Joe Boyd
American record producer and writer (born 1942)
Who was Joe Boyd?
Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. Boyd was born in Boston and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut. He first became involved in music promoting blues artists while a student at Harvard University. After graduating, he worked as a production and tour manager for music impresario George Wein, which took Boyd to Europe to organize concerts with Muddy Waters, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked with Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band, R.E.M., Vashti Bunyan, John and Beverley Martyn, Maria Muldaur, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Billy Bragg, James Booker, 10,000 Maniacs, and Muzsikás. Boyd was responsible for running the sound at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when Bob Dylan played a controversial set backed by electric musicians.
In 1964 Boyd moved to London to establish the U.K. office of Elektra Records.
Historical significance
He was also one of the founders of the highly influential nightclub venue UFO.