The Producers

The Producers is a new wave and power pop band from Atlanta, Georgia. The original line up included Van Temple on guitar and vocals, former Whiteface member Kyle Henderson on bass and vocals, former Billy Joe Royal sideman Wayne Famous (Wayne McNatt) on keyboards, and Bryan Holmes on drums. History Originally formed as a Beatles cover band named Cartoon, they changed musical directions and began performing their own material in nightclubs around the Atlanta area. The response to their music was so good that they were quickly signed to Columbia Records subsidiary Portrait Records by producer Tom Werman, who had worked with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon and Mother's Finest. They released two albums for the Portrait label: The Producers (1981) and You Make the Heat (1982). The Producers became a regional favorite in the southeastern United States, propelling "What She Does to Me" onto the national Billboard Magazine singles charts. "What's He Got", "Certain Kinda Girl", and "Who Do You Think You Are" had some popularity as music videos on MTV, but did not chart. The band toured extensively in the early 1980s, opening for Cheap Trick and The Motels. "She Sheila" from their second album was also a popular MTV video. They headlined MTV's New Year's Rockin Eve broadcast in 1982. The balding keyboardist Wayne Famous had the goofy, comedic stage presence to contrast with the other rock stars in the band, similar to Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Years ahead of the keytar, he modified the keyboard of an Oberheim OB-X with straps to hold it around his neck allowing him to do a dorky dance center stage. His own invention, he used an umbilical cable to communicate with the remaining electronics off stage, frequently repairing his contraption on stage. Discography