Mötley Crue, Cheap Trick And Poison Producer Tells His Story
When I think of some the most rocking and powerful-sounding artists of the 70s and 80s, Mötley Crue, Twisted Sister, Poison, Ted Nugent, Molly Hatchet, and Cheap Trick immediately come…
When I think of some the most rocking and powerful-sounding artists of the 70s and 80s, Mötley Crue, Twisted Sister, Poison, Ted Nugent, Molly Hatchet, and Cheap Trick immediately come to mind. Albums like Shout At The Devil, Stay Hungry, and Flirtin' With Disaster defined hard rock and metal. The songs were strong, the playing was tight and the production was oh so solid. What's pretty amazing is the one thing in common with these artists and albums: they were produced by Tom Werman.
Tom WermanTom Werman shares a laugh during recording.
Tom produced all of those artists, plus Blue Öyster Cult, Dokken, and Krokus, to name a few more. Even though there are a lot of heavy metal names on that list, he also signed REO Speedwagon and produced Glass Tiger, Mother's Finest and The Producers. Throughout his distinguished career, Tom Werman produced two dozen gold and platinum albums. He would have had more: he was ready to sign Kiss, Rush and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well, but his record label turned him down!
A Change Of Career
After years of producing successful albums, Tom retired from music in 2001. The following year, he and his wife Suky opened a luxury bed and breakfast in the Berkshires of Massachusetts called Stonover Farm. Back in 2021, my wife and I were looking for places to stay up in that area and I found the Stonover Farm website. It was gorgeous, with rolling acres of hills, a duck pond, and several properties in which to stay. When I realized it was owned by Tom Werman, I HAD to stay there!
Andre Gardner CollectionAndre Gardner and Tom Werman pose for a photo in the dining room of Stonover Farm, Lenox, MA, July 29, 2021.
My wife, daughter, dog and I had the most wonderful time at the farm. We started each morning with the "Tomlette" - a delicious homemade omelette, prepared by Tom himself - and had the most relaxing vacation. Admittedly, the entire time were there I kept bugging Tom to sit down for an interview, because I knew he had amazing stories to share. Alas, our schedules didn't align the week I was there.
Andre Gardner CollectionThe "Tomlette" - prepared each morning for guests at Stonover Farm by Tom Werman. It's filled with feta cheese, red onion and mushroom.
Tom writes the memoir!
Needless to say I was thrilled to hear that Tom is about to publish his memoir. It's called "Turn It Up! My Time Making Hit Records In The Glory Days Of Rock Music" and it's out on November 21. I immediately contacted the publicist for the book who very kindly sent me a copy. I read it over two days and absolutely loved it! Reading that book, I felt like I was right there in the recording studio with Tom and the bands he produced, and living his exciting life. It's an honest and funny memoir, telling his stories of working with some of these musicians, and I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
My Interview WIth Tom Werman
I got my long awaited chance to chat with Tom Werman about his career, and I really enjoyed our conversation. I hope you do, too!
You can order Tom Werman's great new memoir here.
