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Davitt Sigerson

Davitt Sigerson

Davitt Sigerson was born in New York City and went to school and university in the UK. He wrote for Black Music, Sounds and Melody Maker, and was the disco columnist for Time Out. In 1979 he moved back to New York as American correspondent for Melody Maker, also writing about music for the Village Voice, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. In the ‘80s he released two solo albums for Ze/Island Records; wrote songs for or with Philip Bailey, Eddie Money, Kiss and Loverboy; and produced records for David & David, John Doe, Olivia Newton-John, the Bangles, and Tori Amos, among others. He became president of Polydor Records in 1991; president of EMI, Chrysalis and SBK Records in 1994; and chairman of Island Records in 1998. He left at the beginning of 1999, after Polygram was sold to Seagrams. Sigerson’s first novel, Faithful (2004) was published in 2004 by Doubleday in the US and Serpent's Tail in Britain.

List of articles in the library by artist

Blondie: Your Instrument Is Your Body

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, December 1979

PEOPLE REMEMBER the face as they see it in photographs, that's axiomatic. And her face possesses that photographic stillness even in life – not as ...

George Chandler: Anatomy of a Soul Record

Report by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1976

George Chandler in the studio at Chipping Norton ...

Chic: Est-ce que c'est Chic

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, February 1979

Yes, it is. For behind Chic's rags-to-Regine's success lies an understanding of style as cool as their musical intelligence. ...

Chic: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979

Cheers for Chic ...

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

Profile and Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, January 1977

Davitt Sigerson Probes Into The Mind Of Stony Browder Jr. ...

Dr. John: Dr John: City Lights

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, December 1978

DR JOHN is clean (and mean) and on the scene; so Hail on Mac 'cause it's a stone fact (y'all), the gritty gumbo hustler's back. ...

Marvin Gaye: Here, My Dear

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979

EDITOR'S NOTE: A couple of weeks ago, Vivien Goldman trashed Marvin Gaye's new album in these columns. A dissenting voice pleads to be heard ...

Hot Chocolate: Everyone's a Moneyspinner

Profile and Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979

GREAT POPULAR music is generally not a cynical or synthetic product, but something personal to one individual that many, many others find appealing. ...

Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers: Winner Takes All

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, June 1979

3 + 3 DON'T MIND they just keep on jamming. Strings and horns? Uh-uh. They just go up to Bearsville. Ernie puts down the drums ...

Michael Jackson: Bad

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, October 1987

MICHAEL JACKSON is a man. Agreed, he is a young man, emotional age about thirteen, with a young man's interest in cars, girls, scary movies ...

Madonna: True Blue

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, July 1986

OF ALL CURRENT superstars, none has manipulated the apparatus of fame more astutely than Madonna. Like Prince, she recognized the virtue of a one-word name ...

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: Wake Up, Everybody (Philadelphia Int.)

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, March 1976

'Wake Up Everybody'/'Keep On Lovin' You'/'You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good'/'Don't Leave Me This Way'/'Tell The World How I Feel About 'cha ...

MFSB, Krispy And Company: Krispi And Company, MFSB: More Disco Madness

Profile by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1975

What kind of madness is it when two bands adopt different names to record versions of a 30s showtune called 'Brazil'? Just put it down ...

Van Morrison: "Sam Cooke Still Turns Me On"

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, July 1978

A short and rather scruffy man, accompanied by a handsome L.A. Ethnic (tee-shirt, jeans, clean black moustache) is milling around Oxford on an afternoon characterised ...

Prince Strips Down: Parade

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, April 1986

WHO BUT PRINCE fills us today with the kind of anticipation we once reserved for new work by Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling ...

Raydio: Rock On (Arista)

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, April 1979

IN A YEAR already generous with good R&B albums comes Ray Parker's second release, and it may be the best of all. ...

Diana Ross, Olivia Newton John: Olivia Newton-John: Soul Kiss/Diana Ross: Eaten Alive

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, February 1986

HERE WE HAVE two of the biz' primo canaries coming up with long-awaited (and, you can bet, carefully considered) albums and not exactly setting the ...

Gil Scott-Heron: You Won't Be Able to Tune In, Turn On and Cop Out...

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, April 1976

Davitt Sigerson goes to New York to rap with the angry poet of revolution, Gil Scott-Heron ...

Spinners, The: The Detroit Spinners: Spinners Wynner

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, June 1976

The Detroit Spinners have recently celebrated twenty years in the music business. Their leader, Philippé Wynne, talked to Davitt Sigerson in New York about his ...

Sylvester

Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, August 1978

WEBSTER’S gives "Excessive, extravagant; Fanciful, fantastic; violent, unrestrained" as definitions of ‘outrageous’. ...

War: Youngblood (MCA)

Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979

WAR WAS a multi-platinum album act in America with such classic Top 40 streetfunk singles as 'All Day Music', 'Cisco Kid', 'The World Is A ...

Stevie Wonder: Technology and R&B: Get Arp And Get Down

Overview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1975

Arps, Moogs, Rhythm Boxes... the sounds of black music have never been more complex ...

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