Michael Blakey (music producer)

Michael Blakey (born 8 December 1958, London, England) is a record producer, composer, musician, arranger, songwriter and artist manager. Blakey has either produced MusicAL tracks or worked as a musician for a number of notable artists and performers, including: Engelbert Humperdinck, Luther Vandross, Gloria Gaynor, Tears for Fears, Dire Straits, Coolio, Akwid, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, 2Pac, Eminem, Brian McKnight, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bob Carlisle, and Michelle Wright. He was also the drummer and composer for the 1990s rock band Tidal Force. As a producer, Blakey earned several gold and platinum records..

Early life and music career

Blakey studied to be a drummer during his childhood years. His family moved to Spain in 1977. By 1978, while still in his early 20s, Blakey performed as a drummer for notable artists at Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany - where he was also a resident producer - and Sonoland Studio in Madrid, including Julio Iglesias and Germany's Udo Lindenberg. Shortly after, Blakey produced singles and LPs for a few European musical acts, including the progressive rock band Phlox.

Later music career

Blakey worked as a session recording drummer and a producer in both the U.S. and U.K. throughout the 1980s. In 1993, Blakey became a drummer and composer for the European rock band Tidal Force, which released the LP Will To Power on Atico Records in 1994. Tidal Force was known for their singles Will to Power and A Man Rides Through.

Music production and management career

Blakey acted as chief of A&R for Atico Records from 1991 to 1994 in New York. He founded three other music production and promotional companies, including Platinum Records, between 1994 and 2000 in New York and Los Angeles.

Blakey produced several feature motion picture soundtracks, including the original musical soundtrack for Disney’s Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, Jackass: The Movie and Shaft.

In early 2009, Blakey teamed up with Grammy Award-nominated comedian Ron White (The Call MeTater Salad, Blue Collar Comedy Tour) to form Organica Music Group, the media of which was distributed by Universal Music Group. OMG also produces feature motion pictures and television content and has worked with musical artists such as Margo Rey, Gladys Knight, and Playboy model Crystal Harris.

In 2009, Blakey formed Electra Star Management, based in West Hollywood, California. The company roster of talent includes: Academy Award-winning writer, actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton; actress Pamela Anderson (NBC’s Baywatch) and touring comedian Ron White.

"Duets" music technology

During his time at Platinum Records, Blakey worked with scientists to develop the primary technology for Forensic Frequency Separation Software. FFSS allows sound engineers to extract a specific vocal segment from a mono track by lifting the individual frequencies within the vocal and keeping it intact. Once extracted, the vocal track can be treated as a conventional vocal recording and placed onto a separate track in a contemporary high-definition recording format. This innovation drove the creation of the Blakey-produced 1996 Patsy Cline Duet album by enabling contemporary vocalists to sing along with the original artist. While such critically acclaimed artists as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson recorded new duets on the album, noted music historian and author of the book Century of Country Robert Oermann, reported that he was "not enthused by" the recordings, and would rather just "listen to Patsy. She doesn’t need anybody with her." Blakey countered, "Anybody who says this is the wrong thing to do, well, I don't think they're a true music lover."

Professional interests

In September 1987, according to The Motor magazine, Blakey and three key British investors, John Bogg, David Osbourne and importer Colin Hayes, purchased luxury automotive company Maserati U.K. Ltd. for "under £3 million." It was sold to the Chrysler Corporation less than two years later.

In 2006, Blakey became co-owner responsible for "fleet growth" of Pylon International Inc., a private jet charter and service management company based in Van Nuys, California. Pylon was later acquired by IJM Holdings Corporation in August 2007.

Awards and Nominations

Blakey won the Melody Maker Producer of the Year award in 1993 and was named promotion Man of the Year by Music Beat in 1995.