Steve Buckingham
Four-time Grammy winner Steve Buckingham began his career playing Rhythm & Blues, also known as “Beach Music,” in Virginia and the Carolinas. During his high school and college days he played guitar behind such legendary artists as Jackie Wilson, The Impressions, Percy Sledge, The Drifters, Ernie K-Doe, Gary “US” Bonds, The Showmen and others.
Following this, Steve moved into the role of a studio musician in Atlanta, Muscle Shoals and Los Angeles. This resulted in him playing on hundreds of records in practically every genre of music and working with dozens of producers, observing their styles.
In 1978 Atlanta’s music giant, Bill Lowery, gave Steve his first opportunity to produce. Literally the first track he recorded, “I Love The Nightlife” by Alicia Bridges, became a worldwide hit in the Pop, R & B and Dance charts. The single and album were certified gold and it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance – Rhythm & Blues.
Buckingham was immediately on the fast track as he was summoned to New York to meet with Clive Davis at Arista Records. Clive was so impressed with Steve’s song sense that he promptly assigned him to produce Melissa Manchester. One of the tracks from their first album, the single “Fire In The Morning,” hit Number One on the Adult Contemporary charts.
Before Steve was finished with Melissa’s album Clive contacted him to produce the next Dionne Warwick project. The album, DIONNE, was certified gold and one of the songs, “No Night So Long,” went to Number One in the Adult Contemporary charts and Top Ten Pop.
After this there were dozens of albums for Pop and R & B labels in Los Angeles and New York. One of his favorites during this period was the album, TELL ME A LIE, by Soul Music icon Bettye LaVette for Motown. Ironically Steve had played guitar on the original hit single, “Tell Me A Lie,” by Sami Jo.
In 1980 Steve moved to Nashville, since many of the musicians he was working with in LA and Muscle Shoals had relocated there. He continued to produce Pop and R & B but was naturally drawn into Country music.
The first Country artist Buckingham produced was the legend, Tammy Wynette. The single, “Sometimes When We Touch,” became a hit and revived Tammy’s career. Steve and Tammy would record two more albums together including her last Number One single, “Your Love,” with guest vocalist, Ricky Skaggs. In 1993 Steve produced Tammy’s last gold album before her death: HONKY TONK ANGELS with Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy.
After producing Tammy’s first album in the mid 1980s, Steve was offered the position of Vice President of A & R and staff producer at CBS Records, later to become Sony, which included Columbia and Epic Records.
“It was an amazing time to be there,” Buckingham remembers. “We had practically every legend on those two labels…Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Waylon
Jennings, Marty Robbins, Ray Charles, Vern Gosdin...it was unbelievable just walking the halls! By 1990 we also had Chet Atkins and Dolly Parton. In addition we signed Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ricky Van Shelton, Shelby Lynn and Sweethearts of the Rodeo.”
Steve went on to work with most of these artists either as their main producer or using them as guest artists on his projects.
In 1990 Dolly Parton asked Steve to work with her on her next album. EAGLE WHEN SHE FLIES was certified platinum, went to Number One and yielded the Number One single, “Rockin’ Years.” This began an eighteen-year collaboration between Buckingham and Dolly, resulting in several platinum albums, two Grammys and other awards.
In 1999 Steve moved to Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records in the role of Senior Vice President of A & R and producer. During his ten years in this position Buckingham was involved with a number of multi-genre artists. He helped enlist his friend, Alison Krauss, to produce the debut album on Nickel Creek, which was certified platinum. He brought Dolly to Sugar Hill and produced the acoustic based albums, THE GRASS IS BLUE and LITTLE SPARROW, both of which won Grammys. He signed and produced the acclaimed singer/songwriter, Mindy Smith, which became a critical and commercial success. Steve also produced the Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy Louisiana based roots album, ADIEU FALSE HEART, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Folk category.
Among other artists Steve brought to the label and, in some cases, produced: Levon Helm (winning his first Grammy with DIRT FARMER), Sinead O’Connor, John Hiatt, George Jones, Joan Osborne, Carbon Leaf, Shawn Mullins, David Wilcox and Rodney Crowell.
He also produced several multi-artist projects during this time:
JUST BECAUSE I’M A WOMAN: THE SONGS OF DOLLY PARTON with Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Mindy Smith, Shania Twain, Shelby Lynn, Kasey Chambers, Sinead O’Connor, Joan Osborne, Allison Moorer and Me’Shell Ndegeocello.
SONGCATCHER: SONGS OF APPALACHIA with artists such as Rosanne Cash, Patty Loveless, Allison Moorer, Maria McKee, Iris Dement, Dolly Parton and Hazel Dickens.
All Music Guide lists over 200 albums to Buckingham’s credits as a producer. He has been awarded 11 Platinum and 19 Gold albums and produced 27 Number One singles. In addition he has had Top Ten singles on 11 different charts: Pop, Country, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Americana, Bluegrass, Christian, Hispanic, Triple A and Dance.
Among the varied artists he has produced are Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Tammy Wynette, The Chieftains, Bettye LaVette, Sinead O’Connor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Manchester, Ricky Skaggs, Dionne Warwick, Shania Twain, Maria McKee, BJ Thomas, Mindy Smith, Brenda Lee, Ricky Van Shelton, Loretta
Lynn, Joan Osborne, Waylon Jennings, David Wilcox, Jazz artists Kirk Whalum and Martin Taylor and many others. Guest artists on his projects have included Don Henley, John Hiatt, Norah Jones, Shelby Lynn, Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Tower of Power, Patty Griffin, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Nanci Griffith, Bela Fleck, Allison Moorer, Jerry Douglas, Greg Allman, Rosanne Cash, Kitty Wells, John Popper, Altan, Sam Bush, David Hidalgo, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Isaac Hayes, Kim Carnes, The Winans, Patty Loveless, Larry Carlton, Chet Atkins, Buddy and Julie Miller, Del McCoury, Vern Gosdin, Martina McBride, Rodney Crowell and countless others. Steve has produced music for six movies as well as two CBS television specials.
In addition, Steve is a music historian. He created the course: HOW RHYTHM & BLUES AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TORE DOWN THE WALLS OF SEGREGATION, which he has taught at The University of Richmond and will be teaching at Vanderbilt University.