User:Iamstoneageman

Alan Douglas Stone (Al Stone) was born at the end of 1962, in Winchester, Hampshire. He is a record producer with a renowned track record for constructing and generating hit music for some of the world’s leading artistes, including Jamiroquai, Daniel Beddingfield, Bjork and UB40. Stone, who has also worked with Eric Clapton and Tina Turner among other established acts in his career, has contributed to record sales totalling around 30 million, working on numerous successful Gold and Platinum selling albums.

Early years

Stone was educated at Truro Boys School, having won a scholarship (the last of a free place offered by the government to young children with ‘potential’) He left school with a handful of ‘O’ levels and then studied mechanical Engineering at Cornwall Technical College in Cambourne. His father (also called Alan) was a private coal merchant and his mother, June, a housewife and full time mum. From the early age of four years old his father would take him shopping for music, buying all the popular tunes of the time. “There was always music playing in our house” recalls Al. At the age of ten he discovered Motown. “All my mates were listening to Supertramp and Deep Purple and I was playing Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. It was where my love for music really started”.

The Music Business

He moved to London in 1985 to pursue a music industry career. After a weeks work experience at a TV studio Al was recommended, by one of the TV company’s sound department, to the then Virgin studios mobile. His first job saw him begin with a ‘baptism of fire’ by travelling to Moscow with the Manor Mobile (Virgin Studio’s live recording arm) to record UB40 live in concert over 2 weeks for their 1987 UB40 CCCP video. After 18 months of working on the ‘mobile studio’ with many acts from Tina Turner to U2 (gaining an HGV1 along the way), Stone transferred to the Townhouse Studios to become a ‘tape op’ or assistant engineer. For the following seven and a half years, he learned his trade and was promoted to a house engineer and working with some of the most respected bands, producers and engineers of that time. Starting with The Wonder Stuff’s ‘Never Loved Elvis’ and then mixing and recording the highly-respected ‘Connected’ by the Stereo MCs in 1992 (reaching number 5 in the Billboard 100.) He desired more from the industry and wanted to have a greater influence with music he felt passionate about, so he left the Virgin stable and became freelance. Working on a string of successful albums followed, including Bjork’s albums ‘Debut’ and ‘Post’, his next engineering credits to gain exposure. WithJamiroquai’s ‘Return of the Space Cowboy’ as a first production followed by the Alabama 3 track ‘woke up this morning’ (later being used as the theme tune for The Sopranos) the start of a production career began to take shape. With the follow up Jamiroquai album ‘Travelling without Moving’ selling in excess of 9 million copies, Stone’s name was now established as a producer. Over the years that followed he has had the opportunity to work with a number of talented artists, including;

808 State, Turin Brakes, Lynden David Hall, Lamb, Daniel Beddingfield, Corrine Bailey Rae, Joss Stone, Estelle, Kellis.

Success

He was awarded a Grammy Award certificate as producer/engineer for best track 'Virtual Insanity' with Jamiroquai, though he says modestly: ‘It was not my Grammy; it was awarded and belongs to Jason Kay. I just got a Grammy certificate.’ He keeps the certificate ‘under the bed with all my gold and platinum discs’. He also received a Grammy nomination for best producer for the album 'Travelling Without Moving' with Jamiroquai. His list of achievements include;

Artist	Album	Achievement
The Wonder Stuff	Never Loved Elvis	Gold
Stereo MC's	Connected	Platinum
Bjork	Debut	Multi/Platinum
Jamiroquai	Return of the Space Cowboy	Multi/Platinum
Bjork	Post	Platinum
Turin Brakes	The Optimist	Gold
Jamiroquai	Travelling Without Moving	Multi/Platinum
Daniel Beddingfield	Gotta Get thru This	Multi/Platinum
Jamiroquai	Syncronized	Platinum

What next?

In 2006 hearing that the Townhouse Studios were to be closed Al took 2 years away from the creative side of music to become the Managing Director of the studios. “It was definitely a ‘tape ops dream’ to take over and be the Boss of the studio that you started in”. After Universal purchased the studios along with a company buyout and decided to close the place in 2008, Stone decided to fulfill a career long dream and set up a record label. With 2 friends whom he had met during his time running the Townhouse, Chet Mehmet and Tyrone Hinds, C.A.T. Records was born. It stands for Chet, Al, Tyrone. They have great hopes for their debut act, Beggar Joe, of whom much is expected in the coming months. Stone says of Beggar Joe: “I wanted to start a label that put great music back on the table. To sign artists who can inspire with their words and their music. Beggar Joe certainly inspired me and without a doubt this band contains some of the most talented musicians I have seen in a great many years. They are capable of performing their songs beautifully in the studio or on a stage. They are a truly great band who deserve a great future.”