Robert John «Mutt» Lange

•  участие в альбомах

Robert John "Mutt" Lange (born November 16, 1948) is a record producer and songwriter, usually known by his nickname "Mutt" Lange. He is one of the most successful producers in rock history. He has produced albums for artists such as Def Leppard, AC/DC, Foreigner, The Cars, Bryan Adams, Billy Ocean, Savoy Brown and The Corrs. His past projects include producing for and writing songs with his estranged wife, country singer Shania Twain. Her 1997 album, Come on Over, which he produced, is the best selling record by any female artist of all time. Lange's latest project is Nickelback's sixth studio album, Dark Horse. He is currently working on Twain's fifth studio album.

A strict vegetarian and a follower of Sant Mat, he has not given an interview of any kind for decades, and prefers to live a secluded life, mainly in Switzerland. Lange is responsible for producing some of the most successful and popular records of all time. He is known for his endurance in the studio and innovations in multitrack recording[4], and is highly regarded as one of the best producers of all time.

Robert John Lange was born in Mufulira, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). His mother came from a prosperous family in Germany, and his South African born father was a mining engineer. Nicknamed "Mutt" at an early age Lange grew up a fan of country music, in particular the singer, Slim Whitman. Sent to study at Belfast High School in South Africa, he started a music band in which he played rhythm guitar and sang harmonies.

He eventually married Stevie van Kerken (a.k.a. Stevie Vann) and moved to England where, in 1970, he started the band Hocus in which his wife would sing. His marriage to Stevie broke down in the 1970s, although they still remain close friends, and Stevie is indebted to Mutt for how he helped mature her voice.

In 1978, Lange wrote and produced Ipswich Town's FA Cup final single Ipswich Ipswich Get That Goal (his connection with the club being due to their South African born player Colin Viljoen).

Beginning production work in 1976, his first major hits came in October 1978 with the UK #1 single "Rat Trap" for The Boomtown Rats, followed in July 1979 with AC/DC's hard rock album Highway to Hell (#8 UK, #17 US). He produced two more albums with AC/DC, including Back in Black (1980) which is currently the fifth-best selling album of all time in the U.S. He also worked with 1980s hard-rock group Foreigner, and with Def Leppard on their hit albums, High 'n' Dry, Pyromania, Hysteria and Adrenalize co-writing most of the songs.

After Hysteria, Lange felt he had contributed all that he could to Def Leppard's career, and he decided to bow out of working with them while they were at their peak. He would return to work with them years later in a more limited role in 1999, producing three tracks for their album "Euphoria". One of these songs, "Promises", was a #1 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts for the band.

In 1991, he produced Bryan Adams' Waking Up the Neighbours, including co-writing "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", a hugely-successful single written for the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

After hearing Shania Twain's material, he got in touch with her and they spent many hours on the phone with each other; they finally met six months after the initial contact and were married on December 28, 1993. Lange is strictly a teetotaller, but as a treat, they had non-alcoholic champagne at their wedding. Lange also had the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" performed as a sign of his dedication. In August 2001, their son Eja (pronounced "Asia") was born.

He produced the single "Make You" from the album Great Escape by Irish singer Tara Blaise which was released in May 2008. On May 15, 2008, a spokesperson for Mercury Nashville announced that Twain and Lange were separating. Lange's most recent work is on Nickelback's latest album, Dark Horse.