Nick Martinelli
| Nick Martinelli | |
|---|---|
Nick Martinelli - 2004
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas J. Martinelli |
| Born | July 5, 1952 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, United States |
| Genres |
Pop Contemporary R&B post-disco |
| Years active | 1979-Present |
| Labels |
Virgin Records WMOT Records West End Records Prelude Records |
| Associated acts |
Loose Ends Five Star 52nd Street Stephanie Mills Phyllis Hyman Regina Belle Gladys Knight and the Pips Teddy Pendegrass Miki Howard |
For the Sylvester Stallone character named Nick Martinelli, see the 1984 film Rhinestone
Nicholas J. "Nick" Martinelli (born July 5, 1952) is an American R&B and pop record producer. During the 1980s he worked with many R&B and pop music artists, some of them based in the UK. Acts he has worked with include Loose Ends, Phyllis Hyman, Five Star, Stephanie Mills and Regina Belle.
Martinelli cut his teeth as a teenager in 1969 in the Chips warehouse, an independent record distributor for Motown. He was promoted to warehouse manager as he developed an understanding of distribution and retail sales. In 1977, Motown rewarded Nick's diligence by giving him additional responsibilities handling dance promotion for the Northeast region which covered from New York to Washington.
It was in the clubs that Martinelli found an outlet to express himself creatively — behind the turntables. In 1978, WMOT Records hired him for a national sales position. He finally made the transition to A&R a year later. This enabled him to sign and develop new talent on the Philadelphia scene at the time.
Influenced by “The Sound of Philadelphia”, Martinelli credits Dexter Wansel for his technical studio training. Although Martinelli and WMOT did well in America with Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus", it took a trip overseas for him to create a niche with his production style; he co-produced "Zoom" for Fat Larry's Band, and it rose to the top of the British pop singles chart in 1981. Martinelli then spent two years remixing many hits for various artists including the Ray Parker Jr. hit, "Ghost Busters".
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