Leslie Howe

Last updated
Leslie Howe
BornApril 17th, 1959
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)musician, record producer
Musical career
Genres pop, alternative rock
Years active1980s–present

Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario. [1] He has been a member of the bands One to One, [1] [2] Sal's Birdland [3] [4] and Artificial Joy Club, [5] and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums.

Career

Beginning in the 1970s, Howe and Louise Reny were members of a local Ottawa band Mainstream. [6] Howe operated a small recording studio, Distortion Studios, in Ottawa. [7] In 1984 Howe joined with Reny to create the duo One to One; they signed a recording contract with the British label Bonaire, and travelled to Germany to record an album, Forward Your Emotions. Howe was nominated for Producer of the Year and "Recording Engineer of the Year" at the 1986 Juno Awards for this album. [8] The pair released a single, "Do You Believe" which appeared on the RPM 100 Singles chart in June and July 1989. [9] After changing their name to One 2 One, they recorded an album with A&M Records; [6] their 1992 single "Peace of Mind (Love Goes On)" appeared on the RPM 100 Singles Chart for several months. [10] [11]

Howe met Alanis Morissette in 1988 and the two began writing songs together; Morissette signed a contract with Howe's production company, Ghettovale, and with the help of Remy and musician Frank Levin, they recorded a demonstration video with Morissette singing one of these compositions, "Walk Away". The demo led to a recording contract for her with MCA Records. [12] Howe produced her first pop music albums Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). [13] [14]

Howe joined the grunge band Sal's Birdland, once more with Reny; in 1993 the group independently released an album, So Very Happy, and later released Nude Photos Inside through MCA Records. After changing their name to Artificial Joy Club, in 1997 the band recorded a single, "Sick and Beautiful", which climbed the Billboard charts. Also that year the band recorded an album, Melt, on the Crunchy/Interscope label, were showcased on MTV and performed as part of the Lollapalooza tour. [5]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Hot (Alanis Morissette song)</span> 1991 single by Alanis Morissette

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Away (Alanis Morissette song)</span> 1991 single by Alanis Morissette

"Walk Away" is a pop-dance and freestyle song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe, Louise Reny and Frank Levin, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album, Alanis (1991). Its protagonist sends a warning to her boyfriend who "never think[s] twice before [he] break all the rules", telling him "I'll walk away and say good bye if you don't want me anymore ... if I don't get the love we had before". It was released to radio and television as the album's second single in 1991, but it was not given a commercial release. The promotional single for the song includes a radio edit only. The song charted at number 35 in Canada. It was also featured in the film Problem Child 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feel Your Love</span> 1991 single by Alanis Morissette

"Feel Your Love" is a pop-dance and new jack swing song co-written by Alanis Morissette and Leslie Howe, and produced by Howe for Morissette's debut album, Alanis (1991). Its protagonist tells a boy she has "got this thing" for him, and that "it's drivin' me right out of my mind ... I wanna feel your love; you know this waitin' for you boy I can't stand". Morissette's brothers Chad and Wade provided some of the song's backing vocals. It was released as the album's third single in 1991 and was the second commercial single release after "Too Hot". The single charted at number 24 in Canada.

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"An Emotion Away" is a pop-dance song co-written by Alanis Morissette, Leslie Howe and Serge Côté, and produced by Howe for Morissette's second album Now Is the Time (1992). Its protagonist tells someone who "completely took [her] heart by surprise" that "love is just an emotion away". It was released as the album's first single in 1992 and reached number twenty-four on the Canadian singles chart. "An Emotion Away" was the most successful single from Now Is the Time, which sold moderately. Leslie Howe engineered and mixed the song. The B-side on the cassette single was "When We Meet Again", another track from Now Is the Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alanis Morissette discography</span>

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Louise Reny is a Canadian vocalist and songwriter. She was in the bands One to One, Sal's Birdland, and Artificial Joy Club. She worked with Alanis Morissette on her first albums.

References

  1. 1 2 "Can you just Imagine It: Ottawa songwriter-producer finally leaves the basement". Ottawa Citizen , February 20, 1992.
  2. "Gordon Lightfoot awarded the Moon". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. September 27, 1990 - Page 44
  3. Words & Music. Vol. 4–5. Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. 1997. p. 7.
  4. "Takemitsu music beautifully played". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. February 29, 1992 - Page 31
  5. 1 2 Chuck Taylor, "Crunchy Act Artificial Joy Club melts away doubters with 'Sick & Beautiful' single". Billboard , August 9, 1997. page 62
  6. 1 2 " One to One - Biography by Michael Sutton" AllMusic.
  7. "Heroic Publisher, Legendary Facilitator". Words & Music, by Nick Krewen | September 28, 2018
  8. "Artist - One To One". Jam! Music's Canadian POP Music Encyclopedia. 2008. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. "Top Singles". RPM Magazine - Volume 50, No. 9. Jun 26, 1989
  10. "One 2 One producing appealing music, brings back memories of Carpenters". Lethbridge Herald, via Newspaper Archives. March 19, 1992 - Page 46
  11. "Top Singles". RPM Magazine, Volume 55, No. 20. ay 16, 1992
  12. "Teen Singer Enjoys Spotlight". Medicine Hat News, via Newspaper Archives. November 08, 1991 - Page 45
  13. Kalen Rogers, The Story of Alanis Morissette. Omnibus Press, 1996. ISBN   9780711959842.
  14. Larry LeBlanc (1 August 1992). "Alexander Touts Canadian Ties at MCA" - Billboard magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 38. ISSN   0006-2510.