2009 published (non exclusive) by Warner Chappel London ~ BASIA co-write
2002 published (exclusive) by EMI all works / specifically ~ MARTIN GRECH co-write
1996 published (non exclusive) by Warner Chappel Spain ~ MIGUEL BOSE co-write
1993 published (non exclusive) by Howard Jones music ~ HOWARD JONES co-write
1981 published (exclusive) by Rondor Music Publishing ~ all works
1981 published (non exclusive) Magnet Publishing ~ NEW YORK
Grew up in Orpington, South London
Father: Jazz musician
Mother: Nurse
Brother: 2yrs older
Sister: 4yrs older
My mum was a nurse and ran many hospitals during her long career as a carer.
My Dad Ronnie Ross was a Jazz saxophonist with world class credentials, playing with the likes of Miles DavisTed Heath,, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles. Also taught David Bowie sax and later was hired by Bowie to play the amazing baritone solo at the end of Lou Reeds ‘Walk on the Wild side’
BACKGROUND
EDUCATION
St Annes Primary School, Orpington
Cray Valley Tech (later called Kemnal Manor)
King Richards school Cyprus
Brighton Art Collage
At Primary school I was taught mostly by nuns that scared me
Secondary school was a blood bath of feuding yobs & and skin heads.
Changed to a very laid back army school when I moved with my mum and step dad to Cyprus ( My step dad was an Army major , could not be more different to my ‘jazz dad’ )
At 18 I went to Art School in Brighton but dropped out to join my brother playing in a ‘jazz rock’ band in London
GUITARIST
I got my first guitar when I was 13 ( A Grenn plywood special,cost £18 and had the build quality of a wooworths product! ) At 15 I started my ‘apprenticeship’ as a young guitarist doing covers in a working mens club band.At 16 I was part of a jazz trio, and also did the folk club circuit. At 18 bought a 62’ Strat and chose to go ‘professional. Subsequent bands ranged in style from jazz rock to experimental until co founding pop/rock band Immaculate Fools which lasted for many years.
COMPOSER
In-house writer for Rondor Music.
Written for : TV ads, Immaculate Fools, Howard Jones, Martin Grech, Composing for film and TV and more recently contemporary dance.
I had been writing with the early bands when at 21 I was offered a publishing contract with Rondor Music ( A&M’s publishing arm) In that time I co-wrote with Graham Lyle amongst other ‘names’ on the writing circuit of the time and had my first experience of writing for TV commercials and dare I say it , The Eurovision song contest ! ( I don’t know what came over me....!!) From then until now I have mostly co written on the albums I produce but have also written many works alone including scoring for ballet and other solo projects.
TOURING & TV
Tom Robinson
Robert Palmer
Immaculate Fools
Howard Jones
Basia
By far the most touring / TV work I did was with my band Immaculate Fools. We were on and off the road for 8 years or more before I split with the band to pursue my career as a record producer. I had been producing the ‘Fools’ albums and in the process had unwittingly been learning producer/ engineering skills which I was now keen to refine.
PRODUCER
Over 180 production titles to date contained within albums, singles, remixes, tv, commercials, and modern dance composition
My first production job was a bluff . One of my own cringey pop songs that someone was bravely financing. I had never used a console before and was confronted by and SSL which I fumbled around on but got away with somehow. Later while recording with my band Immaculate Fools, I became very disillusioned by the big name producers we worked with. They always seemed to fall way short of my expectations. So I would , through necessity , start to learn how to engineer the sounds I wanted and to piece together the ‘whole picture’ and in the process came to learn a broad range of techniques from straight band stuff through to experimental and electronic music.
SOUND ENGINEER & PROGRAMMER
TOOLS: Various consoles analogue and digi, Apple Mac , Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Samplers
Clients include:Tori amos, howard jones, Martin Grech. Miguel Bose
On the whole I’ve engineered most of my productions and Im acutely aware that sound plays a huge roll in emoting correctly in a given piece of music. I have designed many studios over the years from the analogue days through to now common place virtual studio. Programming and sound design is really a part of a producers skill set and I’ve worked on many projects outside of my own over the years where I was able to refine these skills
COLLABORATIONS
CLIENTS
PRODUCERS
SONGWRITERS
MUSICIANS
SESSIONS
Universal Records Sony Records Island Records Warner Chappel WEA Records
EMI
Magnet Records Rondor Music
A&M Records
UK Film Council Platypus Records Dtox Records
Ballet Lorent
20th Century Fox
Saatchi & Saatchi BBH
Martin Ansel
Danny White
Graham Lyle
Kevin Weatherill
Dirty Ray
Tom Robinson
Howard Jones
Miguel Bose
Martin Grech
Robbie Bronnimann
Dave Gilmor
Pino Palidino
Louis Jardin
Elliot Randel
Barry Wikins
Mark Almond
Properganda
Natelie
Basia
INTERESTS
TENNIS
HANGLIDING
GLIDING
KITE SURFING
KITE BUGGING
ASHTANGA YOGA
PHILOSOPHY
PSYCHOLOGY
LIFE DRAWING
GOLF
DRIVING
TRAVEL
COOKING
TECHNOLOGY
INFLUENCES
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Gustav Holst
Police
Brand X
Peter Gabriel
Eno
Steve Reich
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Talk Talk
Massive Attack
Stravinsky
Blue Nile
Underworld
Scott Walker
Gustavo Santaolalla
COLLABORATIONS - Andy Gangadeen - Ballet Lorent - Barry Wickens - Basia - Ben Crompton - Caroline Lavelle - Critical Mass - Danny White - Dave Gilmor - Dirty Ray - Elliot Randel - Emilliana Torrini - Graham Lyle - Howard Jones - Hurts - Immaculate Fools - Jinwoo - Kevin Armstrong - Kevin Weatherill - LIv Lorent - Louis Jardin - Mark Almond - Martin Ansel - Martin Grech - Miguel Bose - Nick Kershaw - Paul Mc Cartney - Peter Ross - Pino Paladino - Propaganda - Robbie Bronnimann - Robert Palmer - Robin Bolt - Ronnie Ross - Shaz Sparks - Snowboy - Stuart Copland - Summerhill - Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Tektonik - Tessa Niles - Tom Robinson - Tori Amos - Trevor Morais - Vicky Steer SOUNDTRACK WORK - Johnny Walker - John Doe - Journeyman - Lexus - Levi’s - Mission - Point Pleasant - Smallville - Shark --Swatch - The Inside - X-Box CLIENTS - 20th Century Fox - A&M Records - BBH - CBS - Dtox Records - EMI - Interscope - Island Records - Magnet Records - Platypus Records - Rondor Music - Saatchi & Saatchi - Sony Records - UK Film Council - Universal Records - Warner Bros - Warner Chappell - WEA Records INDUSTRY - Bob Clearmountain - Chris Hughes - Colin Thurston - Glyn Johns - Ian Stanley - MIke Hedges - Ross Cullum - Rupert HIne Steve Nye - Steven Tayler - Tony Mansfield - Warne Livesey - Chris Briggs - David Stopps - Derek Green - John Kennedy - Jon Mayer - Mark Ashelford - Mark Williams - Max Hole - NIck Gatfield - Robert Hosfall
