Steve Thompson (musician)

For other people with the same name, see Steve Thompson.

Steve Thompson is a record producer. He has worked with numerous artists, including Korn, Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Tesla. He's a long-time collaborator with mixing engineer Michael Barbiero, with whom he shares credits in top-selling albums such as Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses and The Great Radio Controversy by Tesla.

Biography

Houston, Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, this multi-Grammy recipient's discography reads like an A-list of the who's who in music. Thompson has earned countless award nominations over the course of his career and is acknowledged in the sale of over 200 million records worldwide. A native New Yorker, Thompson's youth was spent playing guitar in local bands. He laughingly credits himself as 'a really bad guitar player'. Nonetheless, his passion, finely tuned ear and never ending drive for good music captured the attention of legendary music moguls David Geffen and Clive Davis who both mentored Steve early in his career. It was Geffen's label that gave Thompson his first real break in the rock genre, bringing him aboard as mixer on "Appetite for Destruction", Guns N Roses' breakout LP. Thompson's work is continuously referred to as 'innovative' and 'revolutionary'. "Appetite for Destruction" was hailed as the ground-breaking album that took the rock world by storm. It went on to sell over 25 million units, earning Thompson the prestigious diamond award honoring sales in excess of 10 million records, his second one to date. Despite his undeniable success in rock, Steve Thompson is a bit of a musical chameleon. While most producers tend to 'specialize' in specific styles, Thompson's ability to adapt to, and master any genre of music makes him somewhat of a rarity. Starting out as a club DJ in New York, Thompson quickly carved a niche for himself as a successful re-mixer on some of dance music's greatest hits, including Aretha Franklin's "Who's Zooming Who", Madonna's "Open Your Heart" and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" which won a Grammy for best song of the year. In 1997 Thompson's mixing and production on Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers' "Fallen Is Babylon" earned him another Grammy for 'Reggae Album of The Year'. Rock, Metal, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, R n' B or Reggae, regardless the genre of music, diversity is one of the many qualities that make Steve Thompson a champion producer. Thompson's star studded and continuously growing list of clientele is as long as it is extraordinary, including but not limited to The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Soundgarden, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, Blondie, Earth Wind and Fire, B-Real from Cypress Hill, Saliva, Simple Minds, Talk Talk, Anthrax, Simple Plan, and Blues Traveler, which also won Thompson another Grammy for Best Rock Song of the Year. 2006 promises to be a banner year for Thompson. On the list of new and exciting artists he will be producing this year is singer songwriter Nolan Neal, one of the newest signings to EMI Music Publishing by Executive Vice President North America, Evan Lamberg. Thompson has recently worked on some new songs with Australia's Jet in preparation for their upcoming CD, and is currently putting the finishing touches on Cheap Trick's upcoming LP. Both are slated for release later this year. 2006 will also see the North American debut of Marion Raven's "Here I Am" which Thompson produced and has already achieved #1 status on charts in Japan, Norway and several European countries. Steve Thompson's skill in every aspect of production is consistently proven and withstands the test of time. Transforming good songs into masterpieces that sell well beyond expectation is, without a doubt the specialty that has Thompson repeatedly heading the production of many a label's 'next big thing'.

Steve Thompson's Official Site