by Jason AnkenyBetter known as the frontman of the British pop group the Lightning Seeds, Ian Broudie was also among the most successful producers of the post-punk era. Born August 4, 1958 in Liverpool, England, Broudie first emerged as a member of Big in Japan, a product of the same scene which gave rise to Echo & the Bunnymen, the Teardrop Explodes and Icicle Works. After Big in Japan split in 1979, Broudie followed a brief tenure in the Original Mirrors by producing the first two Bunnymen LPs, Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here, as well as work by the Fall, Wah! and Frazier Chorus. After briefly returning to performing as one half of the duo Care, he later led the Lightning Seeds, essentially a solo project fleshed out by studio musicians; the single "Pure," from their 1989 debut Cloudcuckooland, was an international hit. In the years to follow Broudie alternated between performing and producing, also helming records by acts like the Primitives, Sleeper, Alison Moyet and the Frank & Walters.