Bill Bottrell is a record producer and songwriter based in Northern California. His work has produced 11 Grammy nominations, and his productions have sold more than 36 million records. He may be the only producer to have launched the careers of two Best New Artist Grammy-winners. In the '80s he worked with huge media stars like Michael Jackson and Madonna, and Bill grew skeptical of the mega-business side of the music industry. He retreated to Pasadena near his home and built a radical new recording studio which allowed him the freedom to experiment with new economics and production methods. He was instrumental in popularizing the rootsier, simpler sounds in the '90s. He started a musical think tank with his friend David Baerwald and it came to be called the Tuesday Night Music Club. This loose collective produced huge hits and even bigger controversy. Attacks from the industry and the media led to the eventual breakup of the collective. Bottrell, retreating still further from the world's media capital, spent two years in seclusion in Albion, California, writing and playing local clubs. He stepped back into the mainstream in 1998, when he met Shelby Lynne. Together, they wrote and recorded the critically acclaimed album for Island Def Jam entitled "I Am Shelby Lynne." Robert Hilburn of the LA Times has called it the Album of the Year. Shelby Lynne received a Grammy for Best New Artist and Bill was nominated for a Grammy for Producer of the Year in 2000.     Bill's solo work has evolved into a cabaret-style live show with his band, The Stokemen. They continue to excite and surprise their audiences with their showy antics and brilliant songs.       Bill is represented by: Gary Wishik   Check out the interview with Bill Bottrell in the January 2001 issue of  The New Settler!