Richard Anthony Hewson
Encyclopedia
Richard Anthony Hewson is an English
producer
, arranger
, conductor
and multi-instrumentalist
, who is best recognized for his studio
group
The RAH Band.
s such as The Beatles
(Let It Be and "The Long and Winding Road
"), The Bee Gees (Melody
), James Taylor
("Carolina in My Mind
"), Herbie Hancock
, Clifford T. Ward
, Supertramp
, Pilot
(Pilot (From the Album of the Same Name)
), Diana Ross
, Carly Simon
, Art Garfunkel
, Leo Sayer
, Paul McCartney
(Thrillington
), Mary Hopkin
("Those Were The Days
"), Al Stewart
, Chris de Burgh
, Fleetwood Mac
, and Chris Rea
. Apart from his own RAH Band project, he was a producer in the 1980s for Toyah Willcox
, Five Star
, and Shakin' Stevens
. In the recent years he has written music
for television shows
and advertising
spots. His song "Pearly" was recorded by The Pearls
. His string
arrangements were used on Cliff Richard
's, "Devil Woman
", and has production credits for Richard's 2007 album
, Love... The Album
.
called "The Crunch". The piece climbed to number 6 in the UK Singles Chart
. Hewson played all the musical instrument
s himself. A number of jazz funk releases followed. The second big hit
single
for the RAH Band was in 1985, when the soul
ballad
"Clouds Across the Moon", also reached number 6 in the UK
chart
. This single
was recorded
in conjunction with his then wife, Liz, on vocals
.
In July 2007, Hewson released a remix
ed "Clouds Across the Moon '07
", now featuring vocalist
Emma Charles.
The drummer
on "Clouds Across The Moon" was Peter Boita. The Simmons SDS7 drum
s that were featured were recorded at Hewson's home studio, and plugged directly into the recording desk. Boita also played drums on other RAH Band's tracks: "Falcon", "Perfumed Garden", "Messages from the Stars", "Are You Satisfied? (Funka Nova)" and "Sorry Doesn't Make it Anymore". The RAH band's releases were issued under a variety of record label
s, including Good Earth Records, DJM
, KR Records, TMT Records and RCA
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, who is best recognized for his studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The RAH Band.
Career
Hewson began in the late 1960s as an arranger, and has worked with musicianMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(Let It Be and "The Long and Winding Road
The Long and Winding Road
"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...
"), The Bee Gees (Melody
Melody (soundtrack)
Melody is the album soundtrack of the film Melody. or S.W.A.L.K. as it was named in the U.K. It was released in 1971 and is performed by the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Barry Howard of Desmond Dekker's backing group, the Aces...
), James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
("Carolina in My Mind
Carolina in My Mind
"Carolina in My Mind" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter James Taylor, which first appeared on his 1968 debut album, James Taylor. Taylor wrote it while overseas recording for The Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as...
"), Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Clifford T. Ward
Clifford T. Ward
Clifford Thomas Ward was a popular English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.-Early life:...
, Supertramp
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
, Pilot
Pilot (band)
Pilot was a pop rock musical group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by the former Bay City Rollers members, David Paton and Billy Lyall.-Career:...
(Pilot (From the Album of the Same Name)
Pilot (From the Album of the Same Name)
Pilot is the 1974 debut album by Pilot, containing the international hit "Magic". The album was initially released in 1974 by EMI, and later re-released on CD by EMI Japan in 1990 and by C-Five Records, in 1991.Ian Bairnson plays guitar on this album but, at the time, was not a group member...
), Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
, Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney (solo)
-1957–1960:On 6 July 1957, when he was aged fifteen, McCartney met Lennon and The Quarrymen at the Woolton fête. At the start of their friendship, Lennon's Aunt Mimi disapproved of McCartney because he was, she said, "working class", and called him "John's little friend"...
(Thrillington
Thrillington
Thrillington is a 1977 album by Paul McCartney, under the pseudonym of Percy "Thrills" Thrillington. The album is an instrumental cover version of Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album, Ram...
), Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
("Those Were The Days
Those Were the Days (song)
"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" , written by Boris Fomin with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism...
"), Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
, Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, and Chris Rea
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
. Apart from his own RAH Band project, he was a producer in the 1980s for Toyah Willcox
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...
, Five Star
Five Star
Five Star are a British pop / R&B group, formed in 1983. Comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, they were known for their flamboyant image, matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines...
, and Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
. In the recent years he has written music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
for television shows
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
spots. His song "Pearly" was recorded by The Pearls
The Pearls
The Pearls were a 1970s girl vocal duo from Liverpool, England, featuring Lyn Cornell and Ann Simmons. They released a number of singles, the most successful being "Guilty", which reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1974.-Career:...
. His string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangements were used on Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
's, "Devil Woman
Devil Woman
"Devil Woman" is a 1976 hit single for Cliff Richard culled from his album I'm Nearly Famous.-Background:"Devil Woman" was written by Terry Britten and Christine Holmes and first recorded by Holmes under the name Kristine....
", and has production credits for Richard's 2007 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Love... The Album
Love... The Album
Love… The Album is a hybrid part compilation, part new studio recordings album by British singer Cliff Richard, released by EMI on 12 November 2007 in the UK. The five new studio tracks were produced by Michael Omartian. It reached #13 in the UK Albums Chart.There are two versions of this album,...
.
The RAH Band
Hewson founded the The RAH Band - of which he was the sole member and which took its name from his initials - in 1977 in order to release an instrumentalInstrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
called "The Crunch". The piece climbed to number 6 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Hewson played all the musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s himself. A number of jazz funk releases followed. The second big hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for the RAH Band was in 1985, when the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"Clouds Across the Moon", also reached number 6 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. This single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
in conjunction with his then wife, Liz, on vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
.
In July 2007, Hewson released a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed "Clouds Across the Moon '07
Clouds Across the Moon '07
"Clouds Across The Moon" is a single released by The RAH Band in the UK in March 1985. The vocals were performed by Richard Hewson's wife Liz.- 2007 version :"Clouds Across The Moon 07" is a remixed version of the 1985 single of the same name...
", now featuring vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Emma Charles.
The drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
on "Clouds Across The Moon" was Peter Boita. The Simmons SDS7 drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s that were featured were recorded at Hewson's home studio, and plugged directly into the recording desk. Boita also played drums on other RAH Band's tracks: "Falcon", "Perfumed Garden", "Messages from the Stars", "Are You Satisfied? (Funka Nova)" and "Sorry Doesn't Make it Anymore". The RAH band's releases were issued under a variety of record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, including Good Earth Records, DJM
DJM Records
DJM Records was the record label set up in the 1970s by British music publisher, Dick James, distributed by Pye Records in the UK and various other companies around the world, including the USA...
, KR Records, TMT Records and RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
Singles
- "The Crunch" (1977) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#6 - "Jiggery Pokery" / "Porride" (1977)
- "Is Anybody There (Vampire Vamp)" (1978)
- "Electric Fling" (1978)
- "Tokyo Flyer" (1979)
- "Falcon" (1980) - UK #35
- "Slide" (1981) - UK #50
- "Downside Up" (1981)
- "Rock Me Down To Rio" / "Riding On A Fantasy" (1981)
- "Perfumed Garden" (1982) - UK #45
- "Tears & Rain" / "Hunger 4 Your Jungle Love" (1982)
- "Sam The Samba Man" (1983)
- "Messages from the Stars" (1983) - UK #42
- "Questions (What'cha Gonna Do?)" (1983)
- "Rising Star" / "Winter Love '84" (1984)
- "Sam The Samba Man '84" / "Dream Street" (1984)
- "Are You Satisified? (Funka Nova)" (1984) - UK #70
- "Clouds Across the Moon" (1985) - UK #6
- "Sorry Doesn't Make it Anymore" (1985)
- "What'll Become Of The Children?" (1985)
- "The Crunch '85" (1985)
- "Dream Street '86) (1986)
- "Sweet Forbidden" (1986)
- "Across The Bay" (1987)
- "Run 4 The Sun" (1987)
- "A Woman's Life" (1987)
- "Nice Easy Money" (1988)
- "Time Keeps Tearing Us Apart" (1988)
- "Silverbird" (1989)
- "Looks Like I'm In Love Again" (1993) (as Key West featuring Erik) - UK #46
- "Living For The Nightlife" (1996)
- "Clouds Across The Moon (Tiefschwarz Remix) (1999)
- "The Crunch-Eye In The Sky" (2005)
- "Clouds Across the Moon '07Clouds Across the Moon '07"Clouds Across The Moon" is a single released by The RAH Band in the UK in March 1985. The vocals were performed by Richard Hewson's wife Liz.- 2007 version :"Clouds Across The Moon 07" is a remixed version of the 1985 single of the same name...
" (2007) - "Living for the Nitelife" (2008, only available as online download) (as The Rah Band featuring Susanna)
- "Turn My Love Around" (2008)
- "No Way To Treat Your Lover" (2009)
- "Vapour Trails" (2010)
- "Space Gypsy" (2011)
- "I Feel Like Love Tonight" (2011)
Albums
- The Crunch & Beyond (1978)
- The RAH Band (1981)
- Going Up (1983)
- Upper Cuts (1984)
- Mystery (1985) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#60 - Past, Present & Future (1985)
- Something About The Music (1987)
- The Best Of Rah Band' (1995)
- RAH Band remixed by Richard Hewson (2004)
- The Very Best of... (2005)
- 12 Inch Remixes (2009)