Jeff Lynne (b. 1947)
Jeff Lynne (centre), with members of the Electric Light Orchestra
I grew up with the sounds of the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) in the 1970s and loved the way Jeff Lynne arranged for rock group with synths and a small number of amplified strings, still managing to make them sound huge. He treated these with effects boxes and arranged and processed his backing vocals cleverly. My favourite tracks of his are Mr Blue Sky, Evil Woman, Birmingham Blues and Magic with pop genius John Farrar and Olivia Newton-John.
Lynne is an inspirational, skilled producer who knows how to experiment productively to make classy forms.
