| Boyd H. Jarvis | |
| Birth Name: | Boyd Henry Jarvis |
| Alias: | Boyd Jarvis |
| Birth Place: | New York City |
| Birth Date: | 26 October 1958 |
| Death Place: | East Orange, New Jersey |
| Instrument: | Vocals, synthesizer, keyboards |
| Genre: | Post-disco, garage house, dub, deep house, urban |
| Occupation: | Musician producer Remixer |
| Years Active: | 1981–2017 |
| Label: | Prelude, Wave Music, 4th & B'way Records |
| Past Member Of: | Timmy Regisford, Visual, Billie |
| Website: | |
Boyd H. Jarvis (October 26, 1958 – February 17, 2018)[1] was an American record producer, remixer and musician, best known for his song, co-written with Jason Smith, "The Music Got Me"; released in 1983 by Prelude Records. He has collaborated with artists such as Herbie Hancock, La Toya Jackson and Johnny Kemp.[2]
Boyd Jarvis started his career as an intern for renowned professor of Anthropology Pearl Primus, training under Sandra Ross in theater lighting and set design. He went on to design lighting for shows in Lincoln center, Perry Street theater, and Riverside church theater.
In 1981, Jervis started out playing music with his first synthesizer the Yamaha CS-15. He asked some local DJ's if he could take the synth to their club and jam over their music. They allowed him to do that and they loved it.[3] [4] One day DJ Timmy Regisford heard him, and asked to join him at some live DJ session to overdub and after that they started making music together at Regisford's house, with use of drum machines and reel to reel, which led to some remix jobs. Couple of his early instrumental tracks were called "One Love" and "Stomp" which ended up getting him a record deal for $5000.
His first official track, "Music Got Me" was released in 1983.[5]
He also hosted a radio show, Saturday Night Dance Party, on New York's WBLS with Regisford. Together they also produced and remixed records for many well known artists of the time such as Madonna, Sade and Chaka Khan, among others.
Jarvis worked as a session musician for John "Jellybean" Benitez, Wally Jump, Jr. & the Criminal Element, Colonel Abrams, Herbie Hancock, and dance-pop acts like Club Nouveau and Pretty Poison.[6] and as a producer and remixer he collaborated with Little Louie Vega and François Kevorkian.[7]
Jarvis has a label called CFX Records.
Jarvis was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. Prior to his passing on February 17, 2018, he resided in New Jersey with his wife.[8]
In 1993, Jarvis sued Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory for copyright infringement over their song "Get Dumb", which illegally (by sampling a sound recording without authorization) incorporates parts of "The Music Got Me".[9] Jarvis v. A & M Records was one of the first cases involving digital sampling.[10] "Get Dumb! (Free Your Body)" was recorded and released under names 'The Crew (featuring Freedom Williams)' and 'Seduction'. Multiple versions were released by Vendetta Records (sublabel of A&M Records).
"Get Dumb", written by Cole and Clivilles, incorporated elements of "The Music Got Me", most noticeably a distinctive keyboard riff and the bridge section composed of free your body sounds. Jarvis claimed that he has been damaged by $15 million, however he failed to demonstrate the amount of actual damages, which are measured by "[the] extent to which the market value of the copyrighted work at the time of infringement has been injured or destroyed by such infringement."[11] Total damage was estimated at $95,872, using the data from "Get Dumb" profits.[10]
| Year | Single | Label | Recorded by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "The Music Got Me" | Visual | |||
| 1983 | "Somehow, Someway" | Visual | |||
| 1984 | "Release The Tension" | Circuit | |||
| 1984 | " A Little Help (From My Friends)" | Circuit | |||
| 1985 | " Battles of the Beats" | Next Plateau Records Inc. | Boyd Jarvis | co-produced by Timmy Regisford | |
| 1985 | "One Love" | Supertronics | Janice Christie | co-produced by Timmy Regisford | |
| 1986 | "Central Line" | Fleetwood Records | Level 3 | Reissued and remixed in 2001 as Boyd Jarvis feat. Level 3 | |
| 1986 | "Hey Boy" | Supertronics | Tammy Lucas | Co-writer with Tammy Lucas. Co-produced with Timmy Regisford. | |
| 1986 | "Nobody's Business" | Fleetwood Records | Billie | Co-produced with Timmy Regisford. | |
| 1987 | "Love Reaction" | Minimal Records | React | Co-produced with Timmy Regisford. | |
| 1987 | "I've Got the Music" | Movin' Records | Before The Storm Featuring Boyd Jarvis | ||
| 1991 | "Blink Blink" | Movin' Records | Boyd Jarvis At Last | ||
| 1997 | "Stomp" | Novus/Cisco | Instrumental version of Visual's 'The Musics Got Me | ||
| 1997 | "Tribal Juice" | Jazz Club Records | Nyles-Jarvis Project | ||
| 1997 | "We Can work It Out" | Jazz Club Records | Nyles-Jarvis Project | ||
| 1997 | "Love and Respect" | Maxi Records | Carlos Sanchez Movement | ||
| 1997 | "2000 Miles - A Tribute to Miles Davis" | Jazz Club Records | Jazz Explosion | ||
| 1998 | "It's You" | Lifeline Records | Level 3 | ||
| 1999 | "Alibokolijah" | Shelter | Boyd Jarvis | ||
| 1999 | "Dis Poem" | Guidance Recordings | Mutabaruka | Co-produced with Joe Claussell. | |
| 1999 | "Right Size" | U.N.I.T.Y Records | Boyd Jarvis | ||
| 2000 | "Elements" (EP) | Dance Tracks | Boyd Jarvis | ||
| 2000 | "Atmos-Fear" | Boyd Jarvis | |||
| 2000 | "Jazz Funeral" | Guidance Recordings | Joe Claussell & Chuck Perkins | ||
| 2001 | "Sunny Days" | Boyd Jarvis | |||
| 2002 | "Don't Deny Love" | King Street Sounds | Boyd Jarvis | ||
| 2004 | "Keep It Moving" | Trax Records | Boyd Jarvis | ||
| Year | Single | Label | Recorded by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "I Got a Song For You" | Half Moon Records | Free Russell | Mixed by Boyd Jarvis and Timmy Regisford |
| 1984 | "Sidewalk Talk" | EMI America | Jellybean | Synthesizer |
| 1984 | "On the Floor" | Half Moon Records | Tony Cook & The Party People | Remix |
| 1985 | "Can't Wait Until Tomorrow" | Cootillion | Johnny Gill | Remix |
| 1988 | "A.C." | MCA Records | The Crusaders | |
| 1988 | "Don't Be Cruel" | Bobby Brown | ||
| 1988 | "You Laid Your Love on Me" | Motown | Gerald Alston | Additional overdubs |
| 1988 | "Secret Rendezvous" | Warner Bros. Records | Karyn White | Programming |
| 1988 | "Lovin' on Next to Nothin' | MCA Records | Gladys Knight & The Pips | |
| 1988 | "Beat Wise" | Columbia | Herbie Hancock | Keyboards |
| 1988 | "Wonderful' | Reprise Records | Rick James | Keyboard Programming |
| 1988 | "Stop It" (LP) | EMI-Manhattan | Evelyn King | Bass |
| 1988 | "Watching You" | Virgin Records | Loose Ends | Keyboards |
| 1988 | "Dancin' with Myself" | Columbia Records | Johnny Kemp | Additional production |
| 1988 | "Addicted to You" | ATCO Records | LeVert | Co-producer (overdubs) |
| 1989 | "That's the Way Love Is" | Atlantic | Ten City | Mixed by |
| 1989 | "" (LP) | Virgin Records | Chaka Khan | Keyboard Programming |
| 1994 | "I Get Lifted" | Strictly Rhythm | Barabara Tucker | Keyboards |
| 1997 | "Lost and Found" | Columbia | D*Note | Programming, arranging |
| 1998 | "Innerside" | Columbia | Shazz | Remix |
| 2001 | "Speak To Me Lord" | Estereo | Roland Clark | Remix |
| 2001 | "London Lowdown" | Spiritual Life Music | Ronny Jordan | Keyboards |
| 2001 | "Dan Gna" | Les Go | Keyboards | |
| 2001 | "Touch" | Wave Records | Milk & Honey | Engineer & Remix |