Worlds End Management's Sandy Roberton, Noted Producer, Manager, Passes 

Sandy Roberton (Photo: Worlds End Management)

SANDY ROBERTON, a producer and manager who worked with artists, including STEELEYE SPAN to THE MATRIX, died MONDAY in a hospital near LONDON.  Neither age nor cause was announced. 

The SCOTTISH-born ROBERTON moved to LOS ANGELES in the mid-'80s after a successful career producing records and managing artists in LONDON in the '70s, launching his WORLDS END MANAGEMENT COMPANY, representing producers STEPHEN LIPSON, LARRY KLEIN, BRAD WOOD, STEPHEN HAGUE, TED HUFF and others.  

ROBERTON started as a performer in the mid-'80s as part of the duo RICK AND SANDY, releasing solo singles under the names SANDY and LUCIEN ALEXANDER before becoming a producer of acts like JOHN MARTYN, IAIN MATTHEWS, THE CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND and others. He produced folk-rock band STEELEYE SPAN's first three albums.

In L.A., WORLDS END made its name representing successful producers like THE MATRIX, the made up of LAUREN CHRISTY, GRAHAM EDWARDS and SCOTT SPOCK, which became renowned after producing AVRIL LAVIGNE's debut album in 2002, going on to work with BRITNEY SPEARS, SHAKIRA, KORN and LIZ PHAIR. 

CHRISTY told VARIETY, “SANDY had a long and successful career in production and management before he suggested GRAHAM and I (who were both nearing the end of our careers as recording artists) team up with SCOTT and form a songwriting and production team. The idea changed all of our lives. He worked us nonstop: sending artist after artist to our dingy studio in CULVERY CITY until finally he suggested we try our luck writing a song for CHRISTINA AGUILERA's CHRISTMAS album. That was our first cut, and the rest is pop history."

ROBERTON was raised in KENYA and moved into the music business shortly after his family moved to LONDON when he was in his mid-teens. He joined up with TOM SPRINGFIELD, the brother of DUSTY, to form TOM & DUSTY, which recorded singles for DECCAand MERCYRT. As a solo artist, he released a cover of NEIL DIAMOND's “Solitary Man” for COLUMBIA, as SANDY, and BOB DYLAN’s “Baby, You’ve Been on My Mind” as LUCIEN ALEXANDER for POLYDOR.

After turning to the business side, SANDY worked for CHESS RECORDS’ publishing companies in EUROPE as well as LOWERY MUSIC and BLUE HORIZON RECORDS. Later he formed his own companies, SEPTEMBER PRODUCTIONS and ROCKBURGH RECORDS, where he worked with acts like JO JO ZEP & THE FALCONS, WILCO JOHNSON, FINCH, ROBIN SCOTT, and others. 

ROBERTON's daughter NIKI ROBERTON was a co-founder of IAMSOUND RECORDS, a label whose releases included FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, LORD HURON and NIKKI LANE.

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