Joe Boyd

Joe Boyd
Joe Boyd in Brussels - May 2008
Background information
Born	August 5, 1942 (1942-08-05) Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Years active	1960s–present
Labels	Hannibal Records
Website	joeboyd.co.uk

Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.

Career

Boyd was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut. He first became involved in music promoting blues artists while a student at Harvard University, and in 1964 made his first visit to Britain, returning the following year to establish an overseas office of Elektra Records. He was eventually to settle in London.

He became best known for his work with British folk and folk rock artists, including the Incredible String Band, Martin Carthy, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson. Some of these were produced by his own production company, Witchseason. He also co-founded London's UFO Club and worked with UFO regulars Pink Floyd (producing their first single Arnold Layne) and the Soft Machine.

Boyd returned to the States in the 1970s, assembling footage for the eponymous film documentary on Jimi Hendrix (1973) and producing records by Maria Muldaur and Kate and Anna McGarrigle among others. He went on to found his own Hannibal label (now a part of Rykodisc) which released records by the likes of Richard Thompson and various discs of world music. Boyd also produced R.E.M.'s third album Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), and records by Billy Bragg and 10,000 Maniacs.

He was Executive Producer for the 1988 feature film Scandal, starring John Hurt and Bridget Fonda about Britain's Profumo Scandal. He left Hannibal/Ryko in 2001 and has written a book about making music in the 1960s called "White Bicycles - Making Music in the 1960s", published in May 2006 by Serpent's Tail Press in the UK.

Boyd was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.

Records produced or co-produced

1960s

1966

• The Incredible String Band (The Incredible String Band)
• Lord of the Dance (Sydney Carter)
• Alasdair Clayre (Alasdair Clayre)
• What's Shakin' (various artists) - 3 tracks by Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse
• A Cold Wind Blows (Elektra EUK 253) Various artists: Cyril Tawney, Matt McGinn, Johnny Handle and Alasdair Clayre

1967

• The Power of the True Love Knot (Shirley Collins)
• The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (The Incredible String Band)
• Rags Reels and Airs (Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy & Diz Disley)
• "Arnold Layne" / "Candy and a Currant Bun" (single by Pink Floyd)
• "Granny Takes a Trip" (single by The Purple Gang)
• "She's Gone", "I Should've Known" recordings for projected single by Soft Machine, June, Sound Techniques, London released on Triple Echo, 1977, Turns On Volume 1 (Voiceprint 2001 CD)

1968

• Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (Pink Floyd tracks)
• Very Urgent (Chris McGregor)
• "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" / "If (Stomp)" (single by Fairport Convention)
• "If (Stomp)" / "Chelsea Morning" (single by Fairport Convention)
• Fairport Convention (Fairport Convention)
• The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (The Incredible String Band)
• Wee Tam and the Big Huge (The Incredible String Band)
• Kalpana - instrumental and dance music of India (various artists)

1969

• What We Did On Our Holidays (Fairport Convention)
• "Si Tu Dois Partir" / "Genesis Hall" (single by Fairport Convention)
• Unhalfbricking (Fairport Convention)
• Five Leaves Left (Nick Drake)
• Liege & Lief (Fairport Convention)
• Kip of the Serenes (Dr. Strangely Strange)
• "Big Ted" / "All Writ Down" (single by The Incredible String Band)
• Changing Horses (The Incredible String Band)

1970s

1970

• Desertshore (Nico)
• Just Another Diamond Day (Vashti Bunyan)
• Bryter Layter (Nick Drake)
• Stormbringer! (John and Beverley Martyn)
• U (Incredible String Band)
• Full House (Fairport Convention)
• Fotheringay (Fotheringay)
• I Looked Up (The Incredible String Band)
• Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending (The Incredible String Band)
• Pottery Pie (Geoff and Maria Muldaur)
• Brotherhood of Breath (Brotherhood of Breath)

1971

• Smiling Men with Bad Reputations (Mike Heron)
• Call Me Diamond / Lady Wonder (single by Mike Heron)
• The Road to Ruin (John and Beverley Martyn)
• Heavy Petting (Dr. Strangely Strange)

1973

• Maria Muldaur (Maria Muldaur)
• Midnight at the Oasis b/w Any Old Time (single by Maria Muldaur)
• Dueling Banjos b/w Reuben's Train (single by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel)
• Jimi Hendrix - soundtrack (Jimi Hendrix)

1974

• Waitress in a Donut Shop (Maria Muldaur)
• Muleskinner (Muleskinner)

1975

• Kate and Anna McGarrigle (Kate and Anna McGarrigle)
• Geoff Muldaur Is Having a Wonderful Time (Geoff Muldaur)

1976

• Junco Partner (James Booker)
• Live at the L.A. Troubadour (Fairport Convention)
• Sweet Harmony (Maria Muldaur)
• Reggae Got Soul (Toots & the Maytals)

1977

• Dancer with Bruised Knees (Kate and Anna McGarrigle)

1978

• Rise Up Like the Sun (The Albion Band)
• Julie Covington (Julie Covington)

1980s

1981

• Too Late at Twenty (The Act)
• Party Safari (Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns)
• I Ain't Drunk (Geoff Muldaur)

1982

• Shoot Out the Lights (Richard and Linda Thompson)
• Don't Renege On Our Love / Living In Luxury (single by Richard and Linda Thompson)
• Thermonuclear Sweat (Defunkt)
• Money Fall Out The Sky (Cool It Reba)

1983

• Hand of Kindness (Richard Thompson)
• Poppie Nongena - original cast recording

1984

• Small Town Romance (Richard Thompson)

1985

• Across a Crowded Room (Richard Thompson)
• Fables of the Reconstruction (R.E.M.)
• The Wishing Chair (10,000 Maniacs)

1986

• House Full - live at the LA Troubador (Fairport Convention)
• Supply and Demand (Dagmar Krause)
• Angebot und Nachfrage (Dagmar Krause)

1987

• The Music of Bulgaria (Balkana)
• Habanera (John Harle)
• Whatever (Danny Thompson)

1988

• Nazakat & Salamat Ali (Nazakat & Salamat Ali)
• Worker's Playtime (Billy Bragg)
• The Forest is Crying (The Trio Bulgarka)
• Kaira (Toumani Diabate)
• Songhai (Ketama, Toumani Diabate and Danny Thompson)
• These Knees Have Seen The World (The Dinner Ladies)
• Country Cooking (Brotherhood of Breath)
• Miss America (Mary Margaret O'Hara) (Uncredited)

1989

• Orpheus Ascending (Ivo Papasov and his Bulgarian Wedding Band)
• Some Other Time (June Tabor)

1990s

1990

• Procedure (The Blackgirls)

1991

• Happy (The Blackgirls)
• Balkanology (Ivo Papasov and his Bulgarian Wedding Band)
• The Watchman (The Watchman)

1992

• Trans-Danubian Swineherd's Music (Orbestra)

1994

• Songhai 2 (Ketama, Toumani Diabate and Danny Thompson)

1996

• ¡Cubanismo! (¡Cubanismo!)
• Djelika (Toumani Diabaté)

1997

• Cuba Linda (Alfredo Rodriguez)
• Malembe (¡Cubanismo!)

1998

• Reencarnation (¡Cubanismo!)
• Bareback (The Hank Dogs)
• Double Barrel (Jazz Jamaica)
• Dear Enemy (Dana and Karen Kletter)
• The McGarrigle Hour (Kate & Anna McGarrigle)
• The Bones Of All Men (Philip Pickett)
• Dew Drop Out (The Yockamo All-stars)

1999

• Mardi Gras Mambo (¡Cubanismo!)
• Kulanjan (Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabate)
• Social Studies (Loudon Wainwright III)

2000s

2002

• Half Smile (The Hank Dogs)

2004

• Private Astronomy (Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble)
• Mares Profundos (Virginia Rodrigues)

2005

• London '66-'67 Pink Floyd (recorded 1967, released 2005)

2007

• Breathe with Me (Athena)

Further reading

• Boyd, Joe, White Bicycles - Making Music in the 1960s, Serpent's Tail. 2006. ISBN 1-85242-910-0

External links

• Joe Boyd Official Website
• Joe Boyd interviewed on The Current
• PUNKCAST#1129 Video of 'White Bicycles' reading in NYC, Mar 28 2007. (RealPlayer, mp4)
• Joe Boyd interviewed about Nick Drake
• 2011 Interview about White Bicycles, Hannibal Records, and live show with Robyn Hitchcock