Howard Gray (born 15 July 1962) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

musician, sound engineer, programmer, composer, re-mixer and producer who has worked with

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and d ...

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Co ...

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

the Armoury Show The Armoury Show were a British New wave music, new wave band, formed in 1983 and consisting of Richard Jobson (television presenter), Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb (musician), Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and Jo ...

the Pale Fountains The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in Liverpool in 1980, and composed of Mick Head (vocalist/guitarist), Chris McCaffery (bassist), Thomas Whelan (drummer), trumpet player Andy Diagram (horns) and Ken Moss (Guitar/Bass). Diagram w ...

, Japan,

the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

, Simple Minds,

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

, Scritti Politti, Cherubs,

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, '' Introducing the Hardl ...

Jean Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...

the Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...

, U2, Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page, Tom Jones and

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

. He is a founding member of the dance/rock group

Apollo 440 Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are a British electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as ...

Early years

Howard James Gray was born in Sydney, Australia, shortly after his parents emigrated from their native

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 populat ...

. The family returned to Liverpool when Gray was six months old, and the city played its role in forming the young Gray's musical passions. An early interest in music and sound recording led to the formation of his first band at the age of 15, Alvin the Aardvark and the Fuzzy Ants, with his brother, Trevor Gray, and fellow schoolfriends Jono ' Kumo' Podmore, James Gardner, Norman '

Noko Noko (born Norman Fisher-Jones, 1 February 1962, in Bootle, Lancashire, England) is an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, has formed and/or played with a number of bands primarily as a guitarist or bassist. In chron ...

' Fisher-Jones and Gary Hancock. In 1980, during his last year at school, Gray landed a job as a tape operator at Richard Branson's notorious

Manor Studio The Manor Studio (a.k.a. The Manor) was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. Overview The Manor and its outbuildings are listed Grade II on the Nati ...

, the residential facility built on a country estate near Oxford. Throughout his tenure at The Manor, and at Branson's recently completed

Townhouse Studios The Town House (also known as Townhouse Studios) was a recording studio located at 150 Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush in London, built in 1978 under the direction of Richard Branson for Virgin Records. The studios changed ownership and eventuall ...

in London's Hammersmith, Gray worked with many producers, first as an assistant sound engineer, then as an engineer. The producer he worked with most often was

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...

. Some of the many artists Gray worked with include Public Image Ltd, the Stranglers, Kirsty MacColl, the Armoury Show, Japan,

Rip Rig + Panic Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

and Van Morrison. He was Virgin's house engineer on Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's album '' Architecture and Morality'', and engineered producer

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniques ...

's groundbreaking

Dub Syndicate Dub Syndicate is a dub band, formed by Adrian Sherwood, which became a showcase for Adrian Sherwood's collaboration with Lincoln "Style" Scott, former drummer with the Roots Radics, Suns of Arqa and Creation Rebel. Dub Syndicate initially ...

album ''The Pounding System (Ambience in Dub)''.

1980s: from sound engineer to producer

When Gray broke away from the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

studio system, he initially went to work as Steve Lillywhite's engineer, which led to him working with such diverse artists as Simple Minds, XTC, the Pretenders, UB40 and Abba's

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...

('Frida'). As a producer in his own right, Gray's big break came when, in 1983, he was asked by

to help produce their multi-platinum selling album of cover versions, ''

Labour of Love ''Labour of Love'' is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song " Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one ...

''. Gray had previously worked with the band at the Townhouse on their ''

UB44 ''UB44'' is the third studio album of original material by UB40, released on the DEP International label in 1982. It was advertised as their 'fourth album' (hence the title) although ''Present Arms in Dub'' had been a remix album. The album r ...

'' album. Credited as engineer and assistant producer of ''Labour of Love'', an administrative error caused Gray's role to be credited only as tape operator on the UK and US No. 1 single "

Red Red Wine "Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967 that appears on his second studio album, '' Just for You''. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person who finds that drink ...

". Still only 21 years old, Gray also engineered and co-produced UB40's next album '' Geffery Morgan''. Gray went on to work with Scritti Politti on '' Cupid & Psyche 85'', the Cure on ''

The Head on the Door ''The Head on the Door'' is the sixth studio album by English rock band the Cure. It was released on 30 August 1985 by Fiction Records. Preceded by the single "In Between Days" which had reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, ''The Head on the ...

'' and he produced Terence Trent D'Arby's debut single "If You Let Me Stay", from his 12 million-selling album ''

Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby ''Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'' is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby. It was released in July 1987 on Columbia Records, and debuted at number one in the UK, spending a total of nine weeks (non-consecut ...

''. Some of the other artists Gray produced through the mid- to late '80s include

, Head,

the Screaming Blue Messiahs The Screaming Blue Messiahs were a rock band, formed in 1983 in London by guitarist and singer Bill Carter, bass player and backing singer Chris Thompson and drummer Kenny Harris. The group emerged in the wake of the pub rock and punk scenes th ...

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the ...

Red Guitars Red Guitars were an English indie rock band active from 1982 to 1986. Based in Hull, Red Guitars' first single "Good Technology" was a minor hit, selling 60,000 copies. Their singles "Marimba Jive" and "Be With Me" both reached number one on ...

, Danny Wilson and Age of Chance (with whom he created one of the first albums to be sampled and sequenced entirely on a Studio 440 sampling device).

1990s–2000s: Apollo 440, soundtracks, remixes and producing

In 1990, Gray formed the dance/rock group

with brother Trevor Gray and old friends and colleagues James Gardner and Noko, who had continued their musical careers with other bands, including Luxuria (Noko) and The Umbrella (Noko and Gardner). Gray's role within Apollo 440 revolves mostly around sound sculpture/production or, as he refers to it, his role is that of the "Vibe Controller". Apollo 440 have released four albums on their Stealth Sonic Recordings label, distributed by Epic Records and achieved three UK top 10 and eight UK top 40 singles releases. With Apollo 440, and under their Stealth Sonic Orchestra guise, Gray has recorded for various film soundtracks, including ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' and '' Charlie's Angels'', worked on a number of games for

Sony PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...

, including '' FIFA '98'', ''Spider-Man'' and ''Anti-Grav'', and remixed a diverse range of artists, including

, Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page, U2,

Puretone Josh Abrahams (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian musician who emerged from the underground dance music scene in the early 1990s. He has performed and recorded under the stage name Puretone, and is also known as The ...

, Ennio Morricone and

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

. Apollo 440 have worked on a number of tracks with

, Jeff Beck (producing three tracks on Beck's album ''Jeff'') and

Tomoyasu Hotei , also known simply as Hotei ( ), is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and actor. With a career spanning more than 35 years, Hotei claims record sales of over 40 million copies and has collaborated with acclaimed a ...

. In addition to his role with Apollo 440, Gray continues to undertake outside productions, including work with Tom Jones, Manic Street Preachers, Gareth Sager & Jock Scott, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Drive By Argument and

the Wolfgang Press The Wolfgang Press was an English post-punk band, active from 1983 to 1995, recording for the 4AD label. The core of the band was Michael Allen (vocals, bass), Mark Cox (keyboards), and Andrew Gray (guitar). The group is best known for its 1 ...

. Gray has also collaborated with John Fortis on the production of The Cazals, Eight Legs and Art Brut's debut album '' Bang Bang Rock and Roll''.

2010–present day

Gray was co-producer of the Josh Bray album ''Whiskey and Wool''. Apollo 440's fifth studio album, the 11-track '' The Future's What It Used to Be'', was released in January 2012.

Trivia

Gray's debut production,

Trevor Herion Trevor Herion, born John Trevor Herion, (c. April 1959 – 1 October 1988) was an Irish singer and songwriter, born in Cork who formed part of the punk and new wave scenes in the 1970s and 1980s. He later became a solo artist, but was not commerc ...

's "Love Chains", features the uncredited backing vocals of

Holly Johnson William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he wa ...

, who was to record "Relax" with

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...

in the same studio the next day. David Slade, the director of the music video "Stop the Rock" for Gray's band Apollo 440, went on to direct ''Eclipse'', the third film in the ''Twilight'' series.

Film soundtrack discography

* ''The Game Plan'' (2007) - track: "Heart Go Boom" * ''Cursed'' (2005) - track: "Stadium Parking Lot" - aka "Wes Craven's Cursed" * ''Gran Turismo 4'' (2004) - track: "Hot Rod Honeymoon" * ''Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London'' (2004) - track: "Time is Running Out" * ''EuroTrip'' (2004) - track: "Make My Dreams Come True" * ''Chasing Liberty'' (2004) - track: "Stop the Rock" * ''Resident Evil'' (2002) - track: "Wall of Death" * ''ATV Offroad Fury'' (2001) - track: "Yo! Future" * ''Evil Woman'' (2001) - track: "Stop The Rock" * ''Charlie's Angels'' (2000) - "Charlie's Angels 2000" * ''Bedazzled'' (2000) - track: "Stop the Rock (Mint Royale Mix)" * ''Spider-Man'' (2000) - "Theme Song" * ''Loser'' (2000) - track: "Stop The Rock" * ''Gone in Sixty Seconds'' (2000) - track: "Stop the Rock" * ''Daria'' (1 episode, 2000) - I Loathe a Parade (2000) TV episode - track: "Stop the Rock" * ''Gran Turismo 2'' (1999) (VG) - track: "Cold Rock the Mic" * ''Rogue Trader'' (1999) - track: "Liquid Cool" * ''Lost in Space'' (1998) - track: "Will & Penny's Theme"

Production discography (selected)

* Pacific Street (CD, Album) Toshiba EMI Ltd 2001 * Unless (12") Virgin 1983 Unless (7", Single) * (Don't Let Your Love) Start A War (Single) (Don't Let Your Love) ... Virgin * Geffery Morgan... (LP) Virgin 1984 * I'm Not Fooled (12") DEP International * If It Happens Again (7", Single) Virgin Records * New Dreams For Old (12") On The Beach Red Flame * Now That's What I Call Music 4 (2xLP) If It Happens Again EMI Records, Virgin 1984 * Riddle Me (7") Virgin 1984 * Take It Round Again (12") Arista 1984 * We Can Be Brave Again (7") We Can Be Brave Again ... Parlophone 1984 * Close To Me (CDV, Single, PAL) Stop Dead Fiction Records 1988 * Elle Adore Le Noir Pour Sortir Le Soir (7", Single) EMI Music (Belgium) 1985 * Half An Octopuss (10", Ltd) Stop Dead Fiction Records 1985 * I Got You Babe (7", Single) Nkomo A Go Go Virgin Music (Canada), DEP International 1985 * I Got You Babe / Nkomo A Go Go (7") Nkomo A Go Go (Special... A&M Records 1985 * The Head on the Door (LP, Album) Elektra 2006 * Twin Cadillac Valentine (7") Twin Cadillac Valentine WEA, 1985 * Who's That Girl (7") EMI Music (Belgium) 1985 * Yé-Yé (LP) EMI Music (Belgium) 1985 Yé Yé (CD, Album) EMI Music (Belgium) 2004 * America And Me (7") Marianne Virgin 1986 * Gun-Shy (CD, Album) Elektra 1986 * National Avenue (Sunday Afternoon) (12", Promo) Virgin * Quadpus (12", Single) A Night Like This Elektra * Tales of the Expected (CD, Album) Virgin * The Best Of (Ça Vient, Ça Vient, Change Pas Demain) (LP) EMI Music (Belgium) 1986 * Wild Blue Yonder (7") WEA Records Ltd., WEA Records Ltd. * Don't Get Mad...Get Even! (12") Virgin * If You Let Me Stay (12") If You Let Me Stay (Re... CBS * Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby (LP, Album) CBS * Love in Anger (12") Love in Anger, Uptown,... Parlophone * Mary's Prayer (7") Monkey's Shiny Day Virgin Records America, Inc., Virgin Records America, Inc. * Meet Danny Wilson (CD, Album) Virgin 1987 * New York City (12") New York City, New York... Parlophone * On The Corner (12") On The Corner (7") EMI Records Ltd. * One Thousand Years of Trouble (CD, Album) Virgin * The Best of UB40 - Volume 1 (CD) EMI Music (Brazil) * Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Noise? (12") Virgin * Wishing Well (The Darbinian Mix) (12") If You Let Me Stay CBS * Badman (LP, Album) Uptown/Downtown Parlophone 1988 * Car's Outside (12") Virgin 1988 * I Can Speak American (12") Twin Cadillac Valentine WEA Records Ltd., WEA Records Ltd. 1988 * Sin Bin (12") Virgin 1988 * Wanted (CD) Got To Share, Fine Time Big Life * Never Gonna Be The Same (10", Single) Nothing Ever Goes To P... Virgin 1989 Totally Religious (CD, Album) Elektra * Heart of Darkness (LP, Album) ZTT, ZTT * Totally Religious, (Album) Elektra, 1989 * Little Brother (Remix) (12") Little Brother Big Life 1990 * Come On! (12") Reverb Records (2) 1991 * Don't Lose Your Dreams (10", Ltd, Num) Siren Records (8) * Electric Landlady (CD, Album) Walking Down Madison Virgin * Infamy! Or How I Didn't Get Where I Am Today (LP) Siren Records (8) * Pandora's Box (7") All She Wants Is Every... Virgin * Scarlet Red And Blue (Cass) Mountains, Rainbow PolyGram, M & G Records 1991 * Sugar Tax (Album) ◄ (13 versions) Virgin Records America ... 1991 * Sweet Danny Wilson (LP, Album) Ruby's Golden Wedding,... Virgin 1991 * Sweet Danny Wilson/Three-In-A-Bed Romp (2xCD, Comp, Ltd) Ruby's Golden Wedding,... Virgin 1991 * Walking Down Madison (7") Virgin 1991 * Beneath The Pavement...The Beach (CD, EP, Ltd) Rev., Capital of Pain Concrete Productions 1994 * Going South (CD, Maxi) Going South (7" Version) 4AD, Warner Bros. Records 1994 * The Lead And How To Swing It (Album) ◄ (5 versions) Show Me Atlantic ... 1994 * The Lead And How To Swing It (CD, Album) Show Me Interscope Records, Atlantic, ZTT 1994 * Kevin Carter - The Remixes (12", Promo) Epic 1996 * The First Wave (CD, Single, Enh) Toys 1:70, Sony Music Entertainment (Norway) 1997 * If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (CD, Single) Prologue To History, M... Epic 1998 * BSE Bangin' Summer Extravaganza (CD, Album) Prologue To History Select Magazine 1999 * The Very Best of UB40 1980 - 2000 (Comp) ◄ (4 versions) If It Happens Again Simply Vinyl (S12) ... 2000 * The Very Best of UB40 1980 - 2000 (CD, Comp) Virgin, Dep International 2000 * Everything Is Beautiful (A Retrospective 1983-1995) (CD, Comp, Album) Executioner (Adamson Mix) 4AD 2001 * Forever Delayed - The Greatest Hits - Special Edition (2xCD, Comp) The Everlasting (Steal... Epic 2002 * The Best of 1990-2000 & B-Sides (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Mysterious Ways (Solar... Interscope Records 2002 * 50 Years of the Greatest Hit Singles - Platinum Collection (2xCD, Comp) Red Red Wine Virgin, Virgin 2003 * Essential (CD) EMI Music (Belgium) 2003 * Lipstick Traces - A Secret History of Manic Street Preachers (2xCD, Comp) Prologue To History Epic 2003 * Sugar Tax / Junk Culture (2xCD) Speed of Light Virgin 2003 * Uncovered By Heartbeat (CD and 12" album) Cargo Records 2005 * Bang Bang Rock & Roll (CD, Album) Fierce Panda 2005 * It's Magnetic / Out on 24s (7") Kids 2006 * LateNightTales (CD, Album, Comp) Unless Azuli Records, Azuli Records 2007 * Leigh-On-Sea (7", Single, Ltd) Leigh-On-Sea Label Fandango 2007 * Sex Lines Are Expensive Comedy (7", Single) Lizard King Records 2007 * The Sega Method / Lower Your Pieces (7", Ltd) Lizard King Records 2007 * What Is Woman? (12", Red) Stiff Records 2007 * Drive-By Argument (CD, Album) Lizard King Records 2008

References

External links

Official website

Discogs.com

Discogs.com

BBC.co.uk

Myspace.com

'The Producers': Howard Gray interview

The Quietus: 'Three Decades On: One Thousand Years Of Trouble By Age Of Chance'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Howard Living people 1962 births English electronic musicians English rock musicians English dance musicians English audio engineers English record producers Remixers Musicians from Liverpool Apollo 440 members Big beat musicians