Crafting smash hits with Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, and Van Morrison, legendary music producer Ted Templeman changed the course of rock history. Ted is a Grammy-winning producer whose hit-making work for Warner Bros. Records has generated sales approaching 100 million albums.
This autobiography (as told to Greg Renoff) recounts Templeman’s remarkable life from child jazz phenom in Santa Cruz, California, in the 1950s to Grammy-winning music executive during the ’70s and ’80s. Along the way, Ted details his late ’60s stint as an unlikely star with the sunshine pop outfit Harpers Bizarre and his grind-it-out days as a Warner Bros. tape listener, including the life-altering moment that launched his career as a producer: his discovery of the Doobie Brothers.
Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music takes us into the studio sessions of No. 1 hits like “Black Water” by the Doobie Brothers and “Jump” by Van Halen, as Ted recounts memories and the behind-the-scene dramas that engulfed both massively successful acts. Throughout, Ted also reveals the inner workings of his professional and personal relationships with some of the most talented and successful recording artists in history, including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Lowell George, Sammy Hagar, Linda Ronstadt, David Lee Roth, and Carly Simon.
About Author Greg Renoff
Greg Renoff was born in the Bronx, grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the author of Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal. His writing has appeared in Guitar World, LA Weekly, and Vulture, and he and his work have been profiled in Salon, Maxim, and the Boston Herald.
472 pages. Paperback. Dimensions: 5.5” x 8.5.” Published: April, 2020.
“Classic rock fans will dig Templeman’s insider view of the music business.” ― Publishers Weekly
“Templeman (via Renoff) comes off as an engaging and friendly narrator and tour guide behind the making of some of classic rock’s greatest records.” ― Houston Press
“[Templeman] and Renoff have undertaken a challenging task in chronicling his extensive career, but the result is a fascinating account of a panoramic musical journey.” ― Pop Matters
“Entertainment options have dwindled during this stay-at-home period in history. But books are still ripe for exploration, and Templeman’s life proved to be fertile ground.” ― Tulsa World
“Rock music fans would enjoy this read, especially fans of The Doobies, Michael McDonald, and Van Halen. It is a lengthy book for a person with a lengthy career.” ― Lance Writes blog