ARTIST BIO

As a teenager who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, Tony Visconti was stringing up his guitars and later his basses with La Bella strings.  He started gigging in the boroughs of New York from 15 years old, playing a variety of styles from social club dates to nightclubs, concerts and recording sessions.  He started producing records at 22, for a publishing company called The Richmond Organization. A chance meeting by a water cooler with British record producer Denny Cordell led to a recording session in Phil Ramone’s A&R recording studios.  Visconti was offered a job on the spot to go to London as Cordell’s assistant.
Visconti was immediately put to work with Cordell’s British artists Procul Harum, The Move, Manfred Mann, Georgie Fame and Joe Cocker (Visconti mixed Cocker’s first album).  When told he had to find his own acts to produce, a few weeks later Visconti found Marc Bolan (T.Rex) and David Bowie, both 20 years old.  Within a couple of years both artists were making hit records with Visconti.  Visconti and Bowie worked on Bowie’s last four albums including his last, Blackstar.  Other artists Visconti has produced are Thin Lizzy, Morrissey, The Moody Blues, Gentle Giant, Manic Street Preachers and recently Esperanza Spalding and Kristeen Young.
In 2014, Visconti reunited with Woody Woodmansey, the drummer in The Spiders From Mars.  They performed David Bowie’s darkest Rock album, The Man Who Sold The World, live for the first time ever.  Both Woodmansey and Visconti are the original rhythm section playing alongside guitarist Mick Ronson and David Bowie. Together they have played almost fifty shows and they continue to tour.
Photo Credit:  Nick Hynan