Nicholas J. Martinelli (born 5 July 1952) is an American R&B and pop record producer. During the 1980s he worked with many R&B and pop music artists, some of them based in the UK. Acts he has worked with include Loose Ends, Phyllis Hyman, Five Star, Stephanie Mills and Regina Belle. Early history Martinelli cut his teeth as a teenager in 1969 in the Chips warehouse, an independent record distributor for Motown. He was promoted to warehouse manager as he developed an understanding of distribution and retail sales. In 1977, Motown rewarded Nick's diligence by giving him additional responsibilities handling dance promotion for the Northeast region covering the territory from New York to Washington. It was in the clubs that Martinelli found an outlet to express himself creatively—behind the turntables. In 1978, WMOT Records hired him for a national sales position, transitioning to an A&R position a year later. This enabled him to sign and develop new talent on the Philadelphia scene at the time. Influenced by "The Sound of Philadelphia", Martinelli credits Dexter Wansel for his technical studio training. Although Martinelli and WMOT did well in America with Frankie Smith's "Double Dutch Bus," it took a trip overseas for him to create a niche with his production style; he produced "Act Like You Know" and co-produced "Zoom" for Fat Larry's Band, and it rose to the top of the British pop singles chart in 1982. Martinelli then spent two years remixing many hits for various artists, including the Ray Parker Jr. hit, "Ghostbusters". Martinelli is also produced and mixed a record by seminal female rapper Lady B called "To the Beat Y'all". The music was actually from another song that Martinelli produced, "Everybody Here Must Party" by the sibling girl group Direct Current. It peaked at number 21 on Billboard's Disco Chart in April 1979. 1980s Martinelli is perhaps best known for working with the successful English R&B band Loose Ends during the mid-1980s when he produced two of their all-time biggest-selling albums, So Where Are You? in 1985 and Zagora in 1986. So Where Are You? included Loose Ends' biggest hit to date, "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Zagora featured another highly successful hit, "Slow Down," which also reached number one on the same chart. He also worked with members of Loose Ends on Five Star's debut