Chicago-born music producer Shel Talmy passed away at the age of 87. Per Variety, he died on November 13 at his home in LA, following complications from a stroke. He was most known for his work on British punk classics like The Who’s My Generation and other '60s tracks by the Kinks, the Easybeats, and even a young David Bowie.
Shel Talmy's death was confirmed in a Facebook post:
"We are gutted to tell you that the great Shel Talmy has left the building."
Who was Shel Talmy?
Shel Talmy was born in 1937. His budding love for music nudged him to pursue a career as a television recording engineer at Los Angeles’ Conway Studios. According to Billboard, he told Mix magazine in 1990,
"Three or four days later I was an engineer. I had always liked technical things, and I just took to it.”
However, not long after, he made his way to the U.K. in the summer of 1962 for a vacation. Two years later, he decided to carve out his path as an independent producer, a rare feat at the time. It was then that he signed The Kinks and managed some of their greatest hits in the '60s, including You Really Got Me, A Well Respected Man, and Dedicated Follower of Fashion.
According to Deadline, in Rob Jovanovic's 2012 book God Save The Kinks: A Biography, he quoted Shel Talmy reflecting on You Really Got Me:
"When I first heard it, I said, ‘Shit, it doesn’t matter what you do with this, it’s a No. 1 song.’ It could have been done in waltz time and it would have been a hit.”
Within a year, he discovered The Who and took them under his wing as well. He oversaw some of their early works, including their debut I Can’t Explain, My Generation, and Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere. He produced their 1965 album My Generation, and its title track remains popular to this day.
He can also be credited with the Australian expats The Easybeats' Friday on My Mind and Chad & Jeremy's Summer Song and with Manfred Mann’s rendition of Bob Dylan's Just Like a Woman, and Amen Coner's If Paradise Is Half as Nice.
Shel Talmy bids adieu to his fans on Facebook
According to Deadline, this is Shel Talmy's complete farewell post, uploaded on Facebook:
"Hi to all, and many thanks to all of you who have been reading my rock stories for all this time, it has been greatly appreciated! Please note, that if you’re reading this now, this is my final vignette, as I am no longer residing on this plane of existence, and have “moved on”, to wherever that may be. I’d like to think there is something beyond where I was to where I am now, assuming that the millions of suppositions as to what is next, are accurate. I’d like to think that I’m thoroughly enjoying my new “residence”, and that the countless rumors that there is a big working “studio in the sky” are true, and that we are, dare I say, making heavenly music!"
His post goes on:
"I am also hoping that I am currently engaged in renewing relationships with a ton of friends and acquaintances, many of which go back for decades. 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!”
Trending
At an early age, Talmy was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic eye disease. This left him dealing with poor vision all through his life.
He leaves behind his wife, Jan Talmy, brother Leonard Talmy, daughter Jonna Sargeant, and granddaughter Shay Berg.
Reply
