Biography[edit]

Born in Bristol, Hooper began his career in 1982 as a percussionist and backing vocalist with Bristol post-punk band Maximum Joy. He later became a DJ as a member of The Wild Bunch, the Bristol-based sound system and group that became Massive Attack.^[2]


Between 1989 and 1992, he produced albums for Soul II Soul (Club Classics Vol. I), Sinéad O'Connor (I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got), and Björk's first outing (Debut),^[3] which in 1995 Mixmag magazine ranked the 31st and 3rd best dance albums of all time,^[4] as well as Massive Attack's second album (Protection).


The 1995 BRIT Awards honoured Hooper as Best Producer for his work on Massive Attack's Protection, Björk's Post and Madonna's Bedtime Stories albums.^[5]


In 1998, he won a BAFTA Award (Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music) for his work arranging the score and soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.^[6]


In the late 1990s, Hooper set up the Meanwhile... label, which is a subsidiary of Virgin Records.^[7]


Hooper continued to work steadily into the 2000s. He received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for his work on No Doubt's Rock Steady and Lamya's Learning from Falling albums. His other work has included producing the singles "GoldenEye" (1995) for Tina Turner, "Under the Bridge" (1998) for All Saints and "Down Boy" (2002) for Holly Valance as well as providing remixes for artists like Janet Jackson and Sade.


He has worked with Gwen Stefani on her solo albums and on U2's 2004 release How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, for which he won a Grammy Award. He also produced the debut solo album of Andrea Corr of The Corrs, titled Ten Feet High, released on 25 June 2007.


Hooper produced the full-length debut album for Disney actress/singer Emily Osment, Fight Or Flight in 2010.^[8]


In 2011, Hooper produced Paloma Faith's Fall to Grace,^[9] nominated for two Brit awards for Best Female and Album of the Year.