Howard Gray (born 15 July 1962) is an English musician, sound engineer, programmer, composer, re-mixer and producer who has worked with Public Image Ltd, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,[1] Kirsty MacColl,[1] the Armoury Show, the Pale Fountains,[2] Japan, the Stranglers,[3] Simple Minds,[4] the Pretenders,[4] XTC,[1] UB40,[1] Scritti Politti,[1] Cherubs,[1] Terence Trent D'Arby,[1] Jean Michel Jarre, the Cure,[1] Manic Street Preachers,[1] U2,[1][5] Puff Daddy[6] & Jimmy Page,[citation needed] Tom Jones and Van Morrison.

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,[10] James Gardner, Norman 'Noko' 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 residential facility built on a country estate near Oxford.

[14] Some of the other artists Gray produced through the mid- to late '80s include the Pale Fountains, Head, the Screaming Blue Messiahs, Hugh Cornwell,[3] Red Guitars, Danny Wilson[1] and Age of Chance.

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,[20] Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Drive By Argument and the Wolfgang Press.

[7][24][25] Gray's debut production, Trevor Herion's "Love Chains",[26] features the uncredited backing vocals of Holly Johnson, who was to record "Relax" with Frankie Goes to Hollywood in the same studio the next day.