Robin Millar

He is currently Chairman of Chrysalis Records Ltd and Blue Raincoat Music, who handle the careers of Cigarettes After Sex and Phoebe Bridgers and the music recordings of Ultravox, Sinead O’Connor, The Specials, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol's Generation X and Everything But The Girl and a song catalogue that includes ‘The Best’ global hit sung by Tina Turner and music from the original Woodstock Festival.

In July 2017 Millar became a founder trustee of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Millar appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 20 March 2015.

He has worked as a fundraiser for vulnerable people for 30 years and in March 2012 Millar underwent a 12-hour operation to install a bionic retina in his right eye to help research into future treatment for blindness.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.

Millar was executive producer of the major worldwide series of concerts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Édith Piaf, with shows in Carnegie Hall, New York, The Royal Albert Hall London and major venues in France, Germany, Russia, Europe and the Far East. He has been collaborating with Australian singer/songwriter Eran James whom he met through Elton John in 2010.

In 2005, he produced MP4's EP album "House Music" which included a version of The Beatles', "Can't Buy Me Love". In 2010 he produced the 12 track MP4 album "Cross Party". In 2016 he brought together MPs, professional musicians, students and the Thurrock Community Chorus for a charity recording of 'You can't always get what you want' in aid of the Friends of Jo Cox MP .

Production on other significant hit records in the period include Fine Young Cannibals (Fine Young Cannibals), Colin Hay (Looking for Jack), Big Country (The Seer), Patricia Kaas (Je te dis vous), Kane Gang, Bhundu Boys and Randy Crawford amongst others. Millar arranged the music for the film, And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... Millar's song "Rich and Poor", co-composed with Colin Vearncombe, was recorded by Randy Crawford on her 1989 album, Rich and Poor. His 2003 solo album, Kiss and Tell was released by the Nujaz record label.

Millar is a patron of The Music Producers Guild, which he helped found in 1987.

After gaining his law degree, Millar moved into the music industry initially as a guitarist and artist in a band called The Blue Max alongside Danny Peyronel with Charisma Records , eventually putting out records with Atlantic and WEA and working with ex-Velvet Underground singer Nico. He found his niche as a record producer in the early 1980s when he started Power Plant Studios. Power Plant became the most fashionable haunt of the London 1980s music scene. After working with post punk band Weekend in 1982, his breakthrough came in 1984 with seven consecutive Top 10 albums; including Eden by Everything but the Girl, Working Nights by Working Week, and especially the multi-platinum selling Diamond Life by Sade.

He was married to American painter Ellen Trillas from 1979 to 1997. They had two children, Scarlett and Crusoe. He has been with his partner and long time friend Shelley Davies for twenty years.

Millar was born with retinitis pigmentosa at St George's Hospital, which is now The Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park Corner. Despite poor vision he attended mainstream state school Enfield Grammar School from 1963–70 and then read law at Queens' College, Cambridge from 1970–73.

Robin John Christian Millar, CBE (born 18 December 1951) is an English record producer, musician and businessman, known variously as 'The Original Smooth Operator', 'The man behind Sade', and 'Golden Ears' Boy George. Born in London to an Irish father and West Indian mother he has conquered blindness to become one of the world's most successful ever record producers with over 150 gold, silver and platinum discs and 55 million record sales to his credit. His 1984 production of Diamond Life, the debut album by Sade, was named one of the best ten albums of the last 30 years at the 2011 Brit Awards.