Steve Rowland (record producer)

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Steve Rowland (born Stephen Rowland, 3 September 1932, U.S.^[1]) is singer, columnist, record producer and actor. He grew up in Beverly Hills. His father is film director Roy Rowland, his mother Ruth was a writer, whilst Louis B. Mayer was her uncle.

[edit] Career

In 1950s Hollywood, he went on to act in thirty five TV shows like Bonanza, Wanted Dead Or Alive and a two year role in The Legend of Wyatt Earp. Film appearances included co-starring roles in Battle of the Bulge with Henry Fonda; Gun Glory with Stewart Granger; Crime in the Streets with John Cassavetes and Sal Mineo, and the original The Thin Red Line with Kier Dullea and Jack Warden.

During the making of five films in Spain, Rowland enjoyed Spanish chart success with the group, Los Flaps. The lure of the exciting British music scene of the Swinging Sixties brought him to London, where he produced thirteen Top Ten hits for Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Among those worldwide hits were "Hold Tight", "Zabadak", "Bend It" and "The Legend of Xanadu" (a million selling UK Number One).

He also discovered Peter Frampton and The Herd, and with "Way Of Life" had a #6 UK Singles Chart hit with his own group, The Family Dogg. He produced hits for P.J. Proby and The Pretty Things. In the 1970s he was awarded a gold album and ASCAP award for producing Jerry Lee Lewis (the London Sessions). In the late 1970s, he was creative manager/A&R for Hansa/Ariola, where he discovered and signed The Cure and The Thompson Twins, and handled Boney M and Japan.

In 1988 he ran his own dance label Dr. Beat, and later became creative director of Wham Records. Rowland has also written, produced and collated music for the TWI TV series Hi Five broadcast in thirty eight countries. At the end of 1993 Rowland became a director of Pavillion Studios forming a production company working with a number of young DJs, producers, artistes and programmers. During this time he auditioned and tried to sign the then unknown Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell. In 1995 he became managing director of Media Bank UK, a Hong Kong based international production company.