Richard James Burgess

Richard James Burgess (born 29 June 1949) is an English musician, drummer, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor.
He was born in London, England, and his family emigrated to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1959. He showed an early interest in music, especially drums, and bought his first drum set at the age of 14. Burgess also showed an early interest in recording production, buying a portable Tandberg tape recorder when he was sixteen to make amateur recordings. As a drummer, he gained experience during the 1960's in local bands including The Fantasy, Fred Henry, Orange, The Lordships and in bands with his friend Barry Saunders (later in Tigers and The Warratahs). In 1970, Richard replaced Bruno Lawrence as drummer in jazz-rock group The Quincy Conserve and played with them on the 1971 Epitaph album.

Burgess studied electronics at college before turning to studies in music. Eager to develop his drumming further, he left New Zealand in 1972 to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, and in 1973 moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He came to prominence with rock band Easy Street in the mid 70's, Tax Loss and Driver 67' in the late 70's. In the early 1980's Richard was co-founder and co-lead singer of the synthpop band Landscape, which released a top 10 hit in 1981 with the single "Einstein a Go-Go". Burgess is one of the main composers of Landscape's music, and made major lyrical contributions to the band's songs. After the band's break-up, he pursued a brief, moderately successful solo career releasing one mini-album, Richard James Burgess in 1984.
He launched his career as a producer with Spandau Ballet's debut UK hit "To Cut a Long Story Short", the first commercial success for the hitherto underground New Romantic movement.
Burgess currently serves as the CEO of A2IM: American Association of Independent Music.
He holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales).