Produce Like A Pro

R.I.P Steve Cropper

Growing up in Britain I was a massive soul and R and B fan. Long before I ever set foot in a studio, the soundtrack to my youth was shaped by the unmistakable sound of Stax Records, and at the heart of that sound was Steve Cropper. He was not only one of the most tasteful rhythm guitarists ever recorded, he was a world class songwriter whose catalogue reads like a core curriculum in soul music. Dock of the Bay, In the Midnight Hour, Knock on Wood, Soul Man, 634-5789, Green Onions. He did not just play on them, he helped write them, arrange them, define them. Steve Cropper’s guitar is the steady pulse in some of the greatest songs ever captured on tape.

By the late seventies and early eighties The Blues Brothers film ignited a full blown soul revival in Britain. That movie was absolutely massive for us. It brought the Stax legends into living rooms across the country and introduced an entire generation of kids to players like Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn. When the Blues Brothers Band began touring, they were nothing short of heroes to a young British soul fan.

I went to see them every chance I had, including unforgettable gigs at The Town and Country Club and the Hammersmith Odeon. After the shows I would wait outside the backstage door, usually with a handful of other diehards, hoping to catch even a brief moment with the musicians who had shaped so much of the music I loved. And incredibly they always came out. They always took time with us. Steve Cropper signed my ticket. So did Duck Dunn. I spoke to them both, and for a kid who lived and breathed those records it was beyond inspiring. The kindness they showed stayed with me for life.

Steve Cropper’s passing marks the loss of a true architect of modern music. His parts were never about showing off, they were about elevating the song. He gave guitarists a lifelong lesson in restraint, groove, clarity, and purpose. And he gave the world songs that will outlive all of us.

Rest in peace, Steve. Thank you for the riffs, the songs, the generosity, and the example. The world sounds better because you were in it.

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,275

Produce Like A Pro

R.I.P. Jimmy Cliff

I first heard Jimmy Cliff in a way that felt a little dangerous which now feels wonderfully fitting. I was supposed to be at school and instead I snuck out with a friend and we ended up in his parents living room with a battered VHS copy of The Harder They Come. They were both at work so we had the place to ourselves. We slipped the tape into the machine and as soon as the film started I was hooked. It was the music of course and the story and the rawness of it all. Watching Jimmy Cliff fill the screen with that presence while those songs played felt electric and real. His voice was melodic and grooving and dangerous all at the same time and even through the fuzzy picture and tiny speakers the energy hit me like a wave. I loved his music from that day and I still do. It has stayed with me all my life.

Jimmy Cliff, born James Chambers on 30 July 1944 in the Somerton District of St James in Jamaica, has died at eighty one. He was the last surviving reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit which is the highest honour the Jamaican government can give in the arts and sciences. His wife Latifa Chambers shared that he passed after a seizure followed by pneumonia and she thanked fans for the support that carried him throughout his career. It is a poignant reminder of how deeply he connected with people across the world.

He was the second youngest of nine children and grew up listening to a neighbour’s sound system. He began writing songs in primary school and by fourteen his father had taken him to Kingston where he adopted the name Jimmy Cliff and spent his teenage years searching for someone who would help him record his music. He convinced producer Leslie Kong to take a chance on him and by seventeen he had his first hit with Hurricane Hattie. From that moment he became one of the defining voices of Jamaican music.

His early singles included King of Kings, Miss Jamaica and Pride and Passion. He represented Jamaica at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York and appeared in This Is Ska! alongside Prince Buster and Toots and the Maytals. After signing with Island Records he moved to the United Kingdom where his international career began to grow. His 1967 album Hard Road to Travel received strong reviews and Waterfall became a hit in Brazil. He followed with Wonderful World Beautiful People and Vietnam. Bob Dylan famously called Vietnam the greatest protest song he had ever heard.

Then came the pivotal moment. In 1972 Cliff starred as Ivanhoe Martin in The Harder They Come, bringing the grit and truth of Jamaican life to the world. The soundtrack became a cornerstone of reggae and remains one of the most important cultural works ever to come from Jamaica. That was the VHS I first discovered as a kid and I can still feel the impact of that moment. It was the first time I understood how music and storytelling could collide so powerfully.

Cliff’s career continued to evolve for decades. He performed on the first season of Saturday Night Live then travelled through Africa and returned with renewed inspiration. He recorded with Kool and the Gang he appeared in Club Paradise, he performed at Rock in Rio he sang backing vocals for the Rolling Stones and he consistently found new audiences. Bruce Springsteen helped bring attention to Trapped during the mid eighties. His album Cliff Hanger won a Grammy in 1986 and decades later Rebirth won another. His version of I Can See Clearly Now for Cool Runnings put him back at the top of charts around the world.

He collaborated with Joe Strummer Annie Lennox and Sting. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 2003 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 by Wyclef Jean who called him one of the true innovators in modern music. His later albums included Fantastic Plastic People, Black Magic and most recently Refugees.
Jimmy Cliff’s music always carried a sense of uplift and resilience. Songs like Many Rivers to Cross, You Can Get It If You Really Want, Follow My Mind, The Harder They Come and Reggae Night were hopeful and defiant and joyful. His later covers like Hakuna Matata and I Can See Clearly Now connected with new listeners who felt the same spark I first felt all those years ago in my friend’s living room.

Jimmy Cliff did not just popularise reggae. He made people feel something universal and lasting. His music shaped my love for melody storytelling and truth in song.

May he rest in peace.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 878

Produce Like A Pro

R.I.P. Jellybean Johnson

Jellybean Johnson’s passing is incredibly sad news. Even from a distance through recordings and performances you could feel the honesty and character in his playing. He was a key part of the Minneapolis Sound and for many of us who grew up listening his work helped shape our understanding of groove, feel and attitude.

As the drummer for The Time and originally for its predecessor Flyte Time Jellybean helped anchor some of the most recognisable rhythms of the era. The Time What Time Is It? Ice Cream Castle Pandemonium these records still feel alive because of that unmistakable pocket he brought. He later rejoined the band for Graffiti Bridge becoming part of the film and the album that introduced a new generation to that Minneapolis magic.

Beyond The Time his credits form a remarkable catalogue. Working alongside Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Jellybean contributed drums guitar and production to Alexander O’Neal Cherrelle New Edition and Nona Hendryx. His production on Alexander O’Neal’s Innocent and hits like Criticize showed how naturally he could move between roles. He also helmed Mint Condition’s debut album delivering songs like Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) which became a defining moment for the band. And of course there is Janet Jackson’s Black Cat a Number One rock hit that put his guitar work and production on a global stage.

His career never stood still. He appeared in Graffiti Bridge returned to touring with Morris Day collaborated with Rihanna at the Grammys took part in the 2017 and 2020 Prince tributes and eventually released his own album Get Experienced in 2021. In 2022 he co-founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum and received a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award with The Time an honour that felt fully deserved.
What stands out most is the respect people who knew him personally have expressed. Reading the tributes from Sheila E. Susannah Melvoin and others you get a clear sense of a man who was kind steady and supportive. Even as a fan that humanity came through in his work.

Jellybean Johnson leaves a legacy that is woven into the fabric of modern music. His influence is there every time someone studies those grooves tries to understand that feel or hears the fingerprints of the Minneapolis Sound in newer generations.
I never met him yet his playing was part of my own musical education and I am grateful for that.

Rest in peace Jellybean and thank you for the music.

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 416

Produce Like A Pro

R.I.P Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield

Saying goodbye to Mani feels unreal. He was one of those musicians whose playing didn’t just fill the room it lifted the whole atmosphere. Every time I think of the first Stone Roses album I’m reminded of what a breath of fresh air it was in the UK. It changed everything. It reshaped the sound of a generation and Mani’s bass was right at the centre of that shift. His lines on Waterfall She Bangs the Drums I Am the Resurrection… they were pure magic. Melodic, driving, full of life. They helped define the British music scene at a moment when it desperately needed something new and joyful.
The news of his passing hit all of us hard. His brother Greg shared it with the heaviest of hearts and tributes poured in instantly. Ian Brown simply wrote rest in peace Mani. Tim Burgess called him one of the absolute best in every way. Rowetta remembered him with so much love. Liam Gallagher said he was in total shock and that Mani was his hero. Rough Trade said he was the perfect example of how a bassist can be the beating heart of a band. The whole community felt it because the whole community knew what he meant.
Mani’s story was so much bigger than two legendary bands. Born in Crumpsall he became friends with Ian Brown standing up to National Front skinheads who were terrorising their mates. He formed early bands with John Squire and Andy Couzens before they evolved into the Stone Roses. He started on guitar but bass unlocked something in him. He said he always loved northern soul and funk grooves and the bass felt like home. It showed. That feel of his changed everything.
Everyone from the Gallaghers to new kids forming their first bands point back to the Roses and Mani’s playing as the spark. He said the band probably saved his life after losing so many friends to heroin. He knew exactly what music had given him and he put that gratitude into every note.
He spoke about the first album with so much pride. When it was reissued he said that a classic album that still feels fresh deserves recognition. He said they were light years ahead of their time and you believed him because he was right. Even when talking about the chaos of Spike Island or the pressure around Second Coming he carried that honesty and humour that everyone loved.
And then there was Primal Scream. He said being with the Primals felt like freedom a real democracy and you could hear that freedom in the music. Later he jumped into Freebass with Andy Rourke and Peter Hook taking the idea of a bass supergroup and somehow making it work. Whether on stage with Ian Brown or doing DJ sets or talking about fishing and football he was always the same Mani. Open hearted funny grounded.
Mani will be missed more than I can put into words. Everyone who knew him spoke about his kindness his humour and the way he made people feel instantly welcome. There is a huge emptiness today because he touched so many lives. His legacy will live on in the music in the memories and in the countless musicians he inspired and we will carry that with us always.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 809

Produce Like A Pro

Going to a Halloween Party, didn’t personally have to dress up, ‘Cilla did, ‘preciate y’all #happyhalloween #happyhalloween2025

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 933

Produce Like A Pro

Jack DeJohnette - August 9, 1942 – October 26, 2025 - Rest In Peace

Before I ever heard rock I heard jazz. My father only had classical and jazz records in the house and Miles Davis was royalty. His name was spoken with the same reverence as Beethoven or Mahler. When I first dropped the needle on Bitches Brew everything changed, I didn’t fully understand it but I knew I was hearing something extraordinary, dangerous, beautiful and completely alive.

At the centre of that universe was Jack DeJohnette.

He didn’t just play the drums, he sculpted time. His feel wasn’t about precision, it was about pulse, the way a heartbeat naturally shifts when it’s excited, curious or lost in thought. Listening to Jack on those Miles records Bitches Brew, Live-Evil and On the Corner was like hearing gravity being toyed with. He could push and pull, stretch and snap and somehow make it all swing.

Those albums were my early education. Long before I ever thought about producing or mixing I learned from Jack that rhythm could breathe. He showed me that groove isn’t mechanical, it’s human.

That feels more profound than ever today. We live in an age of gridded drums, quantised perfection and even AI trying to simulate the “feel” of great players. Yet what Jack had can’t be coded. His playing had imperfections that gave it life, every tiny fluctuation carried emotion, he understood that what makes music timeless isn’t its flawlessness, it’s its humanity.

When I finally got to see him play it all made sense. He lived the music, swaying with every beat, every groove, completely inside the sound. There was no separation between him and the instrument. You could see that same cosmic flow he spoke about, the higher self he plugged into when he played. It was as if he was a medium for rhythm itself, channelling something ancient and deeply human.

He was fearless too. The way he bridged jazz, rock, funk and the avant-garde all felt natural. Jack had the courage to chase sound wherever it wanted to go. When I later discovered his work with Keith Jarrett’s trio it showed another side of that bravery. The same man who powered Bitches Brew with volcanic intensity could sit behind a kit and make silence groove. That trio taught me how restraint could be just as powerful as fire.

Jack DeJohnette was more than a drummer. He was a complete musician, a composer, a pianist, a seeker. He didn’t care about showing off, he cared about finding truth.

When I think of him now I think of what he represented: instinct over formula, feeling over perfection, honesty over ego.

Miles might have been the king but Jack was the engine that kept the kingdom moving quietly, powerfully, relentlessly.

Thank you Jack for reminding us that music is more than notes and time. It’s heart, breath and courage.

The beat goes on but it will never sound quite the same.

1 month ago | [YT] | 630

Produce Like A Pro

Ace Frehley, RIP my friend. Devastated. We made several albums together and he was always so generous, giving me production credits, inviting me to play guitar alongside him and Slash, sing backing vocals, mix and engineer. Beyond the music, he was incredibly kind to me and my family, often visiting us and making my kids laugh. When I first moved to the US, every musician I met had been influenced by KISS. Ace’s playing, attitude and spirit were a huge part of why so many of us picked up a guitar in the first place. It was a true privilege to know and work with him and I’m so heartbroken that we’ve lost him. Rest in peace my friend, we love you Ace

Skip the Carousel

1 2

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,765

Produce Like A Pro

RIP D’Angelo (Michael Eugene Archer, 1974–2025)

Heartbreaking news. The world has lost one of its true musical visionaries. R&B singer, songwriter, and four-time Grammy winner Michael Eugene Archer, known to millions as D’Angelo, has passed away at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.

His family described him as “the shining star of our family” and asked fans to celebrate “the gift of song that he has left for the world.”

I was blessed many years ago to see inside his platinum party, where he performed a Stevie Wonder medley live that absolutely blew my socks off. I will never forget that night; it was one of those performances that reminded you what pure talent and soul really look like. Later, he happened to be working in the room next to us at The Plant in Sausalito while we were making the second The Fray album. Even through the walls you could feel the groove. The man just radiated music.

A pioneer of neo-soul, D’Angelo redefined modern R&B, blending soul, jazz, funk, and hip-hop into something deeply human and timeless. His music had that rare quality, raw emotion wrapped in perfect musicianship.

Rest in peace, D’Angelo. Thank you for the music, the groove, and the inspiration. You left us far too soon, but your soul will live forever in every note you sang.

2 months ago | [YT] | 852

Produce Like A Pro

Remembering Eddie Van Halen: Five Years On

Five years. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since we lost Eddie Van Halen on October 6th, 2020. His passing left a hole in the heart of music that still hasn’t healed. There are guitarists, and then there are pioneers who completely redefine what the instrument can do. Eddie was one of the rare few who did both, with a smile, a swagger, and a sound that will echo forever.

Like so many of us, my world changed the first time I heard Van Halen I. I can still remember it vividly. Before I’d even really learned to play guitar, I was handed one by my dad, full of excitement and curiosity. I’d go to my friend’s house, Neil Lewis, the local great guitarist, and one day he put on Van Halen I. I didn’t know what I was hearing. It was alien. “Eruption” came blasting through those speakers and my jaw hit the floor. The riffs, the solos, the tone, it was all completely new. I didn’t have the words for it then, but what I was hearing was pure creative genius.

Eddie didn’t just play guitar, he reinvented it. He took elements of Allan Holdsworth, Brian May, Steve Hackett, and turned them inside out, forging something entirely his own. He made the impossible sound effortless and, in doing so, birthed a new era of guitar playing. He was shredding before we even had a word for it.

I remember being captivated by that first record and later, when I was around fifteen, really diving deep into guitar myself. By then, I was immersed in Hendrix, Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow, and all the greats, but there were two players I simply couldn’t get enough of, Brian May and Eddie Van Halen. Eddie, to me, was the perfect modern guitarist. He could play with the soul and grit of the blues, yet unleash a kind of energy and fire that felt revolutionary. His playing had personality, it grinned, it laughed, it punched the air.

Years later, I had the absolute privilege of seeing him perform live. My wife and I attended a production rehearsal at the Staples Center, and we went right to the front. Eddie launched into “Eruption” at twice the speed, with twice the fire. It was otherworldly. I looked over at my wife, tears streaming down my face, and said, “You’ll never see anything this amazing again.” And I meant it. That performance remains one of the greatest musical moments of my life.

Eddie’s generosity was as legendary as his playing. Some of you may have seen the photo I posted of a guitar he gave me, signed to my son. It said, “To Charlie, play it loud and make your dad crazy. Love, Eddie Van Halen.” I can’t describe the emotion of driving home with that guitar, bursting into tears knowing that Eddie, a hero of mine, had designed this instrument for his own son and gifted it to mine. That’s who he was.

For those of us who grew up in the Gen X era, Eddie was our guy. He was the guitar player of our generation, the one who made us pick up a guitar and dream. And even when you thought you’d figured him out, he’d surprise you again. I’ll never forget taking a call from him once when I was working with Marc Broussard. Eddie was curious about how I got certain tones and pedal combinations. When I told him I was using plug-ins, he laughed and said, “Ah, plug-ins! I don’t use Pro Tools, I use everything to tape.” That mix of curiosity, humility, and humour summed him up perfectly.

Five years later, I still find myself missing Eddie, not just the player, but the spirit he brought to music. His joy, his inventiveness, his willingness to explore and break rules. He was 65 when he left us, far too young, and yet he’d already changed the course of music history.

Every time I pick up a guitar, I feel his influence. Every time I hear “Eruption,” I remember that first jolt of wonder. Eddie Van Halen was more than a virtuoso, he was a reminder of what’s possible when passion meets imagination.
We miss you, Eddie. Thank you for everything you gave us.
Have a marvellous time shredding up there.

2 months ago | [YT] | 46

Produce Like A Pro

Queen's 'A Night At The Opera' - Covering a Masterpiece 

When I was a kid, my father, a man who adored classical music above all else, gave me Queen's 'A Night at the Opera for Christmas'. He handed it to me with the simple but powerful words, “this is worthy.” That moment changed everything for me. Hearing Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time was like stepping into another world, one where rock, opera, and sheer imagination collided in a way that seemed impossible yet utterly perfect. It was not just a song, it was a revelation, and it planted a seed in me that has shaped who I am as a musician and producer ever since.

All these years later, I feel incredibly blessed to have recreated this masterpiece with some of the finest musicians I have ever had the pleasure of calling friends. To hear Marc Martel bring Freddie’s spirit to life with his incredible voice, Tony Franklin’s unmistakable bass, Jamie Humphries’ stunning guitar work, Steve Maggiora astounding BVs and piano playing and Pete Riley’s phenomenal drumming was nothing short of magical. This recording reminded me why Bohemian Rhapsody has always been my favourite song, and in revisiting it so closely, I found myself falling in love with Queen all over again. It was more than just a cover, it was a chance to celebrate the music that shaped me, with people I deeply admire.

2 months ago | [YT] | 25