Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers, prominently David Bowie, and has earned three Grammy Awards.
His first hit single was T. Rex's "Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of many hits in collaboration with Marc Bolan. Visconti's lengthiest involvement was with David Bowie: intermittently from 1968 to his final album Blackstar in 2016, Visconti produced and occasionally performed on many of Bowie's albums. Visconti's work on Blackstar was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and his production of Angelique Kidjo's Djin Djin received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
Early life Visconti was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to parents of Italian descent. He started to play the ukulele when he was five years old and then learned guitar. He attended New Utrecht High School. Throughout his teenage years Visconti was involved with both a classical brass band (playing tuba) and a traditional orchestra (playing double bass), as well as playing rock-and-roll-oriented guitar, valuable experience that served him well in later years. By the age of 15, he had focused his efforts on playing in local Brooklyn bands.
After leaving school he played guitar in a band called Ricardo & the Latineers in the Catskills; the band also included Artie Butler, later a leading arranger. In 1960, he played his first recording session and over the next few years became one of the leading guitarists in New York nightclubs. He played in lounge acts, including the Ned Harvey Band and the Speedy Garfin Band, before joining a touring version of the Crew-Cuts, where he met his future wife. As Tony and Siegrid, the pair released two singles; the first, "Long Hair", was a regional hit in New York in 1966, but they could not maintain its success.
Production Visconti then became in-house producer for his publisher, the Richmond Organization. Through this position, in 1968, he met British producer Denny Cordell, who asked him to assist in recordings for successful jazz vocalist Georgie Fame, prompting Visconti to move to London.
One of his first production projects in England was with the British outfit Tyrannosaurus Rex (later to become T. Rex) on their debut album My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968). This began a relationship with T. Rex that would last for their next eight albums and eleven UK Top Ten singles in a row, commencing with "Ride a White Swan" (1970). One of Visconti's greatest successes was Electric Warrior (1971), the album that made T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan a superstar and cemented Visconti's producing prowess.
More early production work included David Bowie's second album (1969) and for the Welsh group The Iveys (later known as Badfinger). He produced several tracks for the Iveys' first LP, Maybe Tomorrow (1969), and Magic Christian Music (1970), released on the Beatles' Apple label.
He produced the first two albums by influential progressive rock band Gentle Giant. Shortly afterwards, Visconti began to work again with Bowie and, along with guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer John Cambridge, formed and toured with the band The Hype, in which he played bass. Although the band name would be very short-lived, most of the line-up persisted and—with Woody Woodmansey replacing Cambridge—would go on to record Bowie's album and single The Man Who Sold the World in 1970. He would further go on to work on Bowie's albums Diamond Dogs (1974), Young Americans (1975), Low (1977), "Heroes" (1977), Lodger (1979), Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980), Heathen (2002), Reality (2003), The Next Day (2013), and his final album, Blackstar (2016).
In late 1970 and early 1971, Visconti produced both the debut and second albums by UK Afrorock pioneers Osibisa. These were 1971’s self titled debut and its follow up Woyaya. Both albums also featured early examples of the artwork of Roger Dean.
Visconti scored the orchestral arrangements for Paul McCartney and Wings' 1973 album Band on the Run. He later produced two albums for the Moody Blues, The Other Side of Life (1986) and Sur La Mer (1988). Visconti contributed brass arrangements to OMD's Junk Culture (1984).
In 1990, he produced several tracks on the Moody Blues' Keys of the Kingdom album (1991), Luscious Jackson's Electric Honey, Leisure Noise by Gay Dad, Soul Caddy for Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and Dawn of Ananda for Annie Haslam. In 1997, Visconti produced the debut album of The Stone Roses member John Squire's new band, The Seahorses, entitled Do It Yourself.
He produced and played bass on a handful of tracks from The Dandy Warhols' 2003 album, Welcome to the Monkey House. In 2003 he teamed up with the Finn Brothers (Neil and Tim of Crowded House and Split Enz) to record and produce their second collaborative album, eventually released in 2004. That same year, he produced three songs on the Manic Street Preachers album Lifeblood. 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 an album project by Richard Barone. He worked in Rome and produced the No. 1 UK album by Morrissey Ringleader of the Tormentors.
His autobiography, Bowie, Bolan and The Brooklyn Boy, co-written with Richard Havers, was published in February 2007 by HarperCollins UK. The book has been translated into French by Jérôme Soligny as Bowie, Bolan et le Gamin de Brooklyn, published by Tournon.
In 2007 and 2008, Visconti was very active in the studio with Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, producing her Grammy-winning album Djin Djin, which included guest artists Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Joss Stone, Josh Groban, and Carlos Santana. He has also produced and mixed two albums at Saint Claire Recording Studio in Lexington, Kentucky: The Bright Lights of America by Pittsburgh punk band Anti-Flag and Alejandro Escovedo's album Real Animal, released in June 2008. He produced Le Vent De L'Hiver by French artist Raphael in Paris and New York. He produced and mixed the Kristeen Young album Music for Strippers, Hookers, and the Odd On-Looker, released in 2009, and arranged the Fall Out Boy album Folie à Deux. 2010 marked the release of Richard Barone's Visconti-produced Glow album, which includes five songs co-written with Barone and a remake of T. Rex's "Girl"; he also played bass, guitar, synth, and Stylophone on the album and performed live in concert with Barone on numerous occasions.
Visconti produced the 2013 David Bowie album The Next Day and remixed and remastered both The Slider anniversary box set and Electric Warrior 40th-anniversary box set by T. Rex. In 2013, he produced Solar Secrets by Capsula.
In 2014, Visconti produced and arranged several tracks on Marc Almond's album The Dancing Marquis. Almond had wanted to work with Visconti since hearing some of Visconti's earliest production work with T-Rex and David Bowie, stating, "It was a dream to work with Tony".
From 2016 to 2023, Visconti was a jury member of the ANCHOR-Award, linked to the Reeperbahn Festival.
In 2018, Visconti produced Evil Spirits for The Damned, their first album in ten years. He also produced, sang, and played recorder on Merrie Land, the second album by The Good, the Bad & the Queen (2018).
In 2019, Visconti produced the song "The Dragon Cries" with Band-Maid vocalists Miku Kobato and Saiki Atsumi. The track was released on Band-Maid's 2019 release Conqueror.
Visconti served as music producer on the 2022 film Moonage Daydream, a documentary about Bowie written, produced, directed, and edited by Brett Morgen.
Personal life After divorcing his first wife, Siegrid, Visconti married Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin in 1971; they divorced in 1981. The pair have two children, including musician Jessica Lee Morgan. In 1989, he married his third wife, May Pang; they had two children before they divorced in 2000. Visconti currently lives with his girlfriend of 20 years, musician Kristeen Young.
Musician
Visconti played bass on David Bowie's 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World. Since 2015, he has toured the UK, Japan, and the US with the Bowie cover band Holy Holy, playing the album in its entirety and other early Bowie classics, along with the album's original drummer Mick Woodmansey and other well-known musicians, including singer Glenn Gregory and guitarist James Stevenson. The band has followed this up with later shows in which they perform The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album.
Visconti Studio In September 2016, Kingston University opened Visconti Studio, a tape-based recording studio in partnership with Visconti, the British Library, and London's Science Museum.
Discography
Studio albums Visconti's Inventory (1977) It's a Selfie (2019) Apollo 80 (2024)
Albums produced With Tyrannosaurus Rex / T. Rex 1968: My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows 1968: Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages 1969: Unicorn 1970: A Beard of Stars 1970: T. Rex 1971: Electric Warrior 1972: Bolan Boogie 1972: The Slider 1973: Tanx 1974: Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow 1981: In Concert – (1971/72 recordings)
With David Bowie 1969: David Bowie 1970: The Man Who Sold the World 1974: David Live 1975: Young Americans 1977: Low 1977: "Heroes" 1978: Stage 1979: Lodger 1980: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) 2002: Heathen 2003: Reality 2013: The Next Day 2016: Blackstar 2018: Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) 2018: Glastonbury 2000
With Badfinger 1969: Maybe Tomorrow (as The Iveys) 1970: Magic Christian Music – Badfinger
With Gentle Giant 1970: Gentle Giant 1971: Acquiring the Taste
With Strawbs 1970: Dragonfly 1970: Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios 1971: From the Witchwood 1972: Grave New World
With Mary Hopkin 1971: Earth Song/Ocean Song 2007: Valentine (1972–80) 2008: Recollections (1970–86) 2009: Now and Then (1970–88)
With Osibisa 1971: Osibisa 1971: Woyaya
With Tom Paxton 1972: Peace Will Come 1973: New Songs For Old Friends
With Ralph McTell 1972: Not till Tomorrow 1974: Easy 2019: Hill of Beans
With Carmen 1973: Fandangos in Space 1974: Dancing on a Cold WindWith Sparks 1975: Indiscreet 1997: Plagiarism
With Omaha Sheriff 1977: Come Hell or Waters High 1977: Long Fingers in the Soft Rain
With Thin Lizzy 1977: Bad Reputation 1978: Live and Dangerous 1979: Black Rose
With Hazel O'Connor 1980: Breaking Glass 1981: Cover Plus
With Boomtown Rats 1980: Mondo Bongo 1982: V Deep
With Elaine Paige 1983: Stages 1984: Cinema 1985: Love Hurts 1986: Christmas
With Modern Romance 1983: Trick of the Light 1985: Burn It!
With The Moody Blues 1986: The Other Side of Life 1988: Sur la Mer 1991: Keys of the Kingdom
With Les Rita Mitsouko 1986: The No Comprendo 1988: Marc & Robert
With Phillip Boa 1993: Boaphenia 1994: God – Phillip Boa
With Dean & Britta 2003: L'Avventura 2007: Back Numbers
With Kristeen Young 2003: Breasticles 2004: X 2006: The Orphans 2009: Music for Strippers, Hookers, and the Odd On-Looker 2011: V The Volcanic 2014: The Knife Shift 2017: Live at the Witch's Tit
With Alejandro Escovedo 2008: Real Animal 2010: Street Songs of Love 2012: Big StationWith other artists 1968: Ten Songs - Tucker Zimmerman 1969: Battersea Power Station – Junior's Eyes 1970: Seasons – Magna Carta 1971: Woman Child – Marsha Hunt 1973: Gas Works – Gas Works 1973: World's Apart Together – The Sarstedt Brothers 1975: Counterpoints – Argent 1977: Better by Far – Caravan 1977: The Idiot – Iggy Pop 1978: Down in the Bunker – Steve Gibbons 1979: Rhapsodies – Rick Wakeman 1979: Ghostown – The Radiators