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A record label boss and musician, a multi-million-selling producer, and songwriter, the winner of multiple BRITs, Grammys, Ivor Novello Awards and the recipient of a CBE for his services to music; Trevor Horn has led a truly extraordinary career.
Armed with a back catalogue of incredible stories, this man behind the mixing desk for an extraordinary number of artists will be appearing at the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne on Wednesday 12th November 7.30pm.
So influential on pop and electronic music in the 1980s – he was hailed as ‘the man who invented the 1980s’. From the Buggles and Seal to Grace Jones and Pet Shop Boys, from Lisa Stansfield and Dollar to ABC and The Art of Noise, from Propaganda and Belle and Sebastian to Yes and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Horn became the producer who left an indelible imprint on those with whom he worked. He won BRITs for Best British Producer in 1983, 1985, and 1992, while his work with Seal on ‘Kiss From a Rose won him a Grammy Award.’
Growing up in County Durham, his father, John, was a key influence, who worked as a maintenance engineer at a local dairy but was also a professional musician, playing double bass in the Joe Clarke Big Band. Inspired by his dad, Horn took up the double bass at the age of eight and by his early teens was filling in for his father with the Joe Clarke Band, when John was running late.
Horn became obsessive about music, tuning into The Beatles and Rolling Stones, as well as Bob Dylan. By the age of 14, he’d formed his first band, graduating to electric guitar. His passion was fuelled by a love of live performance and at the age of 17, he woke his parents at 4am to tell them he’d decided to become a professional musician – much to their concern, they’d wanted him to be a chartered accountant! Soon after, he was playing music in a Top Rank Ballroom for £24 a week.
By the late 1970s, he’d made his mark on London’s fabled Denmark Street, producing demos, and meeting such luminaries as Anne Dudley, with whom he later worked in Art of Noise, and Geoffrey Downes, who played alongside Horn in The Buggles, as well as Yes.
Horn and Downes made their breakthrough at the end of the 1970s, when ‘Video Killed The Radio Sta’r gave them a number one hit. It had taken him 13 years to become an overnight sensation!
Horn recalls: “Advance word on ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ was going crazy. Radio play had taken us to the top of the Music Week chart and the record wasn’t even out yet. At some point it was released, going in at 57 on 9th September 1979, rising to number 24 the following week, number 6 the week after, number 2 on 13th October and number 1 the week after that.
“It was the same story abroad. ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ raced up every chart it met, home and away. ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ would end up going to number 1 in 16 countries, selling around 12 million. It was insane.”
Horn became the most in-demand producer in Britain but then relocated to Bel Air. In Los Angeles, he worked with Yes and Simple Minds, Grace Jones and Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart, and then in 1990 he produced the debut album by Seal. It was a collaboration for the ages. Seal’s debut album reached number 1, while his lead single, Crazy, went to number 2.
“I had my record – at last. A guy at the record label, Rob Dickins, did a great job of marketing and distributing the record, and it practically strolled up the hit parade to number 2, spending 15 weeks on the chart. The subsequent album was a smash – three weeks at number 1 – and I’ve made several albums with Seal since. He remains my favourite artist to work with. That year I won Best British Producer for the third time, and Seal won Best Male Vocal and Best Album at the BRITs.”
There were few artists with whom Horn didn’t subsequently work – from Tina Turner to Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins – and in 2004, a Prince’s Trust concert celebrated his 25th anniversary as a record producer. Taking place at Wembley Arena, it featured a galaxy of stars.
He has been cited by such musicians and producers as Gary Barlow, DJ Shadow and Radiohead/U2/REM producer Nigel Godrich as being a key influence.
Having written his wildly entertaining memoir, Adventures In Modern Record, From ABC to ZTT, Horn is ready to go on the road – though this time, not armed with his trusty bass. He’ll be playing a handful of UK theatres this autumn, recalling some of the remarkable artists with whom he’s worked, and reflecting on a career that – as his late wife once suggested – made him the best producer in the world.
- Trevor Horn’s tour runs from October 3 to November 12 with his final date in Wimborne.
- Tickets £29, £45 VIP experience and goody bag ,£80 Meet and Greet and goody bag
Adventures in Modern Recording – An Intimate Evening with Trevor Horn
