Joe Meek

He worked on 245 singles of which 45 were hits (top fifty or better). He pioneered studio tools such as the compressor, and effects like echo and reverb, as well as sampling. Unlike other producers his search was from the right sound rather than musical tune.

Robert George Meek was born in Newent, Gloucestershire. From 1953 he worked for the Midlands Electricity Board. He used the resources of his company to develop his interest in music production, including acquiring a disc-cutter and producing his first record.

He left the MEB to work as a sound engineer at Radio Luxembourg[?]. He made his breakthrough with his work on Ivy Benson's "Music for Lonely Lovers". His technical ingenuity was first shown on the Humphrey Lyttelton jazz single "Bad Penny Blues" (1956). He built his own home studio at Holloway Road, Islington and then put enormous effort into Denis Preston's Landsdowne studio. Tensions between Preston and Meek soon saw Meek forced out.

In January 1960, with the promoter William Barrington-Coupe, Meek founded Triumph Records. Indifferent business results and Meek again proving difficult to work with soon led to Meek leaving. He went on to produce records for Wilfred Alonzo Banks as RGM Sound from his home studio. His first hit from his own studio was John Leyton's "Johnny Remember Me" (1961) his last major success was with the Honeycombs' "Have I The Right" in 1964.

His efforts were often hindered by his paranoia, drug use and attacks of rage or depression. He had been charged with "importuning for immoral purposes" in 1963 and his illegal homosexuality put him under further pressure.

On February 3, 1967 Meek killed his landlady at his Holloway Road home/studio and then himself with a shotgun. He had an obssession with Buddy Holly and his suicide was on the eighth anniversary of Holly's death.