Trevor Horn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Trevor Horn |
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Horn in 2022
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Trevor Charles Horn |
| Born | 15 July 1949 Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, England |
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| Years active | 1963–present |
| Labels | ZTT |
Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English record producer and musician. He is famous for his big impact on pop and electronic music in the 1980s. Some people even call him "the man who invented the eighties" because of his unique sound.
Trevor Horn started playing the bass guitar when he was young. He taught himself to read music. In the 1970s, he worked as a session musician, playing for other artists. He also built his own music studio.
In 1979, Horn became well-known as a member of the band the Buggles. Their song "Video Killed the Radio Star" was a huge hit. Later, he joined the progressive rock band Yes as their lead singer.
In 1981, Horn became a full-time music producer. He worked on many successful songs and albums. He produced music for bands like Yes, Dollar, ABC, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
In 1983, Horn and his wife, Jill Sinclair, bought a music studio in London. They also started their own record label called ZTT Records. Horn also helped create the electronic music group Art of Noise. In later years, he produced hits for artists like Seal and t.A.T.u..
Trevor Horn has won many awards for his work. These include Brit Awards for Best British Producer. He also won a Grammy Award in 1995 for Seal's song "Kiss from a Rose". In 2010, he received an Ivor Novello Award for his amazing contribution to British Music.
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Early Life and Music Beginnings
Trevor Charles Horn was born on 15 July 1949. He grew up in Durham City, England. His father was a professional musician who played the double bass.
Around age eight, Trevor started playing the double bass. His father taught him the basics of music. He also taught himself to play the bass guitar. He became very good at reading music.
In his early teens, Trevor played in a local youth orchestra. He also played electric guitar in his first band, the Outer Limits. They mostly played cover songs by bands like the Kinks.
After school, Trevor decided to become a musician. He got a job playing bass in a band. They played popular songs for £24 a week. He also had his own songs played on BBC Radio Leicester.
Starting His Music Career
1971–1979: Early Work in London
When he was 21, Trevor Horn moved to London. He played in a band that re-recorded popular songs for BBC radio. He also joined Ray McVay's big band.
Horn worked as a session musician for rock groups. He also created music for commercials, called jingles. At 24, he helped build a recording studio in Leicester. He produced songs for local artists there.
By 1976, Horn was back in London. He played bass in a band called Nick North and Northern Lights. This band included Geoff Downes and Tina Charles. Horn later formed a jazz fusion band called Tracks.
In the mid-1970s, Horn worked for a music publisher. He made demos (sample recordings) for new songs. From 1977 to 1979, he worked on many singles as a songwriter and producer. He had his first production hit in 1979 with "Monkey Chop" by Dan-I.
1978–1980: The Buggles and "Video Killed the Radio Star"
In 1978, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes formed the new wave band the Buggles. They signed a record deal with Island Records. In 1979, they recorded their first album, The Age of Plastic. Horn was the lead singer, played guitar and bass, and helped produce the album.
The Buggles' first song, "Video Killed the Radio Star", came out in September 1979. It quickly became No. 1 in the UK. This made Horn, who was 30, very famous. In August 1981, this song's music video was the very first one ever shown on MTV.
1980: Joining Yes
The Buggles' manager also managed the band Yes. When Yes's singer and keyboard player left, Horn and Downes were asked to join. Yes recorded an album called Drama in 1980 with Horn singing and playing bass.
However, fans did not like Horn as the new singer. He said it was "an absolute nightmare." After the tour, Yes decided to part ways with Horn.
1980–1982: Producing for Dollar and ABC
In 1980, Horn married Jill Sinclair, who became his manager. She told him he would be better as a producer. Horn then bought new studio equipment. This included a Fairlight CMI, which was an early digital synthesiser. It cost £18,000 and was one of only four in the UK.
The Fairlight was one of the first machines that could play back samples (short pieces of sound). Horn understood how to use this new technology. He is known for bringing sampling into pop music. His knowledge of electronic equipment greatly influenced pop music in the 1980s.
In 1981, Horn finished a second Buggles album, Adventures in Modern Recording. He then produced The Dollar Album (1982) for the pop duo Dollar. He wrote four songs for them, including "Mirror Mirror". All four became top 20 hits in the UK.
Horn's success with Dollar led to other bands wanting to work with him. He next produced The Lexicon of Love for ABC. This album became one of the best-selling albums of 1982.
In 1982, Horn and Sinclair started a music publishing company called Perfect Songs. In 1983, Horn produced Duck Rock for Malcolm McLaren. This album included "Buffalo Gals", which is considered the first British hip hop single.
1983–1989: ZTT Records and Big Hits
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In 1983, Horn and Sinclair bought a studio in London and renamed it Sarm West Studios. With journalist Paul Morley, they started a record label called ZTT Records. Their first band was Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Horn produced their first album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome. He changed their first song, "Relax", a lot. "Relax" became a No. 1 hit in the UK. Horn also produced their next two No. 1 hits, "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love".
Horn worked with Yes again to produce their 1983 album 90125. He convinced them to record "Owner of a Lonely Heart". This song became their only No. 1 hit in the USA.
In 1983, Horn also helped form the band Art of Noise. He co-wrote several of their hits, like "Close (To the Edit)" and "Beat Box". He also worked with Grace Jones on her 1985 album Slave to the Rhythm.
In 1984, Bob Geldof asked Horn to produce the charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?". This song raised money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. Horn let them use his Sarm West Studios for free.
Later Career and Projects
1990s: Working with Seal and Others
In 1990, Horn produced the first album by the English singer Seal. This started a long partnership between them. Horn liked Seal's voice and how they worked together. Seal's album reached No. 1 in the UK. The song "Crazy" went to No. 2.
This album changed how Horn produced music. He started using computers more for recording. He was happy with the results and switched to using an Apple Macintosh computer.
In the mid-1990s, Horn and his wife bought a large property in Oxfordshire. They turned its recording studio into Sarm Hook End. In 1995, Horn produced a new version of "The Carpet Crawlers" by Genesis. It featured both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins singing. In 1996, Horn produced the very popular album Wildest Dreams by Tina Turner.
2000s: t.A.T.u., LeAnn Rimes, and Belle and Sebastian
In the 2000s, Horn helped the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. create English versions of their songs. He wrote new lyrics for "All the Things She Said" and "Not Gonna Get Us". He also re-recorded the music. "All the Things She Said" became No. 1 in the UK.
For the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, Horn produced "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes. This song sold over two million copies worldwide. It reached No. 1 in the UK and Australia.
Horn produced the 2003 Belle and Sebastian album Dear Catastrophe Waitress. This was a surprising choice, as Horn was known for electronic music, and Belle and Sebastian were known for a more traditional indie sound.
On 11 November 2004, a special concert was held to celebrate Horn's 25 years as a producer. It was a charity concert for the Prince's Trust. Many artists he produced performed there.
In 2006, Horn formed a supergroup called the Producers. This band included other famous musicians and producers. They now perform as the Trevor Horn Band.
Horn produced the ninth album by the Pet Shop Boys, Fundamental, in 2006. It reached No. 5 in the UK. He also worked with John Legend and David Jordan.
In 2006, Horn's wife, Jill Sinclair, had a serious accident. She was hit by a pellet from an air gun. This caused brain damage and paralyzed her. She sadly passed away from cancer in 2014.
In 2009, Horn produced Reality Killed the Video Star, the eighth album by Robbie Williams. The album title was a nod to the Buggles' famous song.
2010s–Present: New Albums and Tours
Horn was the executive producer for Jeff Beck's 2010 album Emotion & Commotion. He also worked with Yes again, producing their 2011 album Fly From Here. This album included a song written by Horn and Geoff Downes.
In 2017, Horn wrote the music for an anime series called The Reflection. The soundtrack was released as his first album under his own name. In 2018, he remixed the Yes album Fly From Here, which was released as Fly from Here – Return Trip.
In 2019, Horn released a new album called Trevor Horn Reimagines the Eighties. It featured guest singers like Robbie Williams and All Saints. In late 2017, Horn's studio in Los Angeles was destroyed in a fire.
Horn toured as the bass player for Dire Straits Legacy from 2018 to 2020. In 2022, he published his memoir, Adventures in Modern Recording. In 2023, he joined Seal's tour, playing bass in Seal's band. He also brought back the Buggles as an opening act. In December 2023, Horn released another album of cover songs called Echoes: Ancient & Modern.
Influence on Music
Many famous musicians and producers say that Trevor Horn has influenced their work. These include Gary Barlow, DJ Shadow, and Nigel Godrich. His unique production style helped shape the sound of pop music.
Personal Life
Trevor Horn met Jill Sinclair in 1977. They got married in 1980 and became business partners. They had four children: two sons, Aaron and Will, and two daughters, Gabriella and Alexandra. Their son Aaron is also a musician and producer.
Jill Sinclair passed away in 2014.
Discography
Solo studio albums
- Made in Basing Street (2012, with Producers)
- The Reflection: Wave One – Original Sound Track (2017)
- Reimagines the Eighties (2019)
- Echoes: Ancient & Modern (2023)
Awards
- BRIT Award 1983 – Best British Producer
- BRIT Award 1985 – Best British Producer
- BRIT Award 1992 – Best British Producer
- Grammy Award 1995 – Record of the Year (as producer of "Kiss from a Rose")
- Horn was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011. This award is for his services to the music industry.
- Honorary degree of Doctor of Music (2012) by Southampton Solent University, England.
See also
In Spanish: Trevor Horn para niños
