Joe Meek

{ Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the recording studio as an instrument, and becoming one of the first producers to be recognised for his individual identity as an artist. Meek pioneered space age and experimental pop music, and assisted in the development of recording practices like overdubbing, sampling and reverberation. The Tornados' instrumental "Telstar" (1962), written and produced by Meek, became the first record by a British rock group to reach number one in the US Hot 100. It also spent five weeks at number one in the UK singles chart, with Meek receiving an Ivor Novello Award for this production as the "Best-Selling A-Side" of 1962. Charting singles Meek produced for other artists include "Johnny Remember Me" (John Leyton, 1961), "Just Like Eddie" (Heinz, 1963), "Angela Jones" (Michael Cox, 1960), "Have I the Right?" (the Honeycombs, 1964), and "Tribute to Buddy Holly" (Mike Berry, 1961). He also produced music for films such as Live It Up! (US title Sing and Swing, 1963), a pop music film. Meek's concept album I Hear a New World (1960), which contains innovative use of electronic sounds, was not fully released in his lifetime. Meek was affected by bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. His commercial success as a producer was short-lived, and he gradually sank into debt and depression. On 3 February 1967, using a shotgun owned by musician Heinz Burt, Meek killed his landlady, Violet Shenton, with whom he had argued over the loudness of his studio, which he rented from her, and then shot himself. At the time of his death, Meek possessed thousands of unreleased recordings later dubbed "The Tea Chest Tapes". His reputation for experiments in recording music was acknowledged by the Music Producers Guild who in 2009 created "The Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production" as a "homage to [the] remarkable producer's pioneering spirit". In 2014, Meek was ranked the greatest producer of all time by NME, elaborating: "Meek was a complete trailblazer, attempting endless new ideas in his search for the perfect sound. ... The legacy of his endless experimentation is writ large over most of your favourite music today." {

Lone Rider: The Holloway Road Sessions 1960-1962 (Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes) - 2024-10-18 00:00:00

From Taboo To Telstar: 1962 A Year In The Life Of 304 Holloway Road (Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes) - 2024-08-16 00:00:00

Love And Fury: The Holloway Road Sessions 1962-1966 (Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes) - 2023-11-24 00:00:00

The White Tornado: The Holloway Road Sessions 1963-1966 (Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes) - 2023-09-22 00:00:00

The Single Sessions, Pt. 2 - 2023-09-15 00:00:00

Similar Artists

The Jades

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy

Michael Cox

Peter Grudzien

Lucia Pamela

The Godz

Index

The Dovers

Alvie Self

Calico Wall

Geoff Goddard

The Centuries

Michael Yonkers Band

The Spike Drivers

Rodd Keith

The Expresso's

The Chieftones

The Werps

Don Armstrong

Bobby Jameson