In a career that has spanned over 35 years at major record labels, he has guided, A&R'd, mentored, and produced many artist careers including The Housemartins and The Proclaimers,[1] as well as producing and signing Alison Moyet, Simple Minds,[2] The Waterboys, Robert Plant, The Blue Nile, Status Quo,[3] Cathy Dennis, Petula Clark, Ocean Colour Scene, J. J. Cale, Blancmange, Shriekback, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Jethro Tull, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Debbie Harry and Luciana.
[4] Returning to the UK he worked for Polydor in record promotion in 1974 with The Who, The Rubettes, Slade, The Osmonds and Barclay James Harvest, before moving to Island where he promoted Bob Marley and The Wailers, and was label manager for Shelter Records who housed artists such as JJ Cale, Leon Russell, Dwight Twilley, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Over a five-year period he produced sessions for John Peel, Kid Jensen, Janice Long, Peter Powell, including landmark recordings by Aswad, Big Country, Simple Minds, Barrington Levy, Cocteau Twins,[6] Bauhaus, The Birthday Party[7] Killing Joke,[8] The Waterboys, China Crisis,[9] The Housemartins, Southern Death Cult,[10] The Cure,[11] Cookie Crew,[12] The Gymslips,[13] APB,[14] Loudon Wainwright III,[15] the Men They Couldn't Hang,[16] Ludus,[17] and Blue Poland.
He became director of A&R at Polydor in 1987, working with Level 42, Sarah Brightman, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, plus signing Cathy Dennis along with The Wonderstuff and Little Angels.
As senior Vice President of A&R for Sanctuary Records, he worked with Robert Plant, The Blue Nile, Simple Minds, Alison Moyet, Ocean Colour Scene, Status Quo, Gary Jules,[21] before starting W14 Music at Universal and signing The Proclaimers, Level 42, Paul Heaton, The Waterboys, Siouxsie Sioux, and producing Get Happy with jazz singer Clare Teal.