List of notable or famous record producers from South Africa, with bios and photos, including the top record producers born in South Africa and even some popular record producers who immigrated to South Africa. If you're trying to find out the names of famous South African record producers then this list is the perfect resource for you. These record producers are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known record producer from South Africa is included when available.
This list below has a variety of people in it, from Peter Gabriel to Trevor Rabin.
This historic record producers from South Africa list can help answer the questions "Who are some South African record producers of note?" and "Who are the most famous record producers from South Africa?" These prominent record producers of South Africa may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected South African record producers.
Use this list of renowned South African record producers to discover some new record producers that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
Terence William "Blondie" Chaplin (born 7 July 1951) is a singer and guitarist from Durban, South Africa, where he played in the band The Flames in the mid-to late-1960s. He became known to international audiences in the early 1970s as a singer and guitarist for The Beach Boys. He is a long-term backing vocalist, percussionist, and acoustic rhythm guitarist for English band The Rolling Stones on their recordings and tours over a 15-year period, starting in 1997. To date he has released two solo studio albums.
Busi Mhlongo (28 October 1947 – 15 June 2010 ), born as Victoria Busisiwe Mhlongo, was a virtuoso singer, dancer and composer originally from Inanda in Natal, South Africa.
Clive Ian Calder (born 13 December 1946) is a South African-born British billionaire record executive and businessman primarily known for co-founding the Zomba Group with Ralph Simon, and its subsidiary Jive Records.
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and activist who rose to fame as the original lead singer and frontman of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, Gabriel launched a successful solo career with "Solsbury Hill" as his first single. His 1986 album, So, is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time.Gabriel has been a champion of world music for much of his career. He co-founded the WOMAD festival in 1982. He has continued to focus on producing and promoting world music through his Real World Records label. He has also pioneered digital distribution methods for music, co-founding OD2, one of the first online music download services. Gabriel has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts. In 1980, he released the anti-apartheid single "Biko". He has participated in several human rights benefit concerts, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and co-founded the Witness human rights organisation in 1992. Gabriel developed The Elders with Richard Branson, which was launched by Nelson Mandela in 2007.Gabriel has won three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize. He was made a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his "influence on generations of music makers".In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. AllMusic has described Gabriel as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, followed by his induction as a solo artist in 2014. In March 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his achievements in music.
Trevor Charles Rabin (, born 13 January 1954) is a South African musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and film composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a variety of artists. In 1972, he joined the rock band Rabbitt who enjoyed considerable success in South Africa, and released his first solo album, Beginnings. In 1978, Rabin moved to London to further his career, working as a solo artist and a producer for various artists including Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1981, Rabin gained prominence as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes from 1983 to 1995. 90125 (1983), his first album with the group and developed mostly from Rabin's demos, remains their biggest selling album helped by the US number one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart". After Big Generator (1987) and Union (1991), Rabin produced Talk (1994) and left the group after its tour. During his time in Yes, Rabin acquired American citizenship.
Rabin became a prolific film composer and has since scored over 40 feature films, most notably his frequent collaborations with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He has won numerous awards, including 11 BMI Awards. He took a short break from scoring to record his fourth solo album, Jacaranda (2012), and in 2016 to tour and record with Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman. In 2017, Rabin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes.
