Nellee Hooper

Producer and remixer Nellee Hooper was behind some of the most successful and inventive dance-oriented pop music throughout the late '80s and on through the '90s. Hooper came up as a DJ, as a member of the Wild Bunch -- the Bristol-based collective that would develop into Massive Attack. Along with Jazzie B., he produced Soul II Soul through the release of the group's first two albums, both of which scored major hits ("Keep on Movin'," "Back to Life," "Get a Life"). Work followed for the likes of Tracy Chapman, Björk, Janet Jackson, and Sade. The Brit Awards honored Hooper in 1995 as Best Producer for his work on Massive Attack's Protection, Björk's Post, and Madonna's Bedtime Stores. Later on in the '90s, Hooper set up the Meanwhile imprint, a subsidiary of Virgin; one of his first pet projects was Furslide. Steady work continued into the early 2000s, and he received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for his work on No Doubt's Rock Steady and Lamya's Learning From Falling. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi