Tommy Newton, Stuttgart-born producer, engineer, and six-string troublemaker who helped German hard rock sound bigger than its budget. After early miles with Pancake (1974-?) and Sphinx (to 1981), he joined Fargo (1981-1984) and then co-founded Victory, playing and shaping that machine from 1984-1996 and again 2003-2011. His producer breakthrough landed with Helloween's "Keeper of the Seven Keys" Parts I & II (1987-1988), records credited with million-plus sales. After a USA stint in 1990, he built Stairway to Heaven (1993) and later ran Area 51 Recording Studios in Wathlingen still the kind of control-room muscle you hear before you see.