wHO IS SHEL?

Born in the summer of 1937, Shel Talmy was interested in music from a very young age. A wunderkind, Shel’s appearance on the popular show Quiz Kids at the age of 13 told him that he was destined to be in the entertainment business. Then, in June of 1955, Shel graduated from the famous Fairfax High School, the alma mater of other luminaries such as Herb Alpert, superstar Michael Jackson, and infamous producer Phil Spector.

After a brief stint working for ABC Television, Shel started working as a recording engineer at Conway Studios Los Angeles, where he cut his teeth on three-track recording equipment. Just three days after starting, he had his first assignment, producing the record Falling Star by Debbie Sharon.

After a few years of experience stateside, in the summer of 1962, Shel left for Britain. What was supposed to be a 5-week European vacation turned into much more, leading to some of his most enduring and popular recordings. Shel was signed to Decca Records as an independent producer, one of the first in the U.K., and his work helped to shape the burgeoning music scene at the time.

A pioneer of the British Invasion, Shel worked with some of the most influential acts of the era. In 1963, Shel met the manager of the group who would become The Kinks. He brought them into the studio and their third single, “You Really Got Me", became a landmark recording.

Pete Townshend, a young guitarist, became so enamored with “You Really Got Me” that he wrote “I Can’t Explain” in order to lure Shel into producing them. Shel and The Who’s collaboration is now legendary, producing the band’s first album My Generation, including the eponymous track that Entertainment Weekly called the “quintessential rock single.”

From there, Shel went on to produce countless acts, including David Bowie, The Pentangle, Manfred Mann, and Roy Harper. His relentless work ethic has kept him on the scene and in the studio for decades, and his experience makes him an invaluable asset to any creative project.