Shel Talmy, Visionary Producer Behind The Who, Dead at 87

Shel Talmy, the producer behind some of rock music's biggest acts and songs, has died.

He was 87.

His publicist confirmed the news in a statement to 'The Guardian,' where they shared that Talmy died in his sleep due to complications from a stroke.

"Even the briefest survey of the most essential pop and rock recordings of the 1960s would need to include something Shel produced. That in itself is an incredibly meaningful legacy ... Talmy was truly a one-off," the statement shared.

Sheldon Talmy, born in Chicago in 1937, launched his career in Los Angeles at Hollywood's Conway Studios, where he produced early pop, R&B, and surf music during the genre's heyday.

During a holiday in 1962, he was hired by Decca Records, a label he joined under false pretenses.

"I said, 'I am arguably the greatest thing since sliced bread was invented,' and reeled off a whole string of hits I hadn't done. By the time they found out it was all bullshit, I'd already had my first hit, and they were very gentlemanly," he said of the experience.

While he worked at the label, he met the manager of a band that would go on to be named The Kinks and produced their first releases 'Long Tall Sally' and 'You Still Want Me.' However, he would go on to produce their follow-up single, 'You Really Got Me,' which became one of the most notable rock hits of the decade.

The Who's Pete Townshend became a fan of Talmy's work. He wrote a song inspired by the producer's work called 'I Can't Explain.' Their follow-up single was produced by Talmy and called 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,' however, he would produce their biggest hit 'My Generation.'

In the mid '60s, Talmy worked with David Bowie producing two singles with bands he fronted before his 1967 solo debut album.

After an intensely prolific run in the 1960s, Talmy returned to the U.S. and largely stepped away from producing, disillusioned with the music industry.

"The early 70s went through a very fallow period. It was not the same music scene. Everything started getting corporate," he said.

The producer had occasional production credits later in life, for acts such as Coven, Vicki Brown and Fuzztones.

Tags

Dead, RIP, The Who, The Kinks, David Bowie