Jon Tiven - Current

Current

After the Jon Tiven Group disbanded, Tiven produced and cowrote a series of albums with soul/blues singer Ellis Hooks who was heralded as following in the tradition of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and James Brown. Moving from New York to Nashville in 2002, he produced a series of albums by Frank Black, previously best known as lead singer and songwriter with the band Pixies. In 2004 he produced and cowrote what would become Little Milton's last recorded effort Think Of Me, which was released in 2005 and received four W.C. Handy Awards in 2006 including Song of the Year and Album of the Year. In 2006, he produced Sailover, a welcome return by legendary singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan for Hightone Records, as well as What I Was Running From, the debut album by Indiana singer/songwriter Don Pedigo. He continued to have his songs recorded by soul and blues artists, including Billy Price, Ricky Fante, Gigi Dover, Hard Bargain featuring Arthur Canady, Rock Bottom, and Jim Quick & Coastline.

In 2007 Tiven produced and co-wrote Intuition, the first recordings in thirty-seven years by soul singer Betty Harris. He continued his work with Ellis Hooks by producing Another Saturday Morning, the sixth album by the Alabama soul/rock hybrid. Tiven also helmed the chart-topping American debut Sofa King Badass by blues/soul singer (and harmonica player) Mason Casey. Touring Europe with a new band Jon Tiven & the Nashville Aces, he introduced his nine-piece outfit backing Ellis, Betty, and Sir Mack Rice. Later in 2007 Tiven produced an album by former Grass Roots member Creed Bratton (also known as a cast member of the television show The Office).

In 2008 Tiven produced and co-wrote a new album by legendary soul/blues singer Howard Tate entitled Blue Day. Tiven also produced a new gospel-tinged album by Garnet Mimms entitled Is Anybody Out There?. He also coproduced/cowrote a new record with Felix Cavaliere & Steve Cropper for the Stax label called Nudge It Up A Notch, embraced by the critics and public alike and nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Tiven continued songwriting, collaborating with Chuck Mead, Stewart Francke, Billy Price/Fred Chapellier and Syl Johnson for their upcoming releases. Tiven is credited as a writer on over 400 recorded songs.

In 2009 Jon Tiven began creating a string of narrative Soul Operas. His first, entitled "I Sold Out" features the voices of James Jackson Toth, Cowboy Jack Clement, Buddy Miller, Chuck Mead, Bekka Bramlett and Felix Cavaliere. He is currently working on the follow-up, "Skin On The Wheel Of Time," sung by Ellis Hooks, Bekka Bramlett, and James Jackson Toth and featuring songs Tiven wrote with the aforementioned three plus Bob Mosley, Billie Ray Martin, Roger Reale, Charlie Feldman, Keith Reid, Joe Bonamassa, Jimmy Vivino, Wayne Carson, Al Franken, and Thomas Cain.

2010 saw Tiven producing a new blues album by Troy Turner, as well as the cowriter of songs recorded by Shaun Murphy, Guitar Shorty, Alabama Mike, Tara Holloway, Erya Lyytinen, Colin Gilmore, Kirsten Thien. He also embarked on producing new cds by Steve Cropper and the duo of Frank Black and Reid Paley a.k.a. Paley & Francis. In 2011 he performed several concerts with Steve Cropper to promote the album Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales, featuring a wide variety of singers including Bettye LaVette, Dylan Leblanc, Ellis Hooks, Maxine Brown, Ben Drew (Plan B), K Flay, and Theresa & Emily of the band Warpaint.

2012 was a banner year for Jon Tiven, starting with the release of Ruthie Foster's highly successful Let It Burn album, which featured the single "Aim For The Heart" written by Tiven, his wife Sally, and Ruthie herself. Tiven formed the group YO MA MA with lyricist Stephen Kalinich, and with the help of rhythm section Cody Dickinson and Sally Tiven, guest guitarists/cowriters Brian May and Steve Cropper, and singer Willie Jones recorded a 2 cd set Shortcuts To Infinity/Symptomology which they produced with Mark Linett, best known for his work with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Tiven also wrote songs with Andreas Werner, Paul Rodgers, and Mary Katherine Rowe which all served to keep the force of his creativity in the public eye and ear.