Eliot Kennedy

Eliot Kennedy (born March 29, 1969) is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as the Spice Girls, Mary J. Blige, Donny Osmond, Bryan Adams, Lulu, S Club 7, Five, Gary Barlow, Delta Goodrem, The Wanted, Janet Devlin, Lovers Electric, and Brazilian group Rouge.

History

Kennedy began writing songs with his brother at the age of thirteen and started a band at his school in Rotherham, Dinnington High School, but he was interested in composing and studio work more than performing. He apprenticed as an audio engineer, and after collecting insurance for an automobile accident, he purchased equipment and began working as an engineer on a freelance basis, which eventually led to production work. The first major band that Kennedy was in was World Still Turns, a studio band in Sheffield, along with former gospel singer John Taylor and Tom Chester; they received huge interest from all the major record companies. His first success as a producer was the hit single "Independence", the title song of the 1993 album by Lulu, which led to projects with Pauline Henry, Dannii Minogue, Kenny Thomas, and Take That.[1][2]

Kennedy has contributed songs to a number of film soundtracks, including Spice World, Stepmom, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Racing Stripes, and Bridge to Terabithia. He was nominated with Bryan Adams for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Never Gonna Break My Faith" from Bobby and the Satellite Award for Best Original Song for "Never Let Go" also co-written with Adams from The Guardian. Kennedy and Adams were also nominated for a Grammy Award for Never Gonna Break My Faith recorded by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, for the film Bobby. Kennedy won an Ivor Novello award for Picture of You by Boyzone.

For the 2011 series of The X Factor UK, he is credited as Talent Development and appears in the rehearsal studio on several episodes. Following his first series of involvement in The X Factor, he has teamed up with the series' 5th placed Janet Devlin[3] and 6th placed Craig Colton, to write songs with them.

In 2011 Kennedy was planning a concert in Sheffield to raise funds for his One Song Foundation. The concert was to mark his 21 years in the music business.[4]

In 2012 Kennedy was given an Honorary doctorate (DUniv) by Sheffield Hallam University for his contribution to the region's music industry, and for his outstanding work for charities, including his own One Song Foundation.[5]

In late June 2020, Aretha Franklin's solo version of "Never Gonna Break My Faith" featuring the Harlem Boys Choir was released posthumously. The song, co-written by Kennedy and Bryan Adams, quickly hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.[6]

Kennedy is the co-owner of The Steelworks Recording Company and also Kennedy Publishing and Production.[7]

Kennedy married Natalie Mendoza in April 2006, but the couple divorced in 2010.[8]

References
  1. "ELIOT KENNEDY: Producing Sheffield Music". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. John Dingwall, 'Scream Test; Exclusive: Take That producer Eliot Kennedy rates the new boy bands bidding to rule the charts', Daily Record (Glasgow), 25 April 1996.
  3. 'Janet Devlin teams up with Eliot Kennedy', Music News, 26 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  4. 'X Factor stars perform hits at Eliot Kennedy charity show' Archived 2013-05-05 at Archive.today, Selby Times, 3 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  5. "Hard work and patience key to hon docs' success | Media | Sheffield Hallam University". Shu.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  6. 'Aretha Franklin officially has no. 1 hits in every decade since the '60s' Archived 2020-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2020.
  7. "Eliot Kennedy". IMDb.
  8. Berman, Nat (2018). "Five Things You Didn't Know About Natalie Mendoza". TVovermind.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
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