William L. Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He replaced Smokey Robinson as the lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Loizzo</span> American musician (1945–2016)

Gary Alexander Loizzo was an American guitarist, singer, recording engineer, and record producer. He is best known for being the lead singer with The American Breed.

<i>Renaissance</i> (The Miracles album) 1973 studio album by The Miracles

Renaissance is a 1973 album by R&B group The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was the first album by the group not to feature original lead singer Smokey Robinson on lead vocals, instead featuring him as executive producer. Robinson was replaced by lead singer Billy Griffin.

<i>The Hits</i> (REO Speedwagon album) 1988 greatest hits album by REO Speedwagon

The Hits is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. It contains hits such as "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Keep on Loving You", as well as new tracks "Here with Me" and "I Don't Want to Lose You". "Here with Me" cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. and the top ten on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it would be the last single to feature drummer Alan Gratzer and guitarist Gary Richrath, as they each left the band within the year following this album's release. The album has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. which led it to go 4× Platinum.

<i>Stares and Whispers</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Freda Payne

Stares and Whispers is Freda Payne's seventh studio album released in 1977; it was also her first for Capitol Records. The last two tracks, "Loving You Means So Much to Me" and "Bring Back the Joy," were co-written by Payne's then-husband, Gregory Abbott, the latter of which was co-written by Payne herself. Four tracks were lifted from the album, "I Get ," "Bring Back the Joy," "Love Magnet," and "Feed Me Your Love." "Love Magnet" was the only one of the four that charted.

John Haeny was an American-born music producer, recording and mixing engineer, sound designer and academic. From the late 1960s through the late 1980s he recorded, mixed and produced hundreds of albums. He worked with a variety of artists across multiple genres including Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Jim Morrison, Tom Jones, Warren Zevon and Linda Ronstadt to Weather Report, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard and Duke Ellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Hamilton</span> American record producer, engineer and musician

Joel Hamilton is an American Brooklyn-based record producer, audio engineer and musician. Hamilton performs as a musician for the band Book of Knots. He is also a producer and engineer at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York.

<i>Love Crazy</i> (The Miracles album) 1977 studio album by The Miracles

Love Crazy is an album by American R&B group The Miracles featuring singer Billy Griffin, released via Columbia Records in 1977. The album is the first of two albums released on their new label following their departure from Motown.

References

  1. March 6, 1976, Billboard Magazine Charts
  2. "Industry Profile – Producer Kevin Beamish". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  3. "Kevin Beamish Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  4. Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine