The Producers (band)
The Producers | |
---|---|
Origin | Atlanta, Georgia |
Genres | Rock, rock and roll, power pop, New Wave |
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels | Portrait, Marathon, One Way |
Website | www.theproducers.org |
Members |
Wayne Famous Kyle Henderson Bryan Holmes Van Temple |
Past members | Tim Smith |
The Producers is a New Wave and power pop band from Atlanta, Georgia. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former Whiteface member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former Billy Joe Royal sideman Wayne Famous (Wayne McNatt) on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums.
History
Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to CBS subsidiary Portrait Records by producer Tom Werman, who had worked with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and Mother's Finest, among others. They released two albums for the Portrait label, The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does To Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine singles charts. "What's He Got", "Certain Kinda Girl", and "Who Do You Think You Are" had some popularity as music videos but did not chart. They toured extensively opening for Cheap Trick, and The Motels. "She Sheila" from their second album was a popular MTV video. They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve in 1982.
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Billboard 200 | Record Label | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | The Producers | 163 | Portrait Records | Single "What She Does To Me"
reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
1982 | You Make The Heat | Portrait Records | Single "She Sheila" reached number 48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. | |
1985 | Run For Your Life | — | Marathon Records | |
2000 | The Producers/You Make The Heat | — | One Way Records | First two LP's, The Producers and You Make The Heat remastered and released on one CD. |
2001 | Coelacanth | — | One Way Records | Originally recorded for MCA Records in 1988/89 but never released by the label. |
Aftermath
Despite this success, Portrait Records dropped the band after only two albums. Kyle Henderson became a born-again Christian and left the band shortly after they were dropped to record a solo album for Kerry Livgren's Christian rock label, Kerygma Records and was replaced by future Jellyfish, Umajets and Sheryl Crow bassist Tim Smith (not to be confused with another musician named Tim Smith--born 1961—of the Progressive Art Punk outfit Cardiacs). The next Producers album, Run For Your Life, was released in 1985 on a small Atlanta-based independent label. That album featured a collaboration between The Producers and Kansas, "Can't Cry Anymore," a song which appeared on both Run For Your Life and the 1986 Kansas album Power. The Producers regained a major label contract in the late 1980s with MCA Records and recorded what was to be their fourth album, Coelacanth, but the band was one of several dropped in a 1989 label purge at MCA before the album could be released. Coelacanth was finally released in 2001. The band "retired" in 1991 but still plays shows from time to time around the Southeast.
Original bass player and vocalist Kyle Henderson now fronts a new band called Kyle Henderson's Blue Eyed Soul which is a Madison, Wisconsin area based four piece that covers songs by Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Otis Redding, plus modern purveyors of that tradition. http://www.kylehendersonmusic.com
Van Temple now plays in a Classic Rock band called Reason Y in Atlanta. http://reasonyband.com
Wayne Famous is currently a taxi driver in the Atlanta area and occasionally doing session work and occasional composer and sound effects jobs.[1] In addition to their various solo projects, The Producers continue to perform live shows into 2013, primarily in the southeastern and midwestern United States.
References
- ↑ Wayne McNatt Bio (2009). ""
External links
- Official Facebook page for The Producers
- Unofficial Website for The Producers
- Fan Site
- The Producers first promotional photo, ©Michael Mastro.
- The Producers official MySpace site