Last Christmas Eve, in a hospital in Los Angeles, he died Richard Perryone of the most important producers of the seventies and eighties in the United States, according to the magazine Billboard.
Perhaps his name does not tell you much because the figure of the producer in the eighties did not have the weight that it has acquired today, but, without a doubt, Perry's know-how is present in thousands of well-known hits, since he signed great hits of the seventy like You're so vain of Carly Simon either Without You of Nilssontwo key figures in period American folk.
The producer also left his mark on the version of Stoney End who interpreted Barbra Streisand and introduced himself to R&B and pop sounds, producing a handful of hits for The Pointer Sistersamong which are the majestic I'm so Excited, a classic with that disco touchor Jump, also with a fascinating melody and execution.
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The producer who almost reunited The Beatles
Already in those circles, Perry also rubbed shoulders with artists like The Beatles. In 1973 he produced the album Ringo of the former drummer of the legendary band. John Lennon wrote the first song on this album, I'm the Greatest. Starr, Lennon and George Harrison They played on this song with Billy Preston and Klaus Voormann. Paul McCartney did not participate in this, but he and Linda yes they were in Six O'Clockand this was the closest the band came to a reunion after their goodbye in 1970.
This and other milestones led the magazine Rolling Stone to name him “Producer of the Year 1973” at their Rolling Stone Music Awards “for his work with Carly Simon (with session accompaniment from Mick Jagger) and with Ringo Starr (with visits from Lennon, Harrison and McCartney).”
In 1993, Perry produced My World of Ray Charles and in the 2000s he worked again with singer-songwriter Carly Simon to sign the collection Moonlight Serenade.
In recent years the production rate slowed, but his last great success was having contributed to the series The Great American Songbook of Rod Stewart. Throughout his life, Perry was married and divorced several times. In 2009 he began a relationship with the actress Jane Fonda which ended in 2017. Four years later, he would publish his memoirs: Cloud Nine: Memoirs of a Record Producer.
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