Tony Cohen, the ARIA award-winning producer, known for his work with The Birthday Party, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and The Beasts Of Bourbon, has passed away, aged 60.
The news was broken by Tony’s brother Martin, who took to Facebook yesterday to share the sad news. “Just arrived home to learn that my only sibling, my older brother Tony Cohen, passed away peacefully in Dandenong Hospital this afternoon. He turned 60 in June this year.”
“Tony was a legend of Australian music shaping the industry and many of the best artists to come out of Australia including Nick Cave and the Cruel Sea,” he continued “He won 3 ARIA’s in the 1990’s for producing and engineering and was featured on several documatraies (sic) on the history of Australian music including Long Way To The Top.”
“As brothers we were like chalk and cheese. But, I loved him and fully respect what he achieved in his career. He was technically brilliant, but also a caring, big-hearted man. He sometimes frustrated me belong (sic) belief, but I will miss him for the rest of my days.”
Starting his career in the ’70s with the debut record from glam-rockers Supernaut, he managed to make a name for himself thanks to the beginning of a professional relationship with Nick Cave and his band The Boys Next Door, who soon renamed themselves The Birthday Party. Cohen would go on to produce all of of The Birthday Party’s records, and the vast majority of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ work up until 2001.
Tony Cohen went on to produce countless records during his career, including highly influential albums for diverse artists such as Kim Salmon, Tex Perkins, Dave Graney, Powderfinger, The Blackeyed Susans and Frenzal Rhomb. Cohen also won three ARIA awards during his career, including Producer Of The Year in 1994 for his work The Cruel Sea’s The Honeymoon Is Over, and then Producer and Engineer Of The Year at the following year’s ceremony. He also received a further nomination for his work with TISM and their track ‘Get Thee To A Nunnery’.
Check out a profile on Tony Cohen’s legendary production work, thanks to the SBS TV show Nomad, below.
