Ross Cullum (born 1957 in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, London, England) is an English composer, record producer, and audio engineer, known for working with

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands o ...

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

, and several other artists.

Career

Cullum became an assistant at

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

's AIR Studios, where he worked on recordings by

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and others. In the 1980s, after touring the world mixing live shows, he formed a production collaboration with

Chris Hughes Christopher Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The ...

. Together they worked with

Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were an English Rock music, rock band that formed in London in 1977. The band existed in two versions, both fronted by Adam Ant, between 1977 and 1982. The first phase began when the band were founded in May 1977 and were call ...

, Wang Chung,

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and others. The duo worked together with

Curt Smith Curt Smith (born 24 June 1961) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist, bassist, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland ...

and

Roland Orzabal Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter, co-founder, and only constant member of Tears for Fears. ...

on ''

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''. In an interview with Wyndham Wallace, Orzabal recalled discussions like "a two-against-two battle throughout the album", with Wallace writing that "it all proved worthwhile." Hughes and Cullum used high-tech production techniques on the

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

song "Motor of Love", according to Mike Evans, giving it a synth sound, with a "lush backing of electronic effects". He worked with Enya and

Nicky Ryan Nicholas Dominick Ryan (born 14 July 1946) is an Irish music producer, recording engineer, and manager. He is best known as the longtime business and recording partner for the singer, songwriter and musician Enya alongside his wife, poet and lyr ...

on the album ''

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''. James E. Perone notes that Enya's vocals are bathed in reverb leading to a "hazy and impressionistic" sound. Cullum is mentioned by his first name in the lyrics of "

Orinoco Flow "Orinoco Flow", also released as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)", is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Enya from her second studio album, ''Watermark'' (1988). It was released on 3 October 1988 by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and by Geffen Rec ...

". The

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-nominated album '' Two Horizons'', which Cullum produced and co-composed, was described by Greg Quill as "an ethereal and juiced-up orchestral concept album" Other artists he has worked with include

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Miguel Bosé Miguel Bosé (born Luis Miguel Dominguín Bosé; 3 April 1956) is a Spanish-Italian Pop music, pop singer and actor. Early life Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of Italian actress Lucia Bosè (1931–202 ...

, Howard Jones,

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, the Afro Celt Sound System, Chris Hughes ('' Shift'' - a tribute to

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Perry Blake Perry Blake (born 10 May 1970) is an Irish singer and songwriter from Sligo, Ireland, known for the delicate, downtempo, melancholic style of his songs and his soft singing voice. Career Blake's 1998 self-titled debut album was successful in the ...

, Mary-Jess Leaverland, Jana Kirschner,

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), known professionally as Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his primary school teacher used to ...

, and Phildel.

Selected discography

* 1983, ''

'' by

* 1988, ''

'' by

* 1989, "Motor of Love" from Flowers in the Dirt by

* 2003, '' Two Horizons'' by

References

1957 births Living people People from Fulham English audio engineers English record producers English male songwriters English male film score composers Composers from London {{UK-record-producer-stub