John Edward Burgess (8 March 1932 – 13 March 2014) England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2017, Ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2019 was a British record producer and production company executive. In the 1960s, he produced hit records by Adam Faith, Freddie and the Dreamers, Manfred Mann, and many other acts of the early era of the British Invasion.

Career

1950s Born in London, Burgess started working in the promotion and publicity section of EMI in 1951. Andy Gregory (ed.), The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002, p.71 When the company took over Capitol Records, he was responsible for promoting its artists including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Dean Martin. Neville Farmer, "A New Era at AIR", Billboard, 6 March 1993, pp.A3-A10 By the mid-1950s, he had become assistant to record producer Norman Newell. Gordon Thompson, Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out, Oxford University Press, 2008, p.54

In 1959, as Newell was unavailable for the recording session, Geoff Leonard and Pete Walker, "Adam Faith - a biography", JohnBarry.org.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2019 Burgess was given responsibility for producing then-unknown Adam Faith's fourth single, "What Do You Want?". Arranged by John Barry, it rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in December 1959. The record company wished to stick to a successful formula, and so Burgess was retained as producer for Faith's follow-up record, "Poor Me", also a number one UK hit, and then for subsequent releases by the singer until the mid-1960s.

1960s He produced many of the recordings by the John Barry Seven, including their hit single "The James Bond Theme" in 1962.

From 1963, Burgess produced a series of UK hits by Freddie and the Dreamers, including "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" and "I'm Telling You Now", which hit number one on the American Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Burgess was also impressed by a jazz and R&B-influenced band known variously as the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers or the Manfreds. Changing the band's name to that of their leader, Manfred Mann, "John Burgess", Every UK Number 1. Retrieved 28 April 2019 Burgess produced their early UK hits including "5-4-3-2-1", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "Pretty Flamingo". Sam Leighty, "Manfred Mann", Perfect Sound Forever, April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2019 He turned down the opportunity to record The High Numbers (later The Who),"The High Numbers Turned Down By EMI!", Real Rock and Blues. Retrieved 28 April 2019 but produced hit records by Peter and Gordon, David and Jonathan, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, Paul Jones, Matt Monro, The Congregation, The Pipkins, and early singles by The Sweet. John Burgess, Credits, Discogs.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019 John Burgess, 45cat.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019 Burgess also produced albums of the musicals Barnum and Guys and Dolls.

In 1965, together with George Martin and Ron Richards of EMI, and Peter Sullivan of Decca, he helped set up Associated Independent Recording (AIR), one of the earliest independent record production companies. "4 Top British A&R Men Form Production Concern", Billboard, 4 September 1965, p.18

1970s From 1969, he was the managing director of AIR Studios in London, and, in 1979, became the managing director of AIR Studios in Montserrat, in the West Indies.

Death Burgess died in March 2014, aged 82. Letter by Barry Noble, Tales from the Woods #78, April 2014, p.35

References

Further reading

External links Biography by Eugene Chadbourne, Allmusic.com