Early pop successes included the Zombies' single "She's Not There" (1964) and John Mayall's album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966).
Their first collaboration was "Your Song", with Dudgeon elaborating the simple piano tune and adding an orchestral arrangement by Paul Buckmaster.
It reached the US Top 10, becoming John's first substantial hit, and kick-starting "one of the most successful artist-producer pairings of all time, with Dudgeon guiding John throughout the decade and launching such blockbuster albums as Madman Across the Water, Honky Château, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.
[2] Dudgeon and Elton John formed The Rocket Record Company and put out successful releases for Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee.
Tony Visconti agreed to produce the album, but not the single which he regarded as a novelty tune, and suggested Dudgeon instead.
His production of John Kongos' hit "He's Gonna Step on You Again" (1971) used a tape loop of African tribal drumming.
Dudgeon worked with a variety of acts, including Shooting Star, Audience, Chris Rea, Ralph McTell, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Lindisfarne, Judith Durham, Fairport Convention, the Sinceros, the Beach Boys, Solution, Voyager, Steeleye Span and Angie Gold.
[14] In the late 1970s, he built Sol Studios, and also started working with alternative bands, including XTC, Menswear, and the Frank and Walters.
[16] The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death, noting that he was intoxicated and had possibly fallen asleep at the wheel while driving well in excess of the speed limit.
He and his wife both suffered severe head injuries, were trapped in the car which landed in a storm drain, and may have drowned.
[1] In 2002, the Gus Dudgeon Foundation for Recording Arts was established "to preserve and promote music production techniques allowing students... to learn and pass on these skills for future generations".
[18][19] Elton John, Chris Hook, and Phil Harding each paid tribute to Dudgeon at the opening ceremony.
Every summer, the university hosts a graduate recording course in Dudgeon's honour, in collaboration with the audio education organisation JAMES.