Who is Kirsty MacColl’s ex-husband Steve Lillywhite? Music producer who has worked with iconic bands

KIRSTY MacColl was known for being the fierce frontwoman of The Pogues.

But down the scenes, her ex-husband, Steve Lillywhite was besides a seasoned successful the euphony industry. 

Who is Kirsty MacColl's ex-husband Steve Lillywhite?

Steve Lillywhite has worked with immoderate of the biggest names successful the field.

He enactment U2 connected the roadworthy to fame and has worked with immoderate of the biggest names successful euphony including the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Liam Gallagher's post-Oasis set Beady Eye and galore more.

Born March 15, 1955, successful Surrey, helium began his vocation successful 1977.

He started disconnected arsenic a bass subordinate erstwhile helium was 16 years old, earlier helium got a occupation successful a studio. 

He’s been credited connected implicit 500 records and collaborated with dozens of artists including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey, and The Killers.

 Lillywhite has besides won six Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical successful 2006.

In 2012, helium was made a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to music.

The Pogues

The grounds shaper is well-known for marrying singer-songwriter and The Pogues singer, Kirsty MacColl, successful 1984.

The brace shared 2 children together, Jamie and Louis, but divorced successful 1994.

Sadly, MacColl passed distant successful 2000. 

Speaking astir his ex-wife, Lillywhite told the Guardian: “Kirsty was opinionated, she didn’t instrumentality immoderate s***.”

Lillywhite believes that her debut hit, the 1981 caller question novelty There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis, was created partially to "embarrass" her father, who despised pop music. 

She had been signed by Dave Robinson, co-founder of the renowned indie statement Stiff, aft helium heard her demos.

He said Lillywhite and MacColl had reportedly met astatine a party, and the remainder is history.

Lillywhite's screen of Billy Bragg’s A New England, produced by her, became her biggest solo hit, reaching fig 7 connected the charts successful 1985.

By the clip the euphony video was shot, the mates were joined and MacColl was heavy pregnant. 

Instead of making her ain records, she accompanied Lillywhite to the studio. 

Lillywhite says: “The 10 years we were together, she indispensable person sung connected beauteous overmuch everything I produced with the objection of U2: [that’s] Talking Heads, the Rolling Stones, the Smiths and Happy Mondays.

“When I was moving with the Stones, we ended up backstage astatine Live Aid successful Philadelphia with Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Bob Dylan. I introduced Kirsty to Dylan and helium looked astatine her and went: ‘Oh my God, your dada hated me.’”

It was via Lillywhite that MacColl made her astir celebrated impermanent appearance. 

He explained: “The Pogues had these rather lofty ideals arsenic to who was to sing connected Fairytale of New York; Chrissie Hynde was mentioned.

“But I took the tapes location with maine implicit the play and got Kirsty to sing it. 

“It’s arsenic bully a vocal arsenic I’ve ever recorded with anyone and it’s overmuch much analyzable than you think. 

“Many radical person tried to screen it and nary 1 tin sing it with her nuance and swing.”

Together, the mates created 2 MacColl albums—1989’s Kite and 1991’s Electric Landlady—which established her songwriting partnerships with Pete Glenister and Mark Nevin.

By the clip of 1993’s Titanic Days, Lillywhite and MacColl’s matrimony was unravelling.

He says she was the unfortunate of excessively overmuch “recreational partying … she didn’t privation to transportation connected with that manner and I decided the drug-taking had to increase.”

In May 2004, helium joined Patricia Louise Galluzzi, but they divorced 10 years later. 

Darius Danesh

In 2002, Lillywhite signed singer-songwriter Darius Danesh, having go a managing manager for Universal Music Group.

He served arsenic enforcement shaper for his debut medium Dive In, which spawned 3 Top 10 hits, and Mercury Records' archetypal fig 1 successful eighteen years. 

When Darius sadly died successful 2022, helium said: "When I heard the quality yesterday, it affected maine a batch much than I thought it would. Because it took maine backmost to the whole... I mean his communicative is specified a large communicative of redemption.

"You know, however helium was basically, helium was ridiculed connected Pop Idol, helium ended up coming third.

"And determination wasn't a hellhole of a batch going connected for him but what helium had was this immense heart."

A person of Lillywhite's, who was moving with Campbell Danesh astatine the time, called him and suggested the 2 should meet.

Lillywhite said: "I met him and my archetypal thought erstwhile I met him was, basically, helium was a thoroughbred. He was similar this unthinkable stallion.

"I mean, you know, tall, good-looking, helium conscionable reminded maine of arsenic bully an illustration of the quality contention that you volition ever find and it was fantastic."

U2

During his career, helium snagged consecutive Grammy Awards for Record of the Year with U2's Beautiful Day and Walk On.

In 2006, helium won 3 Grammys for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), Best Rock Album besides with U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and a partial triumph for Album of the Year, besides for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

However, helium was determination from the inception of U2, producing their debut medium Boy successful 1980.

Lillywhite's collaboration with U2 continued with the albums October and War. 

In 1991, helium co-produced songs from the band’s Achtung Baby album, moving alongside Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Flood. 

Speaking to Music and Musicians Magazine, helium said: “With U2, the extremity of an medium is chaotic—but that chaos tin marque for large art.

"Bono won’t sing until a opus is mixed and past he’ll rewrite it.

“It’s similar a tree. Some of their full albums travel from 3 oregon 4 opus ideas.”

Phish

In 1996, helium produced Phish's Billy Breathes, and helium returned to nutrient Joy successful 2009.

During an interview, helium said that Phish could “play everything, but that is not good. Limitations successful creation are what marque large art, truthful erstwhile you tin play everything, however bash you take what to play?”

However, helium added: “To me, they’re a prog set that jams wonderfully, moving astir done antithetic clip signatures and such. 

“To me, that’s what makes [1996’s] Billy Breathes truthful good. It condenses what they bash into 45 minutes. It’s arsenic bully a conception medium arsenic I’ve ever done.”

Dave Matthews Band

During the 1990s, Lillywhite produced the multi platinum albums Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash, and Before These Crowded Streets by the Dave Matthews Band.

In 2000, Lillywhite was dismissed from the Dave Matthews Band's 4th medium owed to originative differences with the set members.

In 2001, immoderate of the recordings from those sessions surfaced connected a bootleg album, present known arsenic The Lillywhite Sessions. 

Many of these songs were aboriginal re-recorded and featured connected the band's medium Busted Stuff.

The unfinished tracks had leaked online, prompting the set to re-record astir of them, this clip choosing Stephen Harris arsenic their shaper alternatively of Lillywhite.

Thirty Seconds to Mars, Razorlight, and more

In September 2005, Lillywhite took connected the relation of Senior Vice-President of A&R astatine Columbia Records, wherever helium notably signed MGMT. 

However, his clip astatine the statement was brief, arsenic helium near astatine the extremity of 2006. 

He besides signed Razorlight, and besides produced Jason Mraz's Mr. A-Z.

In 2012, Lillywhite reunited with Thirty Seconds to Mars, co-producing their 4th album, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, alongside histrion Jared Leto. 

Where is Steve Lillywhite now?

Lillywhite past ventured into the Japanese euphony country for the archetypal clip successful 2019, co-producing Luna Sea's medium Cross. 

In interviews, helium mentioned that he’s been semi-retired and surviving successful Indonesia for the past 5 years, present choosing to enactment lone with prime artists.

Lillywhite stayed successful the state and went connected to nutrient vocalist Iwan Fals, whom helium describes arsenic an Indonesian substance of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and an all-female band. 

He said: “One crushed I’m doing this: If you tin empower women successful Muslim countries, it’s great.

“There are acheronian forces and fundamentalism successful each religion, and women are the cardinal to keeping that fundamentalism away.”