Steve Power (born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

) is an English

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

best known for his work with

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

. He has produced and mixed for a wide variety of artists over the years, including Blur, Busted,

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

, Feeder,

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

,Percival, Ian (2000)
Eagle Records' Joe Cocker has New Label, New Set, New Tour
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 29 July 2000, p. 14, retrieved 2011-01-01

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

Babybird Babybird are an English rock band formed by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first use ...

, Babylon Zoo,

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter of Irish ancestry. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He we ...

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

, Billy Ocean,

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from Crouch End in North London. She has appeared on reality television shows and has occasionally worked as a television presenter and actress. Fox beg ...

, James,

Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...

McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...

Ray LaMontagne Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released nine studio albums: '' Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

. Recently, he has worked with artists as diverse as Beth Rowley,

, Julian Velard, David Ford,

Laura Critchley Laura Critchley (born 27 March 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, ''Sometimes I'', in 2007 and has toured with various artists. Critchley has recorded music with Robbie Williams, performed a duet with Rona ...

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, and Wonderland.

Biography

Power got his start in the music industry as a member of new wave band Hambi and the Dance, signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

in 1981. With the advance from the deal, Hambi built the Pink Recording Studios in Liverpool where they recorded their debut album. While the band were away touring, Power stayed behind to run the studio as a commercial venture, and he began recording bands from the Liverpool scene. Clients included

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). Johnson and Ruther ...

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

, and

A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. I ...

. Around 1983, Power was signed by producer manager Buzz Carter, subsequently moving to London and working with

and Level 42 among others.

The Battery years

In 1986, Power was hired as a house engineer at

Battery Studios Battery Studios is an independent recording studio complex in Willesden in northwest London originally established in 1980 when Zomba Group acquired Morgan Studios 3 and 4. The studios were later purchased by Flood (producer) and Alan Moulder an ...

, where he worked on a variety of projects, including Billy Ocean's '' Love Zone'',

' '' The Story of a Young Heart'', and

the Icicle Works The Icicle Works (also known as Icicle Works in the United States) are an English alternative rock band, named after the 1960 short story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl. They had a top 20 UK hit with " ...

' ''If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy, Sing His Song''. Productions and mixes from this period include James' '' Strip-mine''.

Work with Robbie Williams

In 1997, after a successful run in the charts including

's " You're Gorgeous" and Babylon Zoo's " Spaceman", Power was approached by writer/producer

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, ...

to co-produce a solo album for ex-

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

member

. The first album, ''

Life thru a Lens ''Life Thru A Lens'' is the debut solo album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records, the album is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the p ...

'', remained in the British top ten for 40 weeks and 218 weeks altogether in the charts, with sales of over 2.4 million. Chambers and Power were jointly awarded Producer of the Year by the International Managers' Forum for the album.Pride, Dominic (1998)
newsline...
, ''

'', 10 October 1998, p. 54, retrieved 2011-01-01 Power went on to produce the four following Williams albums, ''

I've Been Expecting You ''I've Been Expecting You'' is the second studio album by the English singer Robbie Williams. It was released on 26 October 1998 through Chrysalis Records. The album spawned five singles, including lead single "Millennium", which became William ...

'', '' Sing When You're Winning'', '' Swing When You're Winning'', and '' Escapology'', all selling over 2 million in the UK alone, each one listed in the Top 100 Best Selling UK albums, making Williams the best-selling British solo artist ever.

Later work

Power has continued producing and mixing records, including Beth Rowley's '' Little Dreamer'',

's ''Runout Groove'', Julian Velard's ''The Planeteer'',

's ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddoc ...

'', Sandy Leah's ''Manuscrito'',

Hind Laroussi Hind Laroussi Tahiri ( born 3 December 1984), known professionally as Hind, is a Dutch singer of Moroccans in the Netherlands, Moroccan descent. Biography Hind Laroussi Tahiri was born on 3 December 1984 in Gouda, South Holland, Gouda, Netherla ...

's ''Crosspop'', and albums by Julian Velard, British Sea Power, Bauer and Wonderland. Power also has writing and production credits for songs in the Kevin Sampson film ''Powder''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Steve Living people 1964 births English record producers Mixing engineers Musicians from Liverpool