Howard Gray

Howard Gray

Howard Gray in studio, London
Background information
Birth name Howard Gray
Born 15 July 1962 (1962-07-15) (age 49)
Born: Sydney, Australia
Raised: Liverpool, England
Lives: Camden, London, England
Genres Music
Production
Occupations Producer
Composer
Musician
Years active 1980-present
Website www.apollo440.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo 440 www.facebook.com/Apollo440 www.myspace.com/apollofourforty

Howard Gray is a musician, sound engineer, programmer, composer, re-mixer and producer who has worked with, and on the work of 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] The Manic Street Preachers,[1] U2,[5][1] Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page,[6] Tom Jones and Van Morrison.

He is a founder member of the dance/rock group Apollo 440.[7][8][9]

Contents

Early years

Howard James Gray was born on 15 July 1962 in Sydney, Australia, shortly after his parents emigrated from their native Liverpool. The family returned to Liverpool when Gray was six months old, and the city played its role in forming the young Gray's musical passions. 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. Throughout his tenure at The Manor, and at Branson's recently completed Townhouse Studios in London's Hammersmith, Gray worked with many producers, first as an assistant sound engineer, then as an engineer. The producer he worked with most often was Steve Lillywhite. Some of the many artists Gray worked with include Public Image Ltd, The Stranglers, Kirsty MacColl, The Armoury Show, Japan, Rip Rig + Panic and Van Morrison.[11] He was Virgin's House Engineer on Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's album "Architecture and Morality",[4] and engineered producer Adrian Sherwood's groundbreaking Dub Syndicate album "The Pounding System (Ambience in Dub)".[12]

1980s: from sound engineer to producer

When Gray broke away from the Virgin studio system, he initially went to work as Steve Lillywhite's engineer, which lead to him working with such diverse artists as Simple Minds, XTC, the Pretenders, UB40 and Abba's Anni-Frid Lyngstad ('Frida').

As a producer in his own right Gray's big break came when, in 1983, he was asked by UB40 to help produce their multi-platinum selling album of cover versions, "Labour of Love". Gray had previously worked with the band at the Townhouse on their "UB44" album. Credited as Engineer and Assistant Producer of "Labour of Love",[13] an administrative error caused Gray's role to be credited only as Tape Operator on the UK and US #1 single "Red Red Wine". Still only 21 years old, Gray also engineered and co-produced UB40's next album "Geffery Morgan".

Gray went on to work with Scritti Politti on "Cupid & Psyche 85", the Cure on "The Head On The Door" and he produced Terence Trent D'Arby's debut single, "If You Let Me Stay", from his 12 million selling album "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby".[14] Some of the many other artists Gray produced through the mid to late 80's include The Pale Fountains, Head, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, Hugh Cornwell,[3] Red Guitars, Danny Wilson [1] and Age of Chance (with whom he created one of the first albums to be sampled and sequenced entirely on a Studio 440 [15] sampling device).

1990s - 2000s: Apollo 440, soundtracks, remixes and producing

In 1990 Gray formed the dance/rock group Apollo 440 [16] with brother Trevor Gray [17] and old friends and colleagues James Gardner and Noko, who had continued their musical careers with other bands, including Luxuria (Noko) and The Umbrella (Noko and Gardner).[18] Gray's role within Apollo 440 revolves mostly around sound sculpture/production or, as he refers to it, his role is that of the "Vibe Controller".

Apollo 440 have to date released four albums on their Stealth Sonic Recordings label,[16] distributed by Epic Records, and achieved three UK Top 10 and eight UK Top 40 singles releases.

With Apollo 440, and under their Stealth Sonic Orchestra guise, Gray has recorded for various film soundtracks, including Lost in Space [19][16] and Charlies Angels,[20][16] worked on a number of games for Sony Playstation, including Fifa '98, Spiderman and Anti-Grav, and remixed a diverse range of artists, including The Manic Street Preachers, Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page, U2,[5] Puretone, Ennio Morricone and James. Apollo 440 have worked on a number of tracks with Jean Michel Jarre, Jeff Beck (producing three tracks on Beck's album "Jeff") and Tomoyasu Hotei.

In addition to his role with Apollo 440, Gray continues to undertake outside productions, including work with Tom Jones, The Manic Street Preachers, Gareth Sager & Jock Scott,[21] Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Drive By Argument and The Wolfgang Press. Gray has also collaborated with John Fortis [22] on the production of The Cazals, Eight Legs and Art Brut's acclaimed debut album Bang Bang Rock and Roll.[1]

2010 - present day

Howard Gray has recently finished working on the upcoming album by the artist Josh Bray.[23] Apollo 440 are set to release their fifth studio album, The Future's What It Used To Be, late 2011.[24]

Trivia

Gray's debut production, Trevor Herion's "Love Chains",[25] 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.

David Slade, the director of the music video 'Stop The Rock'[26] for Gray's band Apollo 440, went on to direct Eclipse, the third film in the Twilight[27] series.

Film soundtrack discography[28]

Production discography (selected)[1]

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m http://www.discogs.com/artist/Howard+Gray
  2. ^ http://pagesperso-orange.fr/chambermettes/intervie.htm
  3. ^ a b http://www.webinblack.co.uk/Hugh_Cornwell_Interview__R.htm
  4. ^ a b c http://www.reverbxl.com/xltalent/roster/howardgrey.htm
  5. ^ a b http://www.discogs.com/U2-Mysterious-Ways-Remixes/release/62646
  6. ^ http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Come_with_Me
  7. ^ http://www.myspace.com/apollofourforty
  8. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/90e0158e-4152-463e-8a76-212dd48cbcf1
  9. ^ http://www.reverbxl.com/reverbmusic/roster/apollo440.htm
  10. ^ http://www.myspace.com/kumosolo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumo_(musician)
  11. ^ http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,134570,00.html
  12. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Dub-Syndicate-The-The-Pounding-System-Ambience-In-Dub/release/173283
  13. ^ http://www.discogs.com/UB40-Labour-Of-Love/release/552230
  14. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Terence-Trent-DArby-Introducing-The-Hardline-According-To-Terence-Trent-DArby/release/594785
  15. ^ http://www.vintagesynth.com/sci/studio440.php
  16. ^ a b c d http://www.discogs.com/artist/Apollo+440
  17. ^ http://www.discogs.com/artist/Trevor+Gray
  18. ^ http://www.myspace.com/williambrel
  19. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Apollo-Four-Forty-Lost-In-Space/master/6059
  20. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Apollo-Four-Forty-Charlies-Angels-2000/master/3734
  21. ^ http://www.cargorecords.co.uk/release/2856
  22. ^ http://www.reverbxl.com/xltalent/roster/johnfortis.htm
  23. ^ http://www.myspace.com/joshiebray
  24. ^ http://apollo440blog.blogspot.com/2010/01/futures-what-it-used-to-beteaser.html
  25. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Trevor-Herion-Love-Chains/master/263097
  26. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1720541/otherworks
  27. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1720541/
  28. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336681/
Apollo 440
Trevor Gray · Howard Gray · Noko · Ewan MacFarlane · Cliff Hewitt · Michael Cusick · Ashley Krajewski
James Gardner · Ian Hoxley · Paul Kodish
Albums
Singles
"Destiny" · "Blackout" · "Astral America" · "Liquid Cool" · "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" · "Krupa" · "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Dub" · "Raw Power" · "Carrera Rapida" · "Rendez-Vous 98" · "Lost in Space" · "Stop the Rock" · "Heart Go Boom" · "Cold Rock the Mic / Crazee Horse" · "Charlie's Angels 2000" · "Say What?" · "Dude Descending a Staircase"
EPs
Rumble EP  · A Deeper Dub