Canada's music industry has historically produced a vast amount of talent recognized around the world. The artists speak for themselves: Bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, The Guess Who and Feist, to name just a few. The industry behind those artists is another story:
The men and women working behind the scenes to produce hit records are just as important, if not more important than the artists themselves. Here is a look at some of the more successful record producers in Canada, and what they have accomplished.
Bob Ezrin Produced Alice Cooper, KISS, and Pink Floyd
Born in 1949 in Toronto, Ontario, Bob Ezrin is a talented musician and producer, with a career spanning 4 decades of music. His biggest accomplishments to date are producing Alice Cooper's hit albums, including "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies", KISS "Destroyer", Pink Floyd "The Wall" (co-produced with David Gilmour and Roger Waters), plus working with Lou Reed, Rod Stweart, Kansas, Peter Gabriel and many more. In 1993, Ezrin co-founded 7th Level Software, which produced educational and entertaining CD-ROM games. In 1999, he co-founded Enigma Digital, a pioneer Internet Radio provider which was sold to Clear Channel, where Ezrin became vice-chairman of Clear Channel Interactive. In 2009, he co-founded Nimbus School of Recording Arts with fellow Canadian producer Garth Richardson. Ezrin was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
David Foster Has Produced Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Celine Dion
After being discovered as keyboardist for the popular 70's group Skylark, who had a top ten hit with the song "Wildflower", David Foster began producing a multitude of artists from around the globe, including Céline Dion, Cher, Earth Wind & Fire, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson and many more. Foster was born in Victoria, BC and is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He is still active in production, recently producing the new album from Michael Buble' called "Crazy In Love".
Bruce Fairbairn (1949-1999) Produced Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet Album
The late Bruce Fairbairn was born in Vancouver, BC and was active in record production from the late-70's until his untimely death in 1999. His list of musical accomplishments includes producing Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet", Loverboy's "Get Lucky", Aerosmith's "Pump", AC/DC's "The Razor's Edge", Van Halen's "Balance" and many more. Fairbairn got his start with Vancouver rock band Prism, netting his first JUNO Award in 1980 for Producer of The Year. In 2000, Bruce Fairbairn was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Daniel Lanois Produced U2, Bob Dylan, Ron Sexmith and Emmylou Harris
Born in 1951 in Hull, Quebec, Daniel Lanois is a singer, musician and record producer. His early claim to fame was a co-production credit with Brian Eno on U2's hit record "The Joshua Tree" in 1987. Unbeknownst to many, Daniel Lanois had already been in the business for over 10 years at that point, dating back to a 1974 Simply Saucer recording he did with his brother Bob in theis basement. Lanois has since gone on to produce albums from music industry heavyweights like Bob Dylan, Ron Sexsmith, Sinéad O'Connor, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and many others. Lanois has also released 8 solo albums of material and was inducted into Canada's Walk Of Fame in 2005.
Bob Rock Produced Metallica's The Black Album
Born in Winnipeg in 1954, Bob Rock is a musician, sound engineer and record producer. He was the guitarist for the popular 80's band The Payolas ("Eyes of a Stranger"). His early engineering and production work at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver, BC contributed to the city's fledgling punk rock scene's recorded output, working with bands like The Modernettes. In 1989, Rock produced Motley Crue's multi-platinum-selling album "Dr. Feelgood" and word began to circulate about his production prowess. Metallica hired Rock to produce the massively popular album "The Black Album" and liked his work so much, they kept working with his for all subsequent releases until 2008's Death Magnetic. Rock is featured prominently in the documentary film "Some Kind of Monster", which follows Metallica through battles of infighting, alcoholism and temper tantrums. Bob Rock was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jack Richardson Produced The Guess Who, Bob Seger and The Staccatos
Born in Toronto in 1929, Richardson is best known for producing hit albums from The Guess Who in the late 60's/early 70's. His early claim to fame came with a proposal to Coca Cola Company to market 7-inch vinyl singles to the public through a bottle cap reimbursement system. On Side A, Richardson's own The Guess Who, while Side B featured The Staccatos, both of which became successful internationally, partly due to this venture. As the popularity of The Guess Who spread, Richardson began working on some of the biggest albums of the 70's: Bob Seger's "Night Moves", plus albums from Alice Cooper, Badfinger and Kim Mitchell. The JUNO Award for Producer of the Year has been called "The Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award" since 2002, in honour of Jack's accomplishments.
Garth "GGGarth" Richardson Produced Rage Against The Machine, The Melvins, and Ugly Kid Joe
Son of famed music producer Jack Richardson, producer and engineer Garth Richardson cut his teeth working on late-80's albums like Alice Cooper "Constrictor". He broke the mainstream in the early-90's, producing the groundbreaking group Rage Against The Machine's self-titled debut album, along with heavier acts like The Melvins' "Stoner Witch"and Ugly Kid Joe's "Menace To Sobriety" while co-producing L7's "Hungry For Stink" album. Richardson is currently operating the Nimbus School of Recording Arts and is active in the record production industry.
Canada's Rich Production History
The preceding is just a sample of the list of great record producers to come out of Canada in recent years. All of the above named individuals received international exposure through the acts they produced, and are some of the most respected names in the business. Who will be Canada's Next Top Producer? Only time will tell.
