Irving Townsend
American record producer (1920–1981)
title: "Irving Townsend" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920-births", "1981-deaths", "american-record-producers", "american-writers-about-music", "columbia-records", "20th-century-american-biographers", "20th-century-american-businesspeople"] description: "American record producer (1920–1981)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Townsend" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American record producer (1920–1981) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox writer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Irving Townsend |
| image | Irving Townsend.jpg |
| birth_name | Irving Joseph Townsend |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Santa Ynez, California, U.S. |
| occupation | Producer and author |
| education | Princeton University |
| :: |
|name = Irving Townsend |image = Irving Townsend.jpg |birth_name = Irving Joseph Townsend |birth_date = |birth_place = Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = Santa Ynez, California, U.S. |resting_place = |occupation = Producer and author |education = Princeton University Irving Townsend (November 27, 1920 – December 17, 1981) was an American record producer and author. He is most famous for having produced the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, which is the best-selling jazz album of all time according to the RIAA. He later served as president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.
Townsend, a former jazz bandleader, became an advertising copywriter for Columbia Records. He then convinced George Avakian to have him assist on recording sessions, and by the mid-1950s he was a full-time producer. He became Davis's producer after the departures of Avakian and Cal Lampley.
Townsend wrote many liner notes for Columbia, including notes for the album Black, Brown and Beige by Duke Ellington and Mahalia Jackson.
Selected Production Discography
- Billie Holiday
- Miles Davis
- Mahalia Jackson
- Leonard Bernstein
- Duke Ellington
- André Previn
- Johnny Mathis
- Percy Faith
- Wayne Shorter
- Chico Hamilton
- Jimmy Rushing
- Dave Brubeck
- Doris Day
- Ada Moore
- Flatt & Scruggs
- Frankie Laine
Author
- John Hammond on Record: An Autobiography (co-author)
- The Less Expensive Spread: Delights & Dilemmas of a Weekend Cowboy
- The Tavern
- Separate Lifetimes
- Articles in various publications including The Atlantic Monthly
References
References
- (September 29, 1970). "Princeton Alumni Weekly". [[Princeton University Press]].
- (September 21, 1981). "Princeton Alumni Weekly". [[Princeton University Press]].
- (1981-12-24). "Obituaries: Irving J. Townsend". Santa Ynez Valley News.
- (June 15, 1968). "Townsend is Re-Elected by Coast NARAS". [[Nielsen Holdings.
- (July 22, 1967). "4 Elected to NARAS Board". Nielsen Business Media.
- Kahn, Ashley (2001). [https://books.google.com/books?id=6QArFwi9buUC&pg=PA91 ''Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece''], p. 91. Da Capo Press.
- [https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/irving_townsend/credits/ Irving Townsend] Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- (November 27, 2013). "Liner Notes: Irving Townsend on "Black, Brown and Beige," by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Featuring Mahalia Jackson". Jerry Jazz Musician.
- Irving Townsend. (May 1975). "Ellington in Private". [[The Atlantic]].
- [https://www.discogs.com/Billie-Holiday-Lady-In-Satin/release/2258956 Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin] ''[[Discogs]]''. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- {{AllMusic. link. Irving Townsend
- [https://www.discogs.com/Mahalia-Jackson-Mahalia-Jacksons-Greatest-Hits/release/3292132 Mahalia Jackson – Mahalia Jackson's Greatest Hits] ''Discogs''. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- {{AllMusic. link. Leonard Bernstein
- [https://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Mathis-Live-It-Up/release/6849352 Johnny Mathis – Live It Up!] ''Discogs''. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- [https://www.discogs.com/New-Dynamic-Chico-Hamilton-Quintet-The-Drumfusion/release/2060126 The New Dynamic Chico Hamilton Quintet – Drumfusion] ''Discogs''. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- John H. Hammond. (February 1, 1981). "John Hammond on record: an autobiography". Penguin Books.
- (1990). "The Less Expensive Spread: Delights & Dilemmas of a Weekend Cowboy". J.N. Townsend Publishing.
- [https://www.biblio.com/irving-townsend/author/1196564 Irving Townsend books] [[Biblio.com]]. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- (1975). "The Atlantic Monthly". Atlantic Monthly Company.
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