Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer.

Early life

Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The Spectrum and as the drummer in Udo Lindenberg's Panik Orchester until 1976, during which he also played percussion for Amon Düül II. By late 1970s, he was a pioneer of disco, working with artists such as Lipstique, Claudja Barry, La Bionda, the

Italo disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, pop, ...

pioneers and Boney M. He became

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

's drummer and played on records by

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

, including '' Bad Girls'', and Sparks' " No. 1 in Heaven." Forsey's own band, Trax, a collaboration with Pete Bellotte, was not as popular. Forsey was influenced by Moroder and began experimenting with electronics and European dance rhythms.

Production career

Like Moroder, Forsey started producing albums himself, and in 1982 produced

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

's solo debut album, ''

'' and Icehouse's global breakthrough album '' Primitive Man''. Idol's 1983 follow-up, '' Rebel Yell'', went even further, combining Forsey's affection for synthesized pop, Idol's punk grit, and guitarist Steve Stevens' heavy metal sound. 1983 was the year that established Forsey as a producer. He co-wrote " Flashdance...What a Feeling" with Moroder and Irene Cara, who sang the track, for the movie '' Flashdance''. In 1984, the song won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

. The popularity of ''Flashdance'' led to his co-writing songs featured on the soundtracks of ''

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'', ''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...

'', '' The NeverEnding Story'' and '' The Breakfast Club''. The 1985 hit " Don't You (Forget About Me)" from ''The Breakfast Club'' was originally offered to Simple Minds, who declined. After

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

and several other artists passed on the song, Simple Minds reconsidered; their recording went on to top the charts in several countries. In 1985, Forsey produced the debut album for the singer Charlie Sexton. In 2003, Forsey produced the American guitar pop band Rooney. 2005 saw his return to Billy Idol, producing '' Devil's Playground''.

References

External links

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Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsey, Keith 1948 births Living people Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters Musicians from London Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Grammy Award winners English record producers English male songwriters English session musicians English male drummers English rock drummers English expatriates in Germany