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Tony Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is a record producer, and sometimes a musician or singer, who has had a long and illustrious career working with some of the best known popular music artists from the late 1960s onwards, including the Moody Blues, as well as T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Sparks, Gentle Giant, Boomtown Rats, Hazel O'Connor, Adam Ant, The Stranglers, Richard Barone, Manic Street Preachers, Kristeen Young and most recently Morrissey. His longest-spanning involvement with an artist is famously with David Bowie. On and off between 1969's Space Oddity album (though not the title track), through to 2003's Reality Visconti had an involvement as producer and musician - often contributing backing vocals, and occasionally acoustic guitar or bass on Bowie's records.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Production 3 Literature 4 See also 5 External links

Born Anthony Visconti in Brooklyn, New York, his exposure to music was immediate due to his father's ability to play the ukulele, which he was taught to play as early as 5 years old. Throughout his teenage years Visconti was involved with both a classical brass band playing tuba, a traditional orchestra playing the double bass and a more alternative outfits playing rock'n'roll guitar. Such a versatile range of musical styles was finally abandoned by the age of 15, when he focused his efforts in a band named Ricardo and the Latineers.

During the next few years of his life, he was involved within a number of soft-rock and lounge acts, playing both the bass and electric guitar. With his then-wife Siegrid, he then attempted a career as pop duo Tony and Siegrid. Under this name, their first single Long Hair was a regional hit in 1967 but was to be the peak level of success for the duo. After the failure of his attempt to become a pop singer, Visconti took the desicion to become in-house producer for his publisher, the Richmond Organization.

Visconti's big break came with a chance meeting with British producer Denny Cordell in 1968. While he was still working as in-house producer, Cordell asked him to assist in recordings for successful jazz vocalist Georgie Fame. As a part of this work, Visconti moved to London - a move which would soon become a permanent one. He was to live the most part of the next 30 years in London, the city in which his career would flourish.

One of his first production projects in England with was the Welsh group The Iveys (later known as Badfinger). He produced several tracks for the band's first LP Maybe Tomorrow, released on The Beatles' Apple label. The title track from this album was released as a single and reached #67 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1968. More early production work on the album Prophets, Seers & Sages – The Angels of the Ages for the British outfit T-Rex was to be of critical importance in kick-starting his influential career in a number of ways. It was to begin a relationship with T-Rex that would last for their next seven albums, and through this Visconti would begin a professional friendship with David Bowie. Initially, he and Bowie, along with guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer John Cambridge, formed and toured with the band Hype in which he played bass. Although the band name would be very short-lived, the line-up persisted and would go on to record the seminal album and single "The Man Who Sold the World" in 1970. He would further go on to work on the albums Diamond Dogs (1974), Young Americans (1975), "Heroes" (1977), Low (1977), Lodger (1979) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).

Visconti would produce two full albums for the Moody Blues, "The Other Side of Life" (1986), and "Sur La Mer" (1988). In 1987, Visconti, together with Moodies lead vocalist Justin Hayward, supplied incidental music for the BBC2 science fiction series Star Cops.

By the end of the 1980s, Visconti's consistent involvement with top artists had diminished, but despite this he continued to work with many newly formed outfits. In 1990 he produced and did the arrangements for the debut album from NYC band Electric Angels. He produced several tracks on the Moodies "Keys of the Kingdom" album (1991), the 'Electric Honey' album for Luscious Jackson, Leisure Noise by Gay Dad, Soul Caddy for Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Dawn of Ananda for Annie Haslam and Moonchild for Debbie Gibson. In 1997 Visconti produced the debut album of former Stone Roses member John Squire's new band, The Seahorses. The album, "Do It Yourself", was a moderate success. In the 00's Visconti renewed his association with David Bowie, producing his recent albums Heathen in 2002, and Reality in 2003. These two albums hark back to his Berlin production work with Bowie and for many this is the best of Bowie's later work. A full list of the best known albums with which he has been associated is available from his official website.

Since the end of his marriage to Siegrid, Visconti married and divorced a further two times. From 1971 to 1981 he was married to Mary Hopkin, and they had two children, Morgan and Jessica. He was then married to May Pang from 1989 to 2000, with whom he also had two children, Sebastian and Lara.

He moved to Manhattan, New York City and has produced the last three albums of his youngest protégée Kristeen Young. In 2005 he collaborated with Copenhagen band, Kashmir, whose fifth album, No Balance Palace, featured David Bowie. He has also collaborated as co-writer and producer on the forthcoming new album project by Richard Barone. He worked in Rome on the 2006 Morrissey album Ringleader of the Tormentors. His autobiography, Tony Visconti, The Autobiography, was published in February 2007 by HarperCollins UK. Morrissey is actually working on a new album which will be produced again by Tony Visconti.^[1]

1. ^ No eurovision for Morrissey

• Tony Visconti - The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy, Harper Collins, 2007, ISBN-10 0007229445, ISBN-13 978-0007229444

• List of record producers

• Tony Visconti's official website