David Kershenbaum
Encyclopedia
David Kershenbaum is an American record producer
and entrepreneur
, born in Springfield, Missouri
. He has worked with many artists including Duran Duran
, Tracy Chapman
, Joe Jackson
, Bryan Adams
, Supertramp
, Cat Stevens
, Elkie Brooks
, and Tori Amos
. As a producer he has earned 75 international gold and platinum albums. His work has yielded multiple Grammys and an Oscar nomination.
was Joan Baez
's Diamonds & Rust
(1975). Kershenbaum signed the British musician Joe Jackson
and was responsible for the production of four of his albums, including Night and Day (1982), which became the artist's most successful album, earning two Grammy nominations and a worldwide Top 5 single, "Stepping Out". Produced by Kershenbaum, Jackson's debut album Look Sharp!
helped establish Jackson as a cornerstone of new wave music.
's first two albums, Tracy Chapman
(1988) and Crossroads (1989), plus her fifth album, Telling Stories
(2000). Chapman's debut album sold over 17 million copies and earned three Grammy awards and six nominations including "Best Producer Of The Year", "Best Song Of The Year", "Best New Artist", and "Best Album Of The Year".
on their album Rio
(1982) at Capitol Records
. Duran Duran had released the album on EMI
in the United Kingdom and quickly attained four UK Top 20 singles. Before Kershenbaum's involvement, the sales of Rio were not particularly strong in the United States, and Capitol Records (EMI's American branch) was at a loss about how to sell the band. However, after an EP of Kershenbaum's dance remixes of songs from Rio (released as Carnival
) became popular with DJs during the autumn of 1982, the band arranged to have most of the album remixed by Kershenbaum. After it was re-released in the U.S. in November, with heavy promotion as a dance album, Rio begin to climb the American charts. Following the success of the Kershenbaum remixes, Capitol changed its marketing strategy on Duran Duran from New Romantic
to dance band. This resulted in multi-platinum sales and the hit song "Hungry Like the Wolf
". The album went gold in the US on March 1, 1983, and platinum on April 26, eventually reaching double platinum status. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US (on June 5, 1983), and remained on the charts for 129 weeks.
album for Sony and a platinum LP by Joshua Kadison
.
As a partner and co-president of Morgan Creek Music Group, Kershenbaum acted as executive producer for the song "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams, from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
.
As a music supervisor, Kershenbaum has worked on many films. At Morgan Creek Pictures, he supervised music for many movies, including The Last of the Mohicans
soundtrack, which has sold 1,800,000 copies. Other films he worked on include Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Road House
, Navy SEALs
, White Sands
, and 200 Cigarettes
.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, born in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. He has worked with many artists including Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, and Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
. As a producer he has earned 75 international gold and platinum albums. His work has yielded multiple Grammys and an Oscar nomination.
At A&M Records
Kershenbaum has been an executive at three major record companies. Kershenbaum's first album at A&M RecordsA&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
was Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
's Diamonds & Rust
Diamonds & Rust
Diamonds & Rust is a 1975 album by Joan Baez. Baez is often regarded as an interpreter of other people's work, and on this album she covered songs by Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Allman Brothers, and Jackson Browne...
(1975). Kershenbaum signed the British musician Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
and was responsible for the production of four of his albums, including Night and Day (1982), which became the artist's most successful album, earning two Grammy nominations and a worldwide Top 5 single, "Stepping Out". Produced by Kershenbaum, Jackson's debut album Look Sharp!
Look Sharp! (Joe Jackson album)
Look Sharp! is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in 1979. Look Sharp! was re-released in 2001 with two bonus tracks, "Don't Ask Me" and "You Got the Fever" the respective b-sides of the singles "One More Time" and "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" originally released in May and July 1979...
helped establish Jackson as a cornerstone of new wave music.
At Elektra Records
Kershenbaum produced Tracy ChapmanTracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
's first two albums, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (album)
Tracy Chapman is the self-titled debut album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988.-History:Tracy Chapman hit #1 on both the US & UK album charts. The album was critically acclaimed and helped to launch the 1990s female singer-songwriter movement, which included artists like Tori...
(1988) and Crossroads (1989), plus her fifth album, Telling Stories
Telling Stories
Telling Stories is the fifth album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 2000 , five years after her previous album, New Beginning...
(2000). Chapman's debut album sold over 17 million copies and earned three Grammy awards and six nominations including "Best Producer Of The Year", "Best Song Of The Year", "Best New Artist", and "Best Album Of The Year".
At Capitol Records
Kershenbaum worked with Duran DuranDuran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
on their album Rio
Rio (album)
Rio is the second studio album by the British rock band Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982. It reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia....
(1982) at Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Duran Duran had released the album on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in the United Kingdom and quickly attained four UK Top 20 singles. Before Kershenbaum's involvement, the sales of Rio were not particularly strong in the United States, and Capitol Records (EMI's American branch) was at a loss about how to sell the band. However, after an EP of Kershenbaum's dance remixes of songs from Rio (released as Carnival
Carnival (EP)
Carnival is a dance music EP by Duran Duran, originally released in various markets around the world in September 1982 by EMI.-Background:...
) became popular with DJs during the autumn of 1982, the band arranged to have most of the album remixed by Kershenbaum. After it was re-released in the U.S. in November, with heavy promotion as a dance album, Rio begin to climb the American charts. Following the success of the Kershenbaum remixes, Capitol changed its marketing strategy on Duran Duran from New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
to dance band. This resulted in multi-platinum sales and the hit song "Hungry Like the Wolf
Hungry Like the Wolf
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by the British New Wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album Rio . The song was released in May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom...
". The album went gold in the US on March 1, 1983, and platinum on April 26, eventually reaching double platinum status. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US (on June 5, 1983), and remained on the charts for 129 weeks.
Career as an enterpreneur
Kershenbaum established his own group of companies encompassing five recording studios, a film music supervision division, and a music publishing company. Under this banner, he produced and recorded many projects including a Kenny LogginsKenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
album for Sony and a platinum LP by Joshua Kadison
Joshua Kadison
Joshua Kadison is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and writer.- Early life :Joshua grew up in and around Los Angeles, California, the younger of two sons. His mother was of Mexican-American Indian descent. At age 12 he started playing the piano and subsequently started to write songs...
.
As a partner and co-president of Morgan Creek Music Group, Kershenbaum acted as executive producer for the song "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams, from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood...
.
As a music supervisor, Kershenbaum has worked on many films. At Morgan Creek Pictures, he supervised music for many movies, including The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans (album)
The Last of the Mohicans is the soundtrack album of the film of the same name.-Credits:* Composers: Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman* Conductor: Daniel A...
soundtrack, which has sold 1,800,000 copies. Other films he worked on include Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Road House
Road House (1989 film)
Road House is a 1989 American action film partially based on the life of Norman "Storm" Cantwell, directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring Patrick Swayze as a bouncer at a newly-refurbished roadside bar who protects a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman. Sam Elliot also plays a...
, Navy SEALs
Navy SEALs (film)
Navy SEALs is a 1990 action film, directed by Lewis Teague, written by Chuck Pfarrer and Gary Goldman, and produced by Brenda Feigen and Bernard Williams with consultant William Bradley.-Plot:...
, White Sands
White Sands (film)
White Sands is a 1992 motion picture directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Daniel Pyne for Warner Bros. The movie is about a U.S. southwestern small-town sheriff who finds a body in the desert with a suitcase and $500,000. He impersonates the man and stumbles into an FBI investigation...
, and 200 Cigarettes
200 Cigarettes
200 Cigarettes is a 1999 comedy-drama film starring Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Díaz, Angela Featherstone, Janeane Garofalo, Gaby Hoffman, Kate Hudson, Courtney Love, Jay Mohr, Martha Plimpton, Christina Ricci and Paul Rudd. The film also features paintings by Sally...
.