Tony Peluso

American multi-instrumentalist, writer and Motown and Latin music producer (winner of four Grammy awards).
Born March 28, 1950, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Died June 5, 2010, in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Son of conductor [a=Thomas Peluso].

Peluso began his career as a founding member and lead guitarist of Los Angeles-based psychedelic rock band The Abstracts in high school. In 1971, his group Instant Joy, a backing band for Mark Lindsay, opened for The Carpenters. Played lead guitar for Carpenters, both on tour and on many studio recordings, perhaps most notably the fuzz guitar solo on "Goodbye To Love." He also voiced the role of the DJ on side 2 of their "Now & Then" album, a role that he later reprised on "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem Of World Contact Day)." He co-produced dozens of records for artists such as Smokey Robinson, Temptations, the [a=The Four Tops] and Michael Jackson. During the '80s and '90s, he produced and or engineered albums for artists such as Kenny Loggins, Seals & Crofts, Apollonia, Animotion, Stephanie Mills, Fixx, Dave Koz, and Boyz II Men with Selena.