Richard Perry, one of the great record producers of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Tuesday Dec. 24 at age 82. Like such contemporary producers as Jack Antonoff, Greg Kurstin, Finneas and Daniel Nigro, Perry was nearly as well-known, at least among pop obsessives, as the artists he worked with.
No producer can guarantee a hit, then or now. But Village Voice said of Perry in 1973, “the rungs on the ladder of success seem so much closer together when Perry is your guide.”
Rolling Stone dubbed Perry “Producer of the Year” for 1973 for his work with Carly Simon and Ringo Starr. The Grammys didn’t yet have a producer of the year, non-classical category, at that time, but Perry was nominated for record of the year in both 1973 (Nilsson’s “Without You”) and 1974 (Simon’s “You’re So Vain”).
The Grammys finally added a producer category the following year. Perry was nominated for that award twice, though he didn’t win. He lost in 1977 to Stevie Wonder and in 1978 to Peter Asher – also great producers, to be sure, but it would have been nice if Perry had gotten the honor at some point.
Perry’s sample works, which were included on the Grammy nominations list, in 1977 were Burton Cummings’ eponymous solo debut album (and its top 10 hit “Stand Tall”) and The Manhattan Transfer’s third studio album, Coming Out. His sample works in 1978 were Diana Ross’ Baby It’s Me, Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” and Leo Sayer’s Endless Flight (and its hits “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “When I Need You” and “How Much Love”) and also Sayer’s “Thunder in My Heart,” the lead single and title track from his follow-up studio album.
Perry topped Billboard’s end-of-year Pop Producers recap twice. He led in 1977 and again in 1984.
Perry produced more than 30 songs that made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here are 10 particular favorites.
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“Stand Tall,” Burton Cummings (1977)
Hot 100 peak: No. 10
Songwriter: Burton Cummings
Notes: This elegant power ballad was the first and biggest solo hit by the former lead singer of The Guess Who.
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“I Only Have Eyes for You,” Art Garfunkel (1975)
Hot 100 peak: No. 18
Songwriters: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Notes: Perry was 17 when The Flamingos’ classic doo-wop version of this song was a No. 11 hit on the Hot 100 in 1959, but the song goes back much further than that. It was first a hit in 1934 for bandleaders Ben Selvin and Eddy Duchin. Garfunkel’s hypnotic and immaculate record was Perry’s valentine to the music of his youth (just as this list is mine).
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“How Much Love,” Leo Sayer (1977)
Hot 100 peak: No. 17
Songwriters: Barry Mann, Leo Sayer
Notes: This frisky, disco-accented track was Sayer’s follow-up to “When I Need You,” and helped brighten the mood after that rather somber ballad. It was the third top 20 hit from Sayer’s Endless Flight album, which made the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in June 1977. A lot of fans at the time thought “How Much Love” was by Elton John. It does have that EJ spark.
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“Oh My My,” Ringo Starr (1974)
Hot 100 peak: No. 5
Songwriters: Vini Poncia, Ringo Starr
Notes: This was the third consecutive top five hit on the Hot 100 from the Ringo album, following “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen,” at a time when landing three top five hits from an album was a rarity. Martha Reeves and Merry Clayton sang backing vocals on the track. Billy Preston (piano and organ) and Tom Scott (sax) played on it.
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“I’m So Excited,” The Pointer Sisters (1982-84)
Hot 100 peak: No. 30 in 1982; No. 9 in 1984
Songwriters: Trevor Lawrence; Anita, June and Ruth Pointer
Notes: This exhilarating record “only” reached No. 30 when it was first released in 1982, but after a new mix was released in 1984, it finally earned the top 10 ranking it had deserved all along.
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“Without You,” Nilsson (1972)
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)
Songwriters: Tom Evans, Pete Ham
Notes: This power ballad was Perry’s longest-running No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 (though Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” logged more weeks in the top 10). “Without You” held off the Carpenters’ “Hurting Each Other,” keeping it to a No. 2 peak. Mariah Carey took the song to No. 3 in 1994.
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“Nobody Does It Better,” Carly Simon (1977)
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Songwriters: Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager
Notes: Were it not for Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life,” the longest-running No. 1 hit of the 1970s, this sexy, sophisticated song would have become Simon’s second No. 1 produced by Perry. Instead, it had to settle for three weeks at No. 2 behind a record whose massive success was a mystery, then and now. Here’s a consolation prize: This will always be at or near the top of just about everyone’s list of all-time favorite James Bond songs.
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“Jump (For My Love),” The Pointer Sisters (1984)
Hot 100 peak: No. 3
Songwriters: Steve Mitchell, Marti Sharron, Gary Skardina
Notes: This catchy smash brought the group a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal. It later soundtracked one of the cleverest scenes in Love Actually, where the prime minister played by Hugh Grant is caught dancing to the beat. The subtitle “For My Love” was added to the title after Van Halen’s “Jump” became a No. 1 smash on the Hot 100 in early 1984.
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“Stoney End,” Barbra Streisand (1971)
Hot 100 peak: No. 6
Songwriter: Laura Nyro
Notes: Streisand was a superstar when this record was released, but she wasn’t much of a pop hitmaker. This was her first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 since the exquisite “People” in 1964. Streisand was just 28 at the time, but she wasn’t really in touch with contemporary pop music. Enter Richard Perry, who brought her this Laura Nyro song and opened a new phase in Streisand’s career. Kudos to Streisand for having the courage (and talent) to pull this off and to Perry for pushing her in a new direction. By the end of the decade, Streisand ranked with Donna Summer and Linda Ronstadt as the hottest female singers in contemporary pop.
Fun Fact: Peggy Lipton, then one of the co-stars of ABC’s The Mod Squad, had bubbled under the Hot 100 with this song in 1968.
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“You’re So Vain,” Carly Simon (1973)
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Songwriter: Carly Simon
Notes: It’s hard to believe this record is 52 years old. It still sounds hot and fresh today, from the opening bass notes and whispered “son of a gun” to Mick Jagger’s backing vocals. The record, a ferocious take-down of an unworthy lover, paved the way the way for such other take-downs as Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good” and Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” Janet Jackson interpolated the song in her 2001 hit “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You).” The long-running mystery of who the song is about (Warren Beatty, by most accounts) has grown tedious, but the record itself is a smash for the ages.
