Kevin Keith Beamish is an 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''. 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
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
as lead singer in 1972. The song features a growling sound by Miracles tenor
Bobby Rogers.
Kevin Beamish produced and engineered
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...
’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
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...
's ''
Winds of Change'' (1982),
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
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peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
’s ''
Crusader'' (1984) and
Y&T's ''
Contagious'' (1987).
He started producing heavier rock such as
Keel,
Leatherwolf, and into the 1990s with
Contraband
Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...
and
Michael Schenker Group.
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beamish, Kevin
Living people
American record producers
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Anglophone Quebec people
People from Montreal
Year of birth missing (living people)