Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers | |
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Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Labels | SRP |
Associated acts | |
Members |
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Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and record producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna. They helped build the career of Rihanna, and are the principals of her production company named SRP Productions. As songwriters and record producers, Rogers and Sturken have achieved more than 20 top 40 hits, twelve top 5 hits and six BMI Awards. Their songs have sold more than 60 million albums, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Sturken & Rogers started their careers in the New York R&B scene of the mid-1980s. During that time, Rogers himself released a full-length solo album, 1985's Love Games for RCA Records (he would release a second album, Faces of Love for Capitol four years later), and the duo produced Gavin Christopher for EMI Manhattan Records, scoring their first big hit with Christopher's "One Step Closer to You." They also worked on the legendary Beat Street soundtrack and began to gain a reputation by producing such artists as Cheryl Lynn, Stephanie Mills and Jennifer Holiday. They then crossed over to the pop world by producing engineering the comeback of Donny Osmond, writing and producing the #2 smash "Soldier of Love" and the Top 10 hit "Sacred Emotion". In 1991 they became artists, and as Rythm Syndicate scored a #2 hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", as well as a Top-15 follow-up, "Hey Donna". Following their success with Donny Osmond, they formed an R&B group called Rythm Syndicate with John Nevin, Rob Mingrino and Kevin Cloud, who all came from Connecticut. As well as providing vocals for the group, Rogers and Sturken also wrote their debut hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", which reached number 2 in the US Billboard charts in 1991. Following two unsuccessful albums and a few less successful singles Sturken and Rogers left the group to concentrate on writing and producing.