Sandy Roberton passed away on Monday, July 25, 2022, in London. He was 80.
Sandy Roberton born Alexander William Roberton was a British record producer and music business owner.
Roberton was born in 1942 in Scotland and raised in Kenya, where he was in a local beat group, Les Ombres. He moved to London in the mid-1960s and had a brief career as an artist before becoming a producer.
After heading the London offices of Chess Records publishing companies Arc Music, Regent Music and Jewel Music and subsequently Lowery Music, he formed his own company, September Productions, producing and/or managing such artists as The Liverpool Scene, Tim Hart & Maddy Prior, Ian (now Iain) Matthews, Plainsong, John Martyn, Shirley Collins, Marc Ellington and Steeleye Span, producing the latter’s first three LPs. He also formed Rockburgh Records, releasing material by acts including Matthews, Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons and Wilko Johnson.
Roberton formed Worlds End Producer Management with Paul Brown in 1980, becoming the sole owner five years later, moving its base to Los Angeles. During the ’90s and early 2000s, Worlds End handled the careers of more than 75 producers. The company and sister label Beverly Martel is still in operation.
In 2006, Roberton partnered with his daughter, Niki Roberton, on indie Iamsound Records, which released records for acts including Florence and the Machine, Lord Huron, Little Boots, Telepathe, Charli XCX and Nikki Lane.
Sandy Roberton’s funeral arrangement is yet to be announced by the family.