Eric Matthew
Birth nameJoseph William Tucci
Born1953 (1953)
OriginQueens, New York
GenresRock
Disco
R&B
Occupation(s)Producer, Songwriter, Engineer
Instrument(s)Guitar, Piano, Vocals
LabelsRadar Records, Columbia Records

Joseph William Tucci (born 1953),[1] known under his alias Eric Matthew, is an American record label owner, record producer, engineer, songwriter and guitarist, previously involved in the New York post-disco scene of the early 1980s.

Biography

Tucci originally performed at weddings, bar mitzvahs and parties in the New York metropolitan area with his friends, then after producing a demo with fellow bandmember Gary R. Turnier, he landed a record deal with indie label SAM Records, owned by Sam Weiss, which by then had major label Columbia as their distribution company.[2] Essentially a minimal rock combo with musical influences ranging from deep funk, pop, jazz to disco that consisted of a saxophonist, a trombonist, a flutist, a percussionist, and keyboardists, was named Gary's Gang by Turnier and Tucci. His second album Keep on Dancing performed well on the music charts, peaking at #27 on the Billboard R&B Albums and #42 on the Billboard 200.[3] This accomplishment led Tucci to open his own record label and produce other artists. Among those he produced were "Reach Up" by Toney Lee (on his own label) or the album Redd Hott by Sharon Redd (for Prelude Records).

Tucci[4] is married and has three daughters.[5] Musically his influences include 1960s pop and the "zaniness of the later Beatles albums."[6] He and Gary produced records like Tracy Weber's "Sure Shot," Sinnamon's "Thanks to You," and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde's "Genius Rap" in his garage.[6]

Production and writing discography

Year Work Label Add. Role Peak chart positions
US
R&B
US
DAN
Gary's Gang
1978 "Keep On Dancin’" Columbia Records/Sony artist, co-writer, co-producer 11 1
Sharon Redd
1982 "Beat the Street" Prelude with Darryl Payne co-writer, co-producer 41
1983 "Takin' a Chance on Love" Prelude with Gene Redd, S. Redd, Ruth Carson co-writer, producer
"You're the One" Prelude with Daryl Payne co-writer, producer
"Love How You Feel" Prelude alone writer, producer 16
1984 "You're a Winner" Prelude with S. Redd, Scott Nesbitt co-writer, producer
Elektric Funk
1982 "On a Journey (I Sing the Funk Electric)" Prelude with Darryl Payne, Miles Watson co-writer, co-producer 33
Toney Lee
1982 "Reach Up" Radar with Toney Lee co-writer, producer 8
France Joli
1982 "Your Good Lovin'" Prelude with Darryl Payne co-writer, co-producer 53
Sinnamon
1982 "Thanks to You" Becket with Darryl Payne, Keith Diamond co-writer, co-producer 44 1
Disco 4
1983 "We're at the Party" Profile with Disco 4 co-writer, producer 84
Rockell
1998 "In a Dream" Robbins Entertainment co-producer 13
Phats & Small
1998 "Turn Around" Multiply Records with Toney Lee co-writer 1
Soulsearcher
1998 "Can't Get Enough" Defected Records co-writer 20

References

  1. Nite, Norm N. (September 1, 1985). Rock on: the illustrated encyclopedia of rock n' roll : the video revolution, 1978-present. Harper & Row. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-06-181644-4.
  2. Radar Records CD compilation booklet.
  3. "Billboard Albums & Singles – Gary's Gang". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  4. Frank Broughton, Bill Brewster (2011). The Record Players: DJ Revolutionaries. Black Cat, 2011. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-8021-7089-7.
  5. "General News: Lifelines > Births". Billboard. Vol. 94. September 25, 1982. p. 84.
  6. 1 2 "Disco Dance Music > The Beat Meets The Street". Billboard. No. 94. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 19, 1982. ISSN 0006-2510.
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