Geoff Workman (21 September 1947 – 21 January 2010) was an English record producer and engineer, best known for producing and engineering albums for
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
,
Foreigner,
Drivin N Cryin
Drivin' n' Cryin' is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
History
The band was formed in 1985 in Atlanta when Kevin Kinney hooked up with Frank French at the latter's recording studio, Dragon Path Music, and beg ...
,
Toto,
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
, Private Eye and
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with m ...
.
In the late 1970s, he engineered several albums with
Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker (born 10 November 1946) is an English record producer, songwriter and arranger, who has produced rock and pop and songs since the 1970s.
Career
Baker began his career at Decca Records at the age of 14 and later worked as an a ...
, eventually leaving in the 1980s to become a full-time producer. He produced the band Secretz at Cherokee studios with Darrahl Foley. Geoff called Denver, Colorado home during the 1990s where he produced and engineered for bands such as the Hippie Werewolves, Dogs of Pleasure, Killian Dare and Strange Parade as well as Logan out of Houston TX.
Early life
Geoffrey Workman was born in a small household in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, Lancashire, United Kingdom. Geoff's father was Thomas Arthur Rose Workman, a drummer and a Naval Architect for the British.
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, who was perhaps one of the more influential person(s) in his future music career, would occasionally eat dinner at his family's house in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Geoff created a band during his early education called the "Feelgoods,"
who would play at small local venues. John, who was at that point a part of the
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
, invited him to tour with them as the opening act. After asking his father, Geoff remembered Thomas saying, "If you don't do it, you'll regret it."
The tour bus, which was allegedly said to have arrived at Geoff's school, was a dramatic beginning to a long career. Starting their tour in Germany, the newly found Beatles and the young Feelgoods were moved quickly around in Hamburg due to several issues, including the termination of contract by one club owner. After several years of opening for bands, including at a popular club by the name of Reeperbahn, he returned to England to work in the studio, producing for other bands.
Upon finding a periodical that introduced the world of recording to him, he copied down the relevant details and applied for a job. on his first night, he was rejected, and had to sleep on a bench. The following day, he asked again, and they offered him a position, "swabbing toilets and bringing coffee," and he agreed. His first attempt at producing was as a fill in for an album released by
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
, working on their album, ''
In the Court of the Crimson King
''In the Court of the Crimson King'' (subtitled ''An Observation by King Crimson'') is the debut studio album by English rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969 by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influentia ...
'' and ''
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
''. Eventually, after working for
Wessex Sound Studios
Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located at 106a Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including Sex Pistols, King Crimson, the Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, the Sinceros, Queen, Talk ...
for several years engineering orchestras, commercial jingles, and local projects, he got his "big break" through being offered the chance to produce
Journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
.
References
English record producers
1947 births
2010 deaths
musicians from Liverpool
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