Shel Talmy, producer who worked with David Bowie, The Kinks and The Who, dies aged 87 | Ents & Arts News
Shel Talmy, a producer who worked with David Bowie, The Who and The Kinks during their early years, has died aged 87.
Alec Palao, who worked with the American record producer, said he “died peacefully in his sleep” at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday “from complications due to a stroke”.
In a posthumous statement written before his death and posted on Wednesday, Talmy said: “I’ve had a good run, and I am delighted it lasted as long as it did. I’m also delighted that I am told I have a legacy that will last even longer.
“I look forward to meeting some of you in the future who are reading this, but LOL, don’t hurry to get here, I’m not going anywhere!”
In the same statement, his representatives said Talmy wanted fans to read his last words with “your choice of favourite ST production cranked in the background”.
Talmy made his name as a producer in the 1960s, producing some of The Kinks’ hits – including You Really Got Me, Tired Of Waiting For You, Sunny Afternoon and Waterloo Sunset.
He later produced The Who’s My Generation – both the hit single and the album.
Talmy also worked on some of the first recordings featuring Bowie.
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Born in Chicago in 1937, Talmy made his way to the UK from the US during a summer visit in 1962 – where he secured a position at Decca Records by claiming to have worked with The Beach Boys.
Paying tribute to the producer, Palao said: “Shel Talmy was truly a one-off.
“Even the briefest survey of the most essential pop and rock recordings of the 1960s would need to include something Shel produced, and that in itself is an incredibly meaningful legacy.”