John Porter (musician)
Encyclopedia
John Porter is an English
musician
and record producer
.
, King's College, and Newcastle University.
While at Newcastle, Porter met singer Bryan Ferry
, and was part of his fledgling band The Gas Board. Ferry's later band Roxy Music
had achieved some success in the early 1970s, but having had some troubles with bass players, Ferry invited Porter on board to record the 1973 album For Your Pleasure
. He did not perform on tour for the album; John Gustafson
took over the live duties. Porter went on to serve as a record producer for many later albums for Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. Porter is credited with the production of Liverpool's Watt 4 album at Matrix Studios in 1979.
He has since produced for Japan
, The Smiths
, Billy Bragg
, School of Fish
, B. B. King
, Los Lonely Boys
, Buddy Guy
, Ryan Adams
, Missy Higgins
and numerous other bands. Lol Tolhurst, a founding member of The Cure
, stated that Porter was the producer for the second album recorded by his other former band Presence
, which has never been released.
In 1983, Porter married the British model, Linda Keith.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and record producer
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...
.
Biography
He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange SchoolAllerton Grange School
Allerton Grange School is a state school in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The school has over 1,690 pupils.Allerton Grange is a multi-cultural school, with over 80% of GCSE students achieving grade C or above....
, King's College, and Newcastle University.
While at Newcastle, Porter met singer Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
, and was part of his fledgling band The Gas Board. Ferry's later band Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
had achieved some success in the early 1970s, but having had some troubles with bass players, Ferry invited Porter on board to record the 1973 album For Your Pleasure
For Your Pleasure
For Your Pleasure is a 1973 album by the British glam and art rock group Roxy Music, released by Island Records . The band's second album, it was also their last to feature synthesiser and sound specialist Brian Eno, who would later gain acclaim as a solo artist and producer.-Production:The group...
. He did not perform on tour for the album; John Gustafson
John Gustafson (musician)
John "Gus" Gustafson also known as Johnny Gustafson is an influential bass player who has had a thirty eight year recording and live performance career...
took over the live duties. Porter went on to serve as a record producer for many later albums for Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. Porter is credited with the production of Liverpool's Watt 4 album at Matrix Studios in 1979.
He has since produced for Japan
Japan (band)
Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, School of Fish
School of Fish
School of Fish was an alternative rock band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1990, and...
, B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
, Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
, Missy Higgins
Missy Higgins
Melissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins is an Australian pop singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Her No. 1 albums in Australia are The Sound of White and On a Clear Night , and her Top Ten singles are "Scar", "The Special Two", "Steer" and "Where I Stood". From a musical family in...
and numerous other bands. Lol Tolhurst, a founding member of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, stated that Porter was the producer for the second album recorded by his other former band Presence
Presence (band)
Presence was a short-lived British new wave band started by Gary Biddles, Lol Tolhurst, and Michael Dempsey. Dempsey and Tolhurst were founding members of The Cure, and Biddles was a former Cure roadie who previously played in Fools Dance with Simon Gallup...
, which has never been released.
In 1983, Porter married the British model, Linda Keith.
Selected discography
- 1975 Sunny Side of the StreetSunny Side of the Street (Bryn Haworth album)-Track listing:All tracks composed by Bryn Haworth; except where indicated# "Good Job"# "Pick Me Up"# "Darlin' Cory" # "Dance"# "Peace of Mind"# "Give All You Got To Give"# "Heaven Knows"...
- Bryn HaworthBryn HaworthBryn Haworth is a British Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music in mainstream rock. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, he has released some twenty-two albums and several singles since the 1970s as well as guesting as guitarist on many other albums by rock and folk... - 1979 Quiet Life - Japan
- 1980 Gentlemen Take Polaroids - Japan
- 1984 The SmithsThe Smiths (album)Before their debut album, single "What Difference Does It Make?" was released in January 1984. The track peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Released in February 1984, The Smiths debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart....
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce... - 1985 Hatful of HollowHatful of Hollow-The Smiths:* Morrissey – vocals* Johnny Marr – guitars, harmonica, mandolin* Andy Rourke – bass guitar* Mike Joyce – drums-Technical staff:* John Porter – producer* The Smiths – producers* Roger Pusey – producer* Dale "Buffin" Griffin – producer...
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
(compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, selected tracks only) - 1985 Meat is MurderMeat Is MurderMeat Is Murder is the second studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released in February 1985 and became the band's sole number one album in the UK charts during the band's lifetime, staying on the chart for 13 weeks. It reached number 110 in the US...
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
("How Soon Is Now?How Soon Is Now?"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by the British alternative rock band The Smiths. Written by Smiths singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, it was originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing"...
" only) - 1986 The Queen is DeadThe Queen Is DeadThe Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album reached #2 on the UK Albums Chart, maintaining...
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
("Frankly Mr Shankly" only) - 1986 Talking With the Taxman About Poetry - Billy BraggBilly BraggStephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
- 1987 Eye of the Hurricane - The AlarmThe AlarmThe Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
- 1987 Bingo Durango - Bingo DurangoBingo DurangoBingo Durango was an eighties alternative pop/rock group that drew heavily on the sound of sixties psychedelia. The band’s releases were characterized by layered arrangements, dreamy melodies, and the fluid guitar of Scott Mather.- Origins :...
- 1987 Louder than BombsLouder Than BombsLouder Than Bombs is a compilation album by the English rock band The Smiths. It was released as a double album in March 1987 by their American record company, Sire Records. Its highest chart position was number 63. Popular demand prompted their British record company, Rough Trade, to issue the...
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
(compilation album, selected tracks only) - 1987 The World Won't ListenThe World Won't Listen-Band:* Morrissey – vocals* Johnny Marr – guitars, keyboard instruments, bass guitar on "Golden Lights"* Andy Rourke – bass guitar, cello on "Shakespeare's Sister" and "Oscillate Wildly"* Mike Joyce – drums...
- The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
(compilation album, selected tracks only) - 1991 Three Strange Days - School of FishSchool of FishSchool of Fish was an alternative rock band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1990, and...
- 1991 Damn Right, I've Got the BluesDamn Right, I've Got the BluesDamn Right, I've Got the Blues is a studio album by Blues guitarist Buddy Guy. The album has been described as Guy's commercial comeback album after limited recording for 10 years.- Track listing :# "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues" 4:29...
- Buddy GuyBuddy GuyGeorge "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
(GrammyGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
Winner) - 1992 Drenched - Miracle LegionMiracle LegionMiracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region. The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Mark Mulcahy, lead guitarist Mr. Ray Neal, drummer Jeff Wiederschall, and bassist...
- 1992 Best of The Smiths Vol. 1 & 2 - The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
(compilation albums, selected tracks only) - 1993 Dancing the Blues - Taj MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
(Grammy Nominee) - 1993 Feels Like Rain - Buddy Guy (Grammy Winner)
- 1994 Ain't Enough Comin' In - Otis RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
(Grammy Nominee) - 1994 Keb' Mo - Keb' Mo'Keb' Mo'Keb' Mo is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.-Early life:From early on he had an appreciation for the blues and gospel music...
(Grammy Nominee) - 1994 Meet Me at Midnite - Maria MuldaurMaria MuldaurMaria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
(Grammy Nominee) - 1994 Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's - The Go-Go'sThe Go-Go'sThe Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
- 1994 Simpatico - Velocity GirlVelocity GirlVelocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, although it was generally known as a Washington, DC-area band...
- 1995 Good Girl - The Go-Go's
- 1995 The Singles - The Smiths (compilation album, selected tracks only)
- 1995 Sweet and Tender Hooligan - The Smiths
- 1996 Just Like You - Keb' Mo' (Grammy Winner)
- 1996 No Doy - moe.Moe.moe. is an American jam band, formed at the University at Buffalo in 1989. The band members are: Rob Derhak , Al Schnier , Chuck Garvey , Vinnie Amico , and Jim Loughlin ....
- 1996 Phantom Blues - Taj Mahal (Grammy Winner)
- 1997 Blues For the Lost Days - John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
- 1997 Deuces Wild - B.B. King (Grammy Nominee)
- 1997 Senor Blues - Taj Mahal (Grammy Winner)
- 1998 Smile Like Yours - John Lee HookerJohn Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
- 1998 Blues on the Bayou - B.B. King (Grammy Winner)
- 1998 Silver Tones: The Best of John Mayall - John Mayall
- 1999 Moonburn - Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster GentlemenJon Cleary (musician)Jon Cleary is a funk and R&B musician based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is from Cranbrook in Kent, England, and has studied for the past 20 years the "musical culture and life of New Orleans," according to his website...
- 1999 Preaching to the Converted - Billy Bragg
- 1999 Time to Burn - Jake AndrewsJake AndrewsJake Andrews is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Life and career:Andrews began playing guitar at age 5, taught by his father, John Andrews of the 1960s band, Mother Earth. At an early age, he began attending shows at the blues venue, Antone's, to see...
- 2000 End of Bliss - Wonderland
- 2000 Makin' Love is Good For You - B.B. King (Grammy Winner)
- 2000 Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down - R. L. BurnsideR. L. BurnsideNot to be confused with R. H. Burnside, stage director.R. L. Burnside , born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention...
(Grammy Nominee) - 2001 Dot Com Blues - Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
(Grammy Nominee) - 2001 Double Dealin' - Lucky PetersonLucky PetersonLucky Peterson is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards...
(Grammy Nominee) - 2001 Down to Earth (Limited Edition) - Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
- 2002 Dirty Sexy Nights in Paris - AudioventAudioventAudiovent was an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Audiovent was formed in the early 1990s under the name Vent, and broke up in 2004.-History:...
- 2002 Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen - Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
- 2003 Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely BoysLos Lonely BoysLos Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
(Grammy Winner) - 2003 Love is Hell Pt. 1 & 2 - Ryan Adams (Grammy Nominees)
- 2003 Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues - Red, White, and Blues (Grammy Winners)
- 2003 Punch Clock - Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
- 2004 Los Lonely BoysLos Lonely Boys (album)Los Lonely Boys is the eponymous debut album by the American rock trio Los Lonely Boys, released on March 30, 2004 by Epic Records. It features their breakthrough single "Heaven", a number one hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts...
- Los Lonely BoysLos Lonely BoysLos Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
(Grammy Nominee) - 2004 Keep it Simple - Keb' Mo' (Grammy Winner)
- 2004 Pin Your Spin - Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
- 2005 All That I Am - Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
- 2005 Live At the Filmore - Los Lonely Boys
- 2005 Man Alive! - Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
- 2005 The Sound of WhiteThe Sound of WhiteThe Sound of White is the debut studio album by Australian pop singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, released 6 September 2004 on Eleven. Higgins had secured recording contracts with Eleven and Warner Bros. while still in high school, after winning a competition for unsigned artists run by radio station...
- Missy HigginsMissy HigginsMelissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins is an Australian pop singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Her No. 1 albums in Australia are The Sound of White and On a Clear Night , and her Top Ten singles are "Scar", "The Special Two", "Steer" and "Where I Stood". From a musical family in... - 2006 Out of the Shadows - Phantom Blues Band
- 2006 Sacred - Los Lonely Boys
- 2006 Suitcase - Keb' Mo' (Grammy Nominee)
- 2007 Painkiller - Tommy CastroTommy CastroTommy Castro is an American blues, R&B and rock guitarist and singer. He has been recording since the mid 1990s. His music has taken him from local stages to national and international touring. His popularity was marked by his winning the 2008 Blues Music Award for Entertainer Of The Year...
- 2007 So Many NightsSo Many NightsSo Many Nights is The Cat Empire's fourth studio album. On 30 July 2007, the band announced on their website and to their mailing list that the album has been released on 22 September. The release of the album was followed by an Australian tour in September and October. On 14 October, the band...
- The Cat EmpireThe Cat EmpireThe Cat Empire are an Australian ska and jazz band formed in 1999. Core members are Harry James Angus , Will Hull-Brown , Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala , Ollie McGill , Ryan Monro and Felix Riebl... - 2007 Still Making History - Ana Popovic
Roxy Music discography
Porter is credited on the following Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry works:- For Your PleasureFor Your PleasureFor Your Pleasure is a 1973 album by the British glam and art rock group Roxy Music, released by Island Records . The band's second album, it was also their last to feature synthesiser and sound specialist Brian Eno, who would later gain acclaim as a solo artist and producer.-Production:The group...
- These Foolish Things
- In Search Of Eddie Riff (1974 Version)
- Another Time, Another Place
- In Search Of Eddie Riff (1975 Version)
- Let's Stick Together
- In Your Mind
- A Song For Europe
- In Search Of Eddie Riff (2000 CD Version)