Trevor Horn

Trevor Horn

Trevor Horn is a British producer, songwriter and musician from Durham, England, born in 1949. He works in pop and electronic music, and is also associated with genres including electronica, progressive rock, rock, rock and roll and soul.

Early career and first success

Horn moves to Leicester after leaving school and begins his professional career in the late 1970s as a backing musician for disco singer Tina Charles. Geoff Downes is also in her backing band, and the two later join with Bruce Woolley to form the Buggles in 1977. In that group Horn plays bass, guitar and percussion and also sings.

The Buggles score a major hit with “Video Killed the Radio Star” in 1979, which reaches number one in the UK singles chart. It appears on their first album, The Age of Plastic, released in 1980. Horn and Downes also complete a second Buggles album, Adventures in Modern Recording, largely on their own after a falling out.

Yes and Art of Noise

Horn and Downes join Yes in 1980. Horn becomes lead vocalist, replacing Jon Anderson, and records one album with the band, Drama, on which he also plays bass on one track. He leaves at the start of 1981 to focus on production work. He later returns to work with Yes as a co-producer on their next two studio albums, including the 1983 comeback album 90125.

He is also a founder member of Art of Noise. His listed band associations include Art of Noise, The Image of a Group, Big A, Chromium, The Buggles, The Producers, Northern Lights, Art & Act and Dire Straits Legacy.

Production work and labels

Horn’s first notable production success comes with Dollar in 1981 and 1982. He then produces ABC’s The Lexicon of Love in 1982, which reaches number one in the UK album chart. His most commercially successful period follows in 1984 with Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Band Aid. Frankie Goes to Hollywood become the best-selling band in the UK that year, helped by singles including “Relax” and “Two Tribes”, while Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” becomes one of the best-selling singles of all time.

He works as producer for a wide range of artists including Grace Jones, Seal, Propaganda, Tina Turner, Lisa Stansfield, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Mike Oldfield, Marc Almond, Charlotte Church, t.A.T.u., LeAnn Rimes and Belle & Sebastian. He is also known for performing on albums that he produces.

Horn co-founds ZTT Records in 1983, and his business interests also include the recording studio Sarm Studio and the publishing company Perfect Songs. The labels connected with him include ZTT Records Ltd., Perfect Songs, Perfect Songs Ltd., SPZ Group, SPZ Music, Inc., ZTT, Unforgettable Songs Ltd. and Trevor Horn Limited.

Awards and later recognition

Horn receives a Grammy in 1996 for Seal’s second album. In 2004, a Prince’s Trust charity concert at Wembley Arena marks 25 years of his career as a record producer, with performances by acts including The Buggles, ABC, Art of Noise, Belle & Sebastian, Lisa Stansfield, Pet Shop Boys, Seal, Simple Minds, Dollar, t.A.T.u., Yes, Grace Jones and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. A double compilation, Produced By Trevor Horn, accompanies the event, and an edited version of the concert is broadcast in several countries as 25 Years Of Pop: Produced By Trevor Horn.