Episode 22 - John Owen Williams

Songwriting For Songwriters

John Owen Williams is a record producer and songwriter.

He has managed, A&R’d, and produced many artist careers, including producing debut albums for The Housemartins, The Proclaimers, The High, and The Almighty. His latest production, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott’s N.K-POP was released in October 2022 and debuted at Number One on the UK Album Charts.

John has also signed, produced, or A&R’d, Alison Moyet, Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Simple Minds, The Waterboys, Jethro Tull, Robert Plant, The Blue Nile, Petula Clark, Cathy Dennis, Ocean Colour Scene, JJ Cale, Siouxsie Sioux, Debbie Harry, Status Quo, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Lloyd Cole, Blancmange, Level 42, Brian Wilson, Elaine Paige, Clare Teal, Hall and Oates, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Joan Baez, Talk Talk, Jimmy Webb, Carter USM, James Taylor Quartet, Gary Jules, Saint Etienne, Claudia Brücken, Steve Winwood, Michael Nyman, Van Morrison, Neil Arthur, Kenny Rogers, Charlotte Church, The Wonder Stuff, Kingmaker and Thea Gilmore.

Starting his career as a label manager and promotions manager in 1974, he launched and promoted records at Island, Polydor, and Shelter by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Who, JJ Cale, Slade, Dwight Twilley, Barclay James Harvest, The Rubettes, Mac and Katie Kissoon, Johnny Bristol, and The Osmonds.

As a journalist from 1977-79, he was Music Editor of the trade magazine Radio and Record News, launching the first Gallup Top 100 Albums and Singles Sales Chart in 1978, and contributed as a journalist on air on BBC Radio 1’s Rock On programme.

He had a recording career at Rak Records in 1979-80 with East Side Band, and released ‘Rendezvous’, which was a BBC Radio 1 Record of the Week, and ‘Won’t You Be Mine’, which was a BBC Radio 2 Record of the Week.

Wolverhampton born and educated at Bromsgrove School, at the Institut de Touraine, Tours, France, and at the University Of Western Ontario, Canada, John was Director of A&R for Polydor from 1987-90, Director of A&R for Chrysalis from 1990-95, Senior VP of A&R for Sanctuary Records 1995-2005, and Managing Director of W14 Music from 2006 -09.

As a BBC Radio 1 Session Producer, he produced over 60 live sessions between 1981-85, including landmark performances by The Cure, Simple Minds, Big Country, Aswad, Killing Joke, The Birthday Party, Orange Juice, The Waterboys, Cocteau Twins, That Petrol Emotion, Southern Death Cult, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Ludus, Wah!, Red Guitars, Dream Academy,The Housemartins, and Billy Bragg. He also managed Blancmange and Shriekback during this period.

He was Director of Music for Amazingtunes from 2010 -11, part of Amazingmedia, a company focused on helping new and emerging musicians through the Amazingradio DAB station.

From 2011 onwards, John has also been a Visiting Lecturer on the BMus Commercial Music Performance Course at the University of Westminster, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, BA Sound and Music Production Course.

Since 2013 he has worked as a producer and songwriter. He has produced five Top 5 albums, including Two Number One albums, by Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. He has also written and produced chart albums by Petula Clark, and Claudia Brücken.

In 2021 John released his debut album ‘Out of Darkness’ under the name The John Williams Syndicate.

In 2022 he produced the latest Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott chart-topping album ‘N.K-POP’,` and co-written xPropaganda’s Top 10 album ‘The Heart is Strange’.

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