Greg Penny
American record producer (born 1955)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greg Penny (born October 12, 1955, in Hollywood, California) is an American record producer, recording engineer, mixer, musician, songwriter and artist. He is best known for his work as a producer for Elton John and k.d. lang, as well as for his work in immersive and spatial audio production. His career spans more than five decades, during which he has worked on recordings that have sold over 45 million copies worldwide. He is the founder and chief executive of boombox global, an immersive music and storytelling platform, where he also serves as creative director.
October 12, 1955
- Record producer
- recording engineer
- songwriter
- artist
- Guitar
- keyboards
- bass
- drums
- vocals
Greg Penny | |
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| Born | Greg Kevin Penny October 12, 1955 Hollywood, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
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Early life and background
Penny was born into a musical family in Hollywood, California. He is the son of famed pop singer Sue Thompson and country-western guitarist, comedian, songwriter, and producer Hank Penny. Along with Amand Gautier, Hank Penny was the co-founder of the Palomino Club (North Hollywood) in 1949, and a frequent collaborator of guitar designer Leo Fender. Growing up around recording studios and professional musicians in Los Angeles and Nashville, Greg Penny developed an early familiarity with music production and recording processes.
Career
Early career (1975–1981)
Penny began his professional career in the mid-1970s as an independent producer before joining the television program Dinah! as a production assistant from 1976 to 1978. He later worked at Warner Bros. Music in Los Angeles (1978–1979) as a professional manager, before relocating to London to continue with Warner Bros. Music UK (1979–1981). During this period, he also served as A&R Director at Korova Records in London, where he worked with artists including Echo & the Bunnymen.
The son of pop singer Sue Thompson and country musician Hank Penny, Penny was familiar with recording studios from a young age. In 1989, Penny recorded, mixed and produced k.d. lang's Grammy-winning album Absolute Torch and Twang. Penny and k.d. lang collaborated again in 1992 with Ingénue, which won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[1]
In 1993, Penny produced the first track from Elton John's Duets, which featured vocals by k.d. lang and strings by Arif Mardin. In 1994, Penny produced Elton John's next studio album Made in England, collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin, arranger Paul Buckmaster, and Sir George Martin, who wrote the string and horn section for the song "Latitude".
In 2000, Penny produced Poperetta @ St. Tropez, an electro-pop album he recorded in France with his wife Katia Lempkowicz. Penny was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006 for his surround sound mix of Elton John's Honky Château. He is the president of Flower Records, producing records by Twin Trip and Poperetta.
