Gardner Cole

Gardner Cole wrote (or co-wrote) several hits in the 80's- most notable were Top 40 hits for Madonna ("Open Your Heart"), Jody Watley ("Most Of All"), and Times Two ("Strange But True"). A producer and multi-instrumentalist, he also worked with Julie Brown, Nick Kamen, El DeBarge, Amy Grant, Giant Steps, Vanity, Brenda Russell, Al Jarreau, Vonda Shepard, Michael McDonald, Elisa Fiorillo, Tom Jones, and The Party (among others.) Gardner released two solo albums for Warner Bros. Records: Triangles (in 1988) which featured the Billboard Hot 100 single "Live It Up", and "It's Your Life" (in 1991). Later Gardner collaborated with producer Markus Mitchell for Mpath, which blended classical and Indian folk music elements with Western melodies and subtle pop sensibilities.