Jon Tiven (born January 3, 1955) is an American composer, guitarist, record producer, and music journalist. He has produced albums by

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bil ...

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

and

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

as well as a series of tribute albums paying tribute to the songwriting of Don Covay,

Arthur Alexander Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul songwriter and singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for AllMusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff ...

Otis Blackwell Otis Blackwell (February 16, 1931 – May 6, 2002) was an American songwriter whose work influenced rock and roll. His compositions include " Fever" (recorded by Little Willie John), " Great Balls of Fire" and " Breathless" (recorded by Jerr ...

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

, and

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

. He was also the co-founder of the Memphis power pop band Prix, as well as the bands The Yankees and The Jon Tiven Group.

Early career

Tiven was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. He began his career as a music journalist in the late 1960s, writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', ''Fusion'', ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'', and a host of other magazines. Initially an alto saxophonist, he taught himself to play a variety of instruments and became fairly adept at guitar, enough to write songs and accompany himself. After a brief flirtation with higher education at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sarah Lawrence scholarship, particularly ...

(1972–74), he dropped out to pursue his musical career. In 1975 Tiven went to work for

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock a ...

in New York, but quickly saw that working inside a record company was not his calling, and travelled to Memphis to produce

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

's first solo album, '' Bach's Bottom''.

Prix

After the Chilton sessions, Tiven formed the power pop group Prix with Tommy Hoehn, co-producing the recording of eleven songs at Memphis's

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Ardent ...

along with

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a ne ...

co-founder Chris Bell, who also contributed guitar and background vocals. Tiven brought in Chilton to participate in the recordings as well. In 1976, Tiven returned to New York, where Columbia/CBS Records offered to sign Prix after a showcase performance. Tiven declined the offer, and then negotiated with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

, who eventually withdrew their third offer. In 1977, Tiven licensed both the Prix and Chilton masters to Ork Records, which released a double A side Prix single and released the Chilton recordings as an EP entitled ''The Singer Not The Song''. After the Prix single was released, and Ork founder Terry Ork indicated he would be booking the group at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

, Hoehn left New York, not wanting to remain in the city any longer. Although the group broke up, Miracle Records released another Prix single the following year.

Productions and projects

After the break-up of Prix, Tiven began working for Big Sound Records, where he produced records by Van Duren and his own band The Yankees, but, losing faith in those running the label, he became totally independent. In addition to playing on sessions for artists such as Major Lance ("I've Got A Right To Cry") and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

(I'm Going Down), Tiven honed his craft as a member of The Jim Carroll Band, as a guitarist/organist and also co-writing with Carroll the title song of the second album (''Dry Dreams''). Befriended by

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

, he formed The Tom Davis Experience featuring

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

with the two comedians, and had a featured acting role as well as writing five songs for their film '' One More Saturday Night'' (Columbia Pictures, 1986) produced by

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

Compositions

Other artists such as Rick Derringer, Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, and The Symptoms started recording his songs, and Tiven dedicated himself to primarily writing songs for other artists. In 1985 he renewed a friendship with his hero

, and they wrote, performed, and recorded together through 2001. A label approached him to make his own record, and so was formed The Jon Tiven Group who recorded two albums, '' Blue Guru'' and '' Yes I Ram'' in 1996 and 1999 respectively. The band featured Jon Tiven on guitar,

Alan Merrill Alan Merrill (born Allan Preston Sachs; February 19, 1951 – March 29, 2020) was an American vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. In the early 1970s, he was one of the few resident foreigners to achieve pop star status in Japan. He was the write ...

on lead vocals, Todd Snare on drums, and Tiven's wife

Sally Tiven Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting nam ...

on bass. Tiven started having some ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart success with covered songs recorded by

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempo ...

and

The Jeff Healey Band Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " An ...

, and Tiven then submitted some songs to B.B. King to record. The sessions Tiven produced and wrote by B.B. King were parcelled out on several releases, including ''Here and There'', a European release '' Lucille & Friends'', and the Grammy-award-winning box set '' King of the Blues''. From that time on Tiven would distinguish himself in the soul and blues genres, writing and producing new albums by

, Syl Johnson, Donnie Fritts,

Freddie Scott Freddie Scott (April 24, 1933 – June 4, 2007) was an American soul singer and songwriter. His biggest hits were " Hey, Girl", a top ten US pop hit in 1963, and " Are You Lonely for Me", a no. 1 hit on the R&B chart in early 1967. Life and car ...

, and

Mack Rice Bonny "Mack" Rice (November 10, 1933 – June 27, 2016), sometimes credited as Sir Mack Rice, was an American songwriter and singer. His best-known composition and biggest hit as a solo performer was " Mustang Sally". He also wrote " Respe ...

, among others. He coaxed

out of retirement in 1990 and, in 1998, produced and co-wrote

's first album in seventeen years, '' It's Harder Now'', which won three W.C. Handy Awards and was nominated for a Grammy. Tiven continued to have his songs recorded by other artists.

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was statione ...

had a top seller with the cover "24-7 Man,"

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

with "I Smell Smoke,"

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

with "Midnight Train," Shemekia Copeland with "Married To The Blues,"

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

with "Trying To Catch A Cab In The Rain," and Australian

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...

with "Mr. Rain."

Current

After the Jon Tiven Group disbanded, Tiven produced and co-wrote a series of albums with soul/blues singer Ellis Hooks. Moving from New York to Nashville in 2002, he produced a series of albums by

. In 2004 he produced and co-wrote what would become Little Milton's last recorded effort ''Think Of Me'', which was released in 2005 and received four W.C. Handy Awards in 2006 including Song of the Year and Album of the Year. In 2006, he produced '' Sailover'', by

P.F. Sloan Philip Gary "Flip" Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015), known professionally as P. F. Sloan, was an American singer and songwriter. During the mid-1960s, he wrote, performed, and produced many ''Billboar ...

for Hightone Records, as well as ''What I Was Running From'', the debut album by Indiana singer/songwriter Don Pedigo. He continued to have his songs recorded by soul and blues artists, including Billy Price, Ricky Fanté, Gigi Dover, Hard Bargain featuring Arthur Canady, Rock Bottom, and Jim Quick & Coastline. In 2007, Tiven produced and co-wrote ''

Intuition Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...

'', the first recordings in thirty-seven years by soul singer

Betty Harris Betty Harris (born September 9, 1939 in Orlando, Florida, United States) is an American soul singer. Her recording career in the 1960s produced three hit singles that made the U.S. ''Billboard'' R&B and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts: "Cry to ...

. He continued his work with Ellis Hooks by producing ''Another Saturday Morning'', the sixth album by the Alabama

soul-blues Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music. Origin African American singers and musicians who grew up listening to the electric blues by ...

musician. Tiven also helmed the chart-topping American debut '' Sofa King Badass'' by Mason Casey. Touring Europe with a new band Jon Tiven & the Nashville Aces, he introduced his nine-piece outfit backing Ellis, Betty, and Mack Rice. In 2007, Tiven produced an album by former Grass Roots member

Creed Bratton Creed Bratton (born William Charles Schneider, February 8, 1943) is an American actor, singer and musician. A former member of the rock band the Grass Roots, he is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom ''T ...

(also known as a cast member of the television show ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

''). In 2008, Tiven produced and co-wrote a new album by Howard Tate entitled ''Blue Day''. Tiven also produced a new gospel-tinged album by Garnet Mimms entitled ''Is Anybody Out There?''. He also co-produced/co-wrote a new record with Felix Cavaliere and

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

for

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

called '' Nudge It Up A Notch'', which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Tiven continued songwriting, collaborating with Chuck Mead, Stewart Francke, Billy Price/Fred Chapellier and Syl Johnson for their upcoming releases. Tiven is credited as a writer on over 400 recorded songs. In 2009, Tiven began creating a string of narrative Soul Operas. His first, entitled "I Sold Out" features the voices of James Jackson Toth, Cowboy Jack Clement,

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller ...

, Chuck Mead,

Bekka Bramlett Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer and session background singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie. She has been a member of Mick Fleetwood's band the Z ...

and Felix Cavaliere. He is currently working on the follow-up, "Skin On The Wheel Of Time," sung by Ellis Hooks, Jonell Mosser, and Steve Kalinich and featuring songs Tiven wrote with the aforementioned three plus Bob Mosley,

Billie Ray Martin Birgit Dieckmann, known professionally as Billie Ray Martin, is a German singer and songwriter, known for her single " Your Loving Arms", which reached the top 10 of both the UK Singles Chart (#6) and the Irish Singles Chart (#8) in 1995, and r ...

, Roger Reale, Charlie Feldman,

Keith Reid Keith Stuart Brian Reid (born 19 October 1946 Allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny/ref>) is a lyricist and songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every song released by Procol Harum that was not previously recorded by someone else, with the excep ...

, Joe Bonamassa,

Jimmy Vivino Jimmy Vivino (born January 10, 1955) is an American guitarist, keyboard player, singer, producer, and music director. He is best known as having been the leader of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night pr ...

Wayne Carson Wayne Carson (born Wayne Carson Head; May 31, 1943 – July 20, 2015), sometimes credited as Wayne Carson Thompson, was an American country musician, songwriter, and record producer. He played percussion, piano, guitar, and bass. His most fam ...

, Steve Kalinich, and Thomas Cain. 2010 saw Tiven producing a new blues album by Troy Turner, as well as the co-writer of songs recorded by

Shaun Murphy Shaun Peter Murphy (born 10 August 1982) is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. Born in Harlow, Essex and r ...

Guitar Shorty David William Kearney (September 8, 1934 – April 20, 2022), known as Guitar Shorty, was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was known for his explosive guitar style and wild stage antics. Credited with influencing bot ...

, Alabama Mike, Tara Holloway, Erya Lyytinen, Colin Gilmore, Kirsten Thien. He also embarked on producing new CDs by Steve Cropper and the duo of

and

Reid Paley Reid Paley (born in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been performing and recording both solo and with his trio since the mid-1990s. Early career In the 1980s, Paley was singer, front man, and writer f ...

a.k.a. Paley & Francis. In 2011 he performed several concerts with Steve Cropper to promote the album ''Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales'', featuring

Bettye LaVette Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album '' I've Got My Own Hell to Raise'' was released t ...

, Dylan Leblanc, Ellis Hooks, Maxine Brown, Ben Drew (Plan B), K Flay, and

Theresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

& Emily of the band Warpaint. In 2012, Ruthie Foster's '' Let It Burn'' album was released, which featured the single "Aim For The Heart" written by Tiven, his wife Sally, and Foster. Tiven formed the group YO MA MA with lyricist Stephen Kalinich, and with the help of rhythm section Cody Dickinson and Sally Tiven, guest guitarists/co-writers

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

and Steve Cropper, and singer Willie Jones recorded a double album, ''Shortcuts To Infinity/Symptomology'', which they produced with Mark Linett. Tiven also wrote songs with Andreas Werner,

Paul Rodgers Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

, and Mary Katherine Rowe. Tiven further distinguished himself in 2013 writing chart records by

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

, J.J. Thames, and Chuck Mead. 2014 saw the release of 78-year-old Willie Jones' debut album ''Fire In My Soul'', produced and cowritten by Tiven, receiving rave reviews worldwide. Tiven reunited with an old friend, the legendary

Bebe Buell Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell (born July 14, 1953) is an American singer and model. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. Buell moved to New York in 1972 after signing a modeling contract with Eileen Ford, and garnere ...

, and produced/cowrote her single "Secret Sister" b/w "Hello Music City." In 2015, the first recordings Tiven produced (Chilton, Prix, and

Mick Farren Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground. Early life Farren was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and aft ...

) were all part of an Ork Records anthology released by the Numero Group. In fact, this same year the Prix recordings were also released as the full-length album ''Historix'' on vinyl and compact disc by

HozAc Records HoZac Records is a record label formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States in late 2006 by Todd Killings and Brett Cross after the demise of ''Horizontal Action Magazine'' (1997–2005). Concentrating on releasing records from musicians of the ...

, including some never-before-heard mixes. Although the album had been issued in Japan in 2002, the only Prix recordings previously available in America were the group's two contemporaneous singles, two Prix recordings included on Tommy Hoehn's 1978 major label solo debut ''Losing You to Sleep'', and cuts on anthologies. Although Hoehn had died in 2010, Tiven initiated new Prix recordings, partnering with singer/songwriter Sid Herring, best known for fronting

The Gants The Gants was an American garage rock band that formed in 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi, in the cultural and geographic Deep South. History The Kingsmen – a different band from the Kingsmen that had a major hit with "Louie Louie" in the ...

. Collaborator Tara Holloway inked a new record deal with

Light Organ Records Light Organ Records is a Canadian independent record label, based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

, and not only did she record four songs co-written by Tiven on '' Little Ghosts'', she brought him to Ottawa to play guitar, sitar, tenor sax, and keyboard on the album. Shaun Murphy (former Little Feat singer who had recorded three Tiven songs in the past) collaborated with Tiven and wife Sally for a new song "24 Hours From Memphis" on her CD ''

Loretta Loretta is a female given name, the masculine version being Lauro. The name derives its name from the laurel tree which is symbolic of victory. This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. It has many vari ...

'', and the released a new album ' which Tiven co-produced. Tiven's partnership with transcendental poet Stephen J. Kalinich continued to thrive with the release of their second album, '' Each Soul Has A Voice'', as Kalinich's vocal presence increased significantly from the previous record. Tiven took that as a cue to begin producing Stephen Kalinich's first solo as a singer, ''Scrambled Eggs'', featuring duets with

Black Francis Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...

, Bekka Bramlett, Dylan LeBlanc, Willie Jones, and Tara Holloway. His partnership with Steve Kalinich also forged a new Ellis Hooks album '' Needle In A Haystack'' for Blues Blvd Records, which featured twelve new songs written by Hooks/Tiven/Kalinich, and a thirteenth which included the writing and guitar playing talents of the great Steve Cropper. This is the first recording Ellis had done in some time, and Kalinich not only cowrote but coproduced and did some recitation on the record as well. Tiven also produced a new version of the classic

Don Nix Don Nix (born September 27, 1941, Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American songwriter, composer, arranger, musician, and author. Although cited as being "one of the more obscure figures in Southern soul and rock", he is a key figure in ...

song "Goin' Down" by Leslie West for his new album (''Soundcheck''), with guest Brian May trading fiery fretwork with Leslie. A record Tiven initially began producing in the late 1990s by

was finally completed and issued as The Soul Tapes. Entering Billboard's Dance/Club charts at #44 in its first week, "Glittering Gutter" (the first single) became one of Tiven's most successful records, and demonstrated Tiven's triple threat: producer, cowriter, musician. Eight remixes by the likes of Mooli, Offer Nissim, Tweaka Turner and Dave Aude were issued and offered new windows into this enigmatic song. In 2019, Tiven cowrote and coproduced country star Marty Brown's first record in several decades,

American Highway American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, to rave reviews, and cowrote "Close To Home" for Country/Americana legend

Chuck Mead Charles Lynn Mead is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and musical director. He is a founding member of the country rock band BR5-49. Mead has performed and recorded as a solo artist since 2009 and acted as musical director/sup ...

's album of the same name. The album he produced for powerpop's Van Duren in 1978 "Are You Serious? was the subject of a documentary film "Waiting" and the recordings saw a re-release that got more attention than the original. Also from the same period was Reptiles in Motion, an album by Roger C. Reale & Rue Morgue featuring two Tiven cowrites and

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

on guitar. A single by Willie Jones was issued on the Pravda label that Willie and Tiven wrote and Tiven produced, and Willie was able to tour Europe to promote it. Late in the year, the debut album by Handsome Dick Manitoba entitled Born In The Bronx was released, produced and cowritten by Jon Tiven. In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic lockdown, Tiven and longtime collaborator

began finishing some songs they had started many years earlier, with the help from lyricist/vocalist Roger C. Reale. Reale sang all of his vocals into his iPhone from his home in Connecticut, not meeting Cropper himself face to face until after the release of the album. Adding Nioshi Jackson on drums, it became Steve Cropper's album ''

Fire It Up Fire It Up may refer to: * ''Fire It Up'' (Rick James album), 1979, and the title track * ''Fire It Up'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Kid Rock * ''Fire It Up'' (Tinsley Ellis album), 1997 * ''Fire It Up'' (Kottonmouth Kings album), 2004 * "Fire It Up" (B ...

''. Entering the Billboard Blues charts at #1 and remaining in the top ten for well over a month, ''Fire It Up'' received a score of 66 on critical aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, indicating generally favorable reviews.

References

External links

*
Celebrityaccess.comJon Tiven website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiven, Jon 1955 births Living people Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut Record producers from Connecticut Record producers from New York (state) Songwriters from Connecticut Songwriters from New York (state)