The Producers is a
new wave and
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...
band from
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former
Whiteface member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former
Billy Joe Royal
Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965.
Life and career
Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and rai ...
sideman Wayne Famous (Wayne McNatt) on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums.
History
Originally formed as a
Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to
Columbia Records subsidiary
Portrait Records by producer
Tom Werman
Tom Werman (born 1945) is an American former record producer responsible for many hard rock and heavy metal albums.
Early life and education
Werman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Newton. He earned a bachelor's degree and an ...
, who had worked with
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...
,
REO Speedwagon and
Mother's Finest
Mother's Finest is an American rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by the vocal duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock in 1970 when the pair met up with guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and bassist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay. Thei ...
. They released two albums for the Portrait label: ''The Producers'' (1981) and ''You Make the Heat'' (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does to Me" onto the national
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
singles charts. "What's He Got", "Certain Kinda Girl", and "Who Do You Think You Are" had some popularity as music videos on
MTV, but did not chart. The band toured extensively in the early 1980s, opening for
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...
and
The Motels
The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In ...
. "She Sheila" from their second album was also a popular MTV video. They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve broadcast in 1982.
Discography
Albums
Aftermath
Despite this success, Portrait Records dropped the band after only two albums. Kyle Henderson became a
born-again Christian and left the band shortly after they were dropped to record a solo album for
Kerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas.
Biography
Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen ...
's
Christian rock label, Kerygma Records and was replaced by future
Jellyfish
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrell ...
, Umajets, and
Sheryl Crow bassist Tim Smith (not to be confused with another musician named
Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to:
Musicians
* T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter
*Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs
*Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and prod ...
— born 1961 — of the progressive art punk outfit Cardiacs). The next Producers album, ''Run For Your Life'', was released in 1985 on a small Atlanta-based independent label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
, "Can't Cry Anymore," a song which appeared on both ''Run For Your Life'' and the 1986 Kansas album ''Power''. The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
and recorded what was to be their fourth album, ''Coelacanth'', but the band was one of several dropped in a 1989 label purge at MCA before the album could be released. ''Coelacanth'' was finally released in 2001.
Today
Lead vocal/guitarist Van Temple now moonlights with bands The Rainmen and Reason Y in Atlanta. He also occasionally teaches.
Original bass player and vocalist Kyle Henderson resides in Madison, Wisconsin, and recently released a new solo album entitled "Brand New Chance". He also fronts a band called Kyle Henderson's Blue Eyed Soul, a four piece that covers songs by Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Otis Redding, plus modern purveyors of that tradition.
Keyboardist Wayne "Famous" McNatt is currently a taxi driver in the Atlanta area and occasionally does session, composer and sound effects jobs.
Drummer Bryan Holmes is currently owner and president of Prestige Carpet & Flooring in Jonesboro, Georgia, where he lives with wife and daughters.
Although The Producers officially "retired" in 1991, the band continues to reunite for occasional live shows, primarily in the southeastern and mid-western United States.
Timeline
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:10 right:0
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1981 till:05/02/2018
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals_&_Guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass_&_Vocals
id:drums value:green legend:Drums_&_Vocals
id:keys value:orange legend:Keyboards
id:bars value:gray(0.93)
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1981
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1981
BarData =
bar:Van text:Van Temple
bar:Kyle text:Kyle Henderson
bar:Tim text:Tim Smith
bar:Bryan text:Bryan Holmes
bar:Wayne text:Wayne Famous
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Van from:01/01/1981 till:end color:vocals
bar:Kyle from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1983 color:bass
bar:Kyle from:01/01/1992 till:end color:bass
bar:Tim from:01/01/1984 till:12/31/1991 color:bass
bar:Bryan from:01/01/1981 till:end color:drums
bar:Wayne from:01/01/1981 till:end color:keys
References
External links
Official Facebook page for The ProducersUnofficial website for The ProducersThe Producers official MySpace sitewww.theproducersband.comMusic video for "What's He Got" on VEVO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Producers, The
American new wave musical groups
American power pop groups
Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state)
Musical groups from Atlanta