100 Greatest Rock Music Producers

[Tim]

Criteria: Ranked by acclaim and reputation as producers, influence on rock and roll record production and rock and roll in general, and popularity of recordings produced.

Each producer or team is listed with a sampling of the artists whose recordings they are most known for producing.

Site link:
https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best ... ock-x.html

Edited By: Brett Alan
Last Updated: 2021-11-09

1. Phil Spector (The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, The Crystals)
  2. Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier (Supremes, The Four Tops, Chairmen of the Board)
  3. Dr. Dre (N.W.A, Snoop Dogg, Eminem)
  4. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller (Elvis Presley, The Coasters, The Drifters)
  5. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys, American Spring)
  6. Smokey Robinson (The Miracles, The Temptations, Mary Wells)
  7. Sam Phillips (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins)
  8. Dave Bartholomew (Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Shirley & Lee)
  9. George Martin (The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Jeff Beck)
10. Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Soul Survivors)
11. Rick Rubin (Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers)
12. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic, Diana Ross, Madonna)
13. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, New Edition, SOS Band)
14. Norman Whitfield (The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Rose Royce)
15. Allen Toussaint (Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, The Meters)
16. Timbaland (himself, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott)
17. Kanye West (himself, Jay-Z, Common)
18. Leonard and Phil Chess (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Etta James)
19. Jerry Wexler (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan)
20. Thom Bell (Spinners, The Stylistics, The Delfonics)
21. Babyface (Boyz II Men, TLC, Bobby Brown)
22. Giorgio Moroder (Donna Summer, The Three Degrees, Sparks)
23. The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy, Ice Cube, LL Cool J)
24. R. Kelly (himself, Michael Jackson, Aaliyah)
25. Brian Eno (David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads)
26. Marley Marl (Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Eric B. & Rakim)
27. Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams)
28. Johnny Otis (Johnny Otis Show, Johnny Ace, Big Mama Thorton)
29. Max Martin (Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys)
30. Ahmet Ertegun (Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Ruth Brown)
31. Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra, George Harrison, Tom Petty)
32. DJ Premier (Gang Starr, The Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys)
33. Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel)
34. Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Julian Lennon)
35. Lee "Scratch" Perry (Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Clash, The Upsetters)
36. Joe Meek (himself, The Tornados, The Honeycombs)
37. Isaac Hayes and David Porter (Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd)
38. Chips Moman (Elvis Presley, Booker T & The MGs, The Box Tops)
39. James Brown (himself, Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins)
40. Trevor Horn (Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Seal)
41. Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Garbage)
42. Tom Wilson (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Velvet Underground)
43. Henry Glover (Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Joey Dee & The Starlighters)
44. Todd Rundgren (himself, Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad)
45. Nicolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson (themselves, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
46. RZA (Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man, Gravediggaz)
47. Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy)
48. Teddy Riley (Blackstreet, Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat)
49. Ted Templeman (Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison)
50. Glyn Johns (The Who, Eric Clapton, Steve Miller Band)
51. Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane)
52. Willie Mitchell (Al Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay)
53. Quincy Jones (Michael Jackson, Lesley Gore, The Brothers Johnson)
54. Hugo & Luigi (Sam Cooke, The Isley Brothers, The Stylistics)
55. Tom Dowd (Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin)
56. Curtis Mayfield (The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin)
57. Stevie Wonder (himself, Syreeta, Spinners)
58. Frank Zappa (himself, The Mothers of Invention, Shankar)
59. The Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Beck, Hanson)
60. will.i.am. (Black-Eyed Peas, Usher, John Legend)
61. Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, 10,000 Maniacs)
62. Milt Gabler (Bill Haley, Louis Jordan)
63. James William Guercio (Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Buckinghams)
64. Pharrell Williams (himself, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke)
65. Robert "Bumps" Blackwell (Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan)
66. Rick Hall (Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Etta James)
67. Sid Feller (Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Glenn Yarbrough)
68. Mike Chapman (Sweet, Blondie, Pat Benatar)
69. Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band, Psychedelic Furs)
70. Arthur Baker (Afrika Bambaataa, New Order, Freeez)
71. Steve Albini (Big Black, Nirvana, The Pixies)
72. Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks)
73. Jan Berry (Jan & Dean, The Gents, The Matadors)
74. Stock Aitken Waterman (Bananarama, Dead Or Alive, Kylie Minogue)
75. Sylvia Robinson (Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill Gang, The Moments)
76. Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Free)
77. Bob Johnston (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash)
78. Prince (himself, Sheila E., Appalonia 6)
79. Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon, Cheap Trick)
80. Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen)
81. Alan Parsons (The Alan Parsons Project, Pilot, Al Stewart)
82. Don Was (Was (Not Was), Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones)
83. Mickie Most (The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan)
84. Ralph Bass (James Brown, Billy Ward & His Dominoes, Hank Ballard)
85. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin, The Firm, Screaming Lord Sutch)
86. Conny Plank (Moebius & Plank, Kraftwerk, Killing Joke)
87. Carl Davis (Gene Chandler, Jackie Wilson, Tyrone Davis)
88. Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks, The Easybeats)
89. John Cale (Patti Smith, The Stooges, Squeeze)
90. Luther Dixon (The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, Jimmy Reed)
91. Gus Dudgeon (Elton John, David Bowie, XTC)
92. Steve Cropper (Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Jeff Beck)
93. Chris Blackwell (Bob Marley, Free, Toots & The Maytals)
94. Bruce Fairbairn (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Loverboy)
95. Norman Petty (Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, The Fireballs)
96. Lee Hazelwood (himself, Nancy Sinatra, Duane Eddy)
97. Sly Stone (Sly & The Family Stone, Beau Brummels, Bobby Freeman)
98. Frank Guida (Gary US Bonds, Jimmy Soul, Tommy Facenda)
99. Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stones, Traffic, Motörhead)
100. Sly & Robbie (themselves, Black Uhuru, Chaka Demus & Pliers)

[Tim]

Brian Wilson RIP.

[ManPerson]

Madlib and J-Dilla are pretty big omissions. Pharrell, Timbaland, and Max Martin could all be higher. Pharrell should also be listed with Chad Hugo and/or The Neptune's.

[Fido]

Agreed, especially the first two

[Tim]

Think J Dilla used to be on the list albeit near the bottom. Pharrell's entry also used to be The Neptunes, was changed for some reason. (Likely his success as a solo producer). Wanna try a revision, Man?

[ManPerson]

This is what I came up with
1. Phil Spector (The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, The Crystals)
2. Dr. Dre (N.W.A, Snoop Dogg, Eminem)
3. Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier (Supremes, The Four Tops, Chairmen of the Board)
4. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller (Elvis Presley, The Coasters, The Drifters)
5. George Martin (The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Jeff Beck)
6. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys, American Spring)
7. Smokey Robinson (The Miracles, The Temptations, Mary Wells)
8. Sam Phillips (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins)
9. Rick Rubin (Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers)
10. Dave Bartholomew (Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Shirley & Lee)
11. Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Soul Survivors)
12. Timbaland (Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah)
13. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic, Diana Ross, Madonna)
14. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, New Edition, SOS Band)
15. Kanye West (himself, Jay-Z, Common)
16. Norman Whitfield (The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Rose Royce)
17. Allen Toussaint (Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, The Meters)
18. Brian Eno (David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads)
19. Max Martin (Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Backstreet Boys)
20. Leonard and Phil Chess (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Etta James)
21. Jerry Wexler (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan)
22. Thom Bell (Spinners, The Stylistics, The Delfonics)
23. Babyface (Boyz II Men, TLC, Bobby Brown)
24. Giorgio Moroder (Donna Summer, The Three Degrees, Sparks)
25. DJ Premier (Gang Starr, The Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys
26. The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy, Ice Cube, LL Cool J)
27. R. Kelly (himself, Michael Jackson, Aaliyah)
28. Marley Marl (Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Eric B. & Rakim)
29. Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams)
30. Pharrell Williams/The Neptunes (himself, Justin Timberlake, Clipse)
31. Johnny Otis (Johnny Otis Show, Johnny Ace, Big Mama Thorton)
32. Ahmet Ertegun (Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Ruth Brown)
33. Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra, George Harrison, Tom Petty)
34. Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel)
35. Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Julian Lennon)
36. Lee "Scratch" Perry (Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Clash, The Upsetters)
37. Joe Meek (himself, The Tornados, The Honeycombs)
38. Isaac Hayes and David Porter (Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd)
39. Chips Moman (Elvis Presley, Booker T & The MGs, The Box Tops)
40. James Brown (himself, Bobby Byrd, Lyn Collins)
41. Trevor Horn (Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Seal)
42. Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Garbage)
43. RZA (Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man, Gravediggaz)
44. Tom Wilson (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Velvet Underground)
45. Henry Glover (Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Joey Dee & The Starlighters)
46. Todd Rundgren (himself, Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad)
47. Nicolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson (themselves, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
48. Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy)
49. J Dilla (Himself, Common, Slum Village)
50. Teddy Riley (Blackstreet, Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat)
51. Ted Templeman (Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison)
52. Glyn Johns (The Who, Eric Clapton, Steve Miller Band)
53. Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane)
54. Willie Mitchell (Al Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay)
55. Quincy Jones (Michael Jackson, Lesley Gore, The Brothers Johnson)
56. Steve Albini (Big Black, Nirvana, The Pixies)
57. Hugo & Luigi (Sam Cooke, The Isley Brothers, The Stylistics)
58. Tom Dowd (Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin)
59. Curtis Mayfield (The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin)
60. Stevie Wonder (himself, Syreeta, Spinners)
61. Prince (himself, Sheila E., Appalonia 6)
62. Frank Zappa (himself, The Mothers of Invention, Shankar)
63. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin, The Firm, Screaming Lord Sutch)
64. The Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Beck, Hanson)
65. Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey)
66. will.i.am. (Black-Eyed Peas, Usher, John Legend)
67. Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, 10,000 Maniacs)
68. Milt Gabler (Bill Haley, Louis Jordan)
69. James William Guercio (Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Buckinghams)
70. Robert "Bumps" Blackwell (Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan)
71. Rick Hall (Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Etta James)
72. Sid Feller (Ray Charles, Lloyd Price, Glenn Yarbrough)
73. Mike Chapman (Sweet, Blondie, Pat Benatar)
74. Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band, Psychedelic Furs)
75. Arthur Baker (Afrika Bambaataa, New Order, Freeez)
76. Madlib (Madvillain, Freddie Gibbs, Quasimoto)
77. Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney)
78. Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks)
79. Jan Berry (Jan & Dean, The Gents, The Matadors)
80. Stock Aitken Waterman (Bananarama, Dead Or Alive, Kylie Minogue)
81. Sylvia Robinson (Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill Gang, The Moments)
82. Alan Parsons (The Alan Parsons Project, Pilot, Al Stewart)
83. Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Free)
84. Bob Johnston (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash)
85. Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest, Mobb Deep, Nas)
86. Just Blaze (Jay-Z, Cam'Ron, The Game)
87. Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Black Thought, Gorillaz)
88. Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon, Cheap Trick)
89. Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen)
90. Don Was (Was (Not Was), Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones)
91. Mickie Most (The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan)
92. Ralph Bass (James Brown, Billy Ward & His Dominoes, Hank Ballard)
93. Conny Plank (Moebius & Plank, Kraftwerk, Killing Joke)
94. Carl Davis (Gene Chandler, Jackie Wilson, Tyrone Davis)
95. Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks, The Easybeats)
96. John Cale (Patti Smith, The Stooges, Squeeze)
97. Luther Dixon (The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, Jimmy Reed)
98. Gus Dudgeon (Elton John, David Bowie, XTC)
99. Steve Cropper (Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Jeff Beck)
100. Metro Boomin (Himself, Future, 21 Savage)

[Tim]

I'd probably bump Prince and Jimmy Page closer to Curtis Mayfield/Stevie Wonder/Frank Zappa group.

[ManPerson]

I'm good with that.

[Tim]

I am being nitpicky but Sam Phillips looks a little low at #8, I'd have him grouped together with George Martin/Brian Wilson, arguably more influential than either and up there in acclaim as well.