Biography
Joe Thomas is a renowned concert film & television director and music producer. He has made an indelible mark on the music industry through four decades' worth of work with top artists and creation of unforgettable concert specials. Thomas has produced, co-produced and mixed sound for numerous Platinum and Gold Albums, CDs, and DVDs. Throughout his career, Thomas has collaborated with the biggest names in music, including: Stevie Nicks, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Brian Wilson, Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Chris Isaak, The Beach Boys, and many more.
In 1985, Thomas served as President and Co-Founder of River North Recorders, one of the largest full-service recording studios in the country. In addition, Thomas was president of a full-service recording label, River North Records. While president, Thomas was instrumental in signing among others: Peter Cetera, Alan Parsons, The Beach Boys, and Jim Messina along with signing and producing country music artists Holly Dunn, Steve Kolander, Ronna Reeves, and Steve Azar. During this time, Thomas also served as President of Platinum Entertainment which was named one of the fastest 500 Growing Companies by Inc. Magazine in 1996. Later that year, Thomas left to collaborate and co-produce Imagination, the third solo album by legendary artist, Brian Wilson, released on Giant Records. The first single from that album, "Your Imagination", was co-written by Thomas and became a top-ten adult contemporary hit. Imagination is Wilson's best-selling solo album to date.
In 2001, Thomas co-founded Kurtis HD Partners, along with renowned television journalist, Bill Kurtis, and Chicago radio personality, Steve Dahl. Kurtis HD Partners specialized in capturing footage utilizing the newly-emerging high-definition format. The following year, Thomas partnered with Dahl in a new company, HD Ready, and began co-producing a high-definition version of the classic PBS series, Soundstage, with WTTW Chicago. To date, Thomas has produced and directed over 100 episodes of the series.
In addition, Thomas has produced and directed a multitude high-profile concert specials for movie theaters and television, including: Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, Bon Jovi's Lost Highway: The Concert, Dave Matthews: Weekend on the Rocks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Live From Gainesville, Josh Groban - Bridges Live: Madison Square Garden, Faith Hill: Joy to the World, George Jones & Friends 50th Anniversary Tribute Concert, and The Rocky Mountain Way featuring Garth Brooks and Joe Walsh. Additionally, in 2009, Thomas directed and produced 13 episodes of the acclaimed concert series Front Row Center (later re-titled Front and Center).
In 2012, Thomas was instrumental in orchestrating the 50th reunion of the surviving Beach Boys - Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks. The reunion included the album That's Why God Made the Radio, which debuted at number 3 on the Top-200 Billboard charts. This was the highest-charting Beach Boys album since 1965. Thomas co-wrote all but one track on the album, and was highly involved in all aspects of production. The tour that followed spanned over 70 dates worldwide and was one of the highest-grossing tours of 2012. Two years later, Thomas co-produced and co-wrote with Brian Wilson the follow-up solo album, No Pier Pressure, along with the television special, Brian Wilson: Live from the Venetian Theatre, featuring an array of exciting guest artists, including Nate Ruess of Fun, Zooey Deschanel, and multi Grammy-award winner, Kacey Musgraves.
In 2014, Thomas signed on as Senior VP of Audio/Visual at BMG Music. He continues to work with many of the major artists from past collaborations as well as some of today's hottest stars, such as Josh Groban and Idina Menzel. Thomas still resides in Illinois and continues to produce and direct a number of projects, several of which are currently in production for 2020 - starring artists such as Chaka Khan, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Sammy Hagar, and the famed acapella group, Straight No Chaser.
