Patrick Cowley

Patrick Joseph Cowley (October 19, 1950 - November 12, 1982) was a musician and record producer based in San Francisco, known as an early pioneer of electronic dance music, particularly in the HI-NRG and experimental genres.

Cowley grew up in upstate New York, where he participated in local rock bands and pursued an English degree at the University of Buffalo. After relocating to the Bay Area, he pursued an intensive study of the synthesizer at San Francisco City College.

His recording career launched when he joined San Francisco artist Sylvester in the studio, after Sylvester was impressed with Cowley's innovative synthesizer techniques. This collaboration resulted in the album "Step II," which brought Sylvester international fame. The album also secured Cowley a role as a back-up musician on Sylvester's subsequent world tour.

Staying closely connected with the San Francisco club scene, Cowley eventually teamed up with producer Marty Blecman to establish Megatone Records in the summer of 1981. Their partnership led to Cowley creating a successful dance-oriented 12" single that paved the way for his award-winning "Megatron Man" LP.

During the production of his latest album, Cowley also wrote and produced the hit dance single "Right on Target" for San Francisco artist Paul Parker, which reached #1 on Billboard's Disco Charts. Around the same time, he reunited with Sylvester to produce the chart-topping "Do You Wanna Funk," also released on the Megatone label.

Patrick Cowley passed away due to complications from AIDS in 1982.