Hugh Padgham

Hugh Padgham

Hugh Charles Padgham (born February 15, 1955 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire) is an English record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year (1985) and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers. Padgham co-produced some of the biggest and most enduring songs of the 1980s, including many hits by Phil Collins, Genesis, The Human League, Sting and The Police.

Padgham became interested in record production after listening to Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection. He started out as a tape operator at Advision Studios, working in recording sessions for Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. From there he went to Lansdowne Studios and moved from tape-operator/assistant engineer to head engineer. In 1978, Padgham got a job at The Townhouse, where he engineered and/or produced acts including XTC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.

Padgham's previous work with Gabriel and Collins led to a long and enormously successful collaboration with Genesis in the 1980s, which produced a string of hit albums and singles including Genesis and Invisible Touch. In addition to his work with Genesis and XTC, Padgham co-produced two albums with The Police: Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, as well as Paul McCartney's Press to Play and The Human League's Hysteria.

In the 2000s, Padgham had great success with Sting as well as McFly. He enjoyed four UK number one hits in 2005 and 2006 with McFly, as well as a number of other Top Ten Singles. In 2002, Padgham produced The Tragically Hip album In Violet Light, which includes the fan-favourite "Its a Good Life if You Don't Weaken".

Padgham's other work includes developing his own recording studio, Sofa Sound, available commercially in 2007.

In 2008, Padgham produced and engineered the debut album from I Was a Cub Scout, entitled I Want You To Know There Is Always Hope.

Padgham currently lives in Chiswick, West London, with his long-term partner (designer Cath Kidston; they met when she worked as his interior designer), his daughter Jessica (born 1992/93), and his dog Stanley (often shown in Cath Kidston catalogues).