Kit Lambert (May 11, 1935 – April 7, 1981) was a record producer and the manager for The Who. He was born as Christopher Sebastian Lambert and was the son of noted composer, Constant Lambert.
Lambert served in the British Army after studying at Oxford University. After his service, he returned to Britain and became assistant director for the films The Guns of Navarone and From Russia With Love. He and fellow director Chris Stamp decided to make a film that would feature an unknown pop group; the group that they chose was The High Numbers, who later became The Who. Lambert eventually abandoned the film and became The Who's manager. He replaced Shel Talmy as the group's producer in 1966.
Lambert convinced Pete Townshend to move away from simple songs on their earlier albums and to move on to more mature fare. This led to The Who to progress from the more quirky sound of The Who Sell Out to the deeper themes of Tommy.
The Who's success made Lambert slowly move away from the group. He was replaced as their producer in 1975. He went on to produce some early punk bands, but his drug abuse led to little success in the late 1970s. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling down the stairs of his mother's home in 1981.
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Last updated: 05-27-2005 18:15:03