Kevin Shirley (born 1960), also known as The Caveman, is a South African music producer, engineer, audio mixer, and musician. He has produced and engineered music for many artists, including Rush , Silverchair, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Angels, and Cold Chisel. As of 2023 he is a musician in Jimmy Barnes' supergroup, releasing a self-titled album in 2023.

Early life and education

Kevin John Shirley was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. whose singer was Brian Davidson (from Freedoms Children).

In March 2023, Jimmy Barnes announced the formation of supergroup The Barnestormers, featuring Barnes, Chris Cheney, Slim Jim Phantom, Jools Holland, and Kevin Shirley. A self-titled album was released on 26 May 2023.

Shirley produced Elly-May Barnes' first solo single, He is described as a "dear friend", and is credited as a musician on her first album, No Good, released in April 2024.

Other groups

Shirley has also produced music for The Black Crowes, Journey, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, Dream Theater, Jimmy Barnes, Cold Chisel, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Springbok Nude Girls, All Night Radio, Mr. Big, and Europe.

Selected discography

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year

! Album details

! Role

! Source

|-

|1984

|The Council — Rising

  • Release date: 1984
  • Label: Mountain Records

|Guitarist, production, engineering

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|1988

|Tony Johns — The Way I Live

Rock City Promotions PTY. LTD. Confidential Records.

|Production, Engineering, mixing

|

|-

| rowspan="4" | 1990

| Winston Mankunku Ngozi — Crossroads

  • Label: Pro-Arte Records

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| The Black Crowes — Shake Your Money Maker

  • Release date: February 1990
  • Label: Def American

| Re-mix for Sho'Nuff boxset

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|Big Sky — Waiting for the Dawn

  • Release date: August 1990
  • Label: Gallo Records

|Production, engineering, composer

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Lime Spiders — Beethoven's Fist

  • Release date: 17 October 1990
  • Label: Virgin Records

| Engineering, production

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| 1991

| Peter Wells — Everything You Like Tries to Kill You

  • Label: Zoo Entertainment

| Production, engineering mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=2 | 1992

| Baby Animals — Baby Animals

  • Release date: February 1992
  • Label: Imago

| Engineering

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| The Black Crowes — The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

  • Release date: 12 May 1992
  • Label: Def American

| Re-mix for Sho'Nuff boxset

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=2 | 1993

| Billy Squier — Tell the Truth

  • Release date: 27 April 1993
  • Label: Capitol

| Engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Rush — Counterparts

  • Release date: 19 October 1993
  • Label: Atlantic/Anthem

| Engineering

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=2 | 1994

| Olivia Newton-John — Gaia: One Woman's Journey

  • Label: Festival

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Material Issue — Freak City Soundtrack

  • Release date: 8 March 1994
  • Label: Mercury

| Engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=2 | 1995

| Silverchair — Frogstomp

  • Release date: 27 March 1995
  • Label: Murmur

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Ammonia — Mint 400

  • Release date: 16 October 1995
  • Label: Murmur/Epic

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=3 | 1996

| Hoodoo Gurus — Blue Cave

  • Release date: May 1996
  • Label: Mushroom/True North/Zoo

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Divinyls — Underworld

  • Release date: 11 November 1996
  • Label: BMG

| Engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Journey — Trial by Fire

  • Release date: 22 November 1996
  • Label: Columbia

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=3 | 1997

| Aerosmith — Nine Lives

  • Release date: 18 March 1997
  • Label: Columbia

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Falling into Infinity

  • Release date: 23 September 1997
  • Label: EastWest

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Jackyl — Cut the Crap

  • Release date: 14 October 1997
  • Label: Epic

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=6 | 1998

| The Angels — Skin & Bone

  • Release date: March 1998
  • Label: Liberation Music

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Liquid Tension Experiment — Liquid Tension Experiment

  • Release date: 10 March 1998
  • Label: Magna Carta

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Journey — Greatest Hits Live

  • Release date: 24 March 1998
  • Label: Columbia

| Production, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Rocket from the Crypt — RFTC

  • Release date: 2 June 1998
  • Label: Interscope

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Cold Chisel — The Last Wave of Summer

  • Release date: 25 August 1998
  • Label: Mushroom

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Once in a LIVEtime

  • Release date: 27 October 1998
  • Label: EastWest

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan="11" | 1999

| The Black Crowes — By Your Side

  • Release date: 12 January 1999
  • Label: Columbia

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Silverchair — Neon Ballroom

  • Release date: 8 March 1999
  • Label: Sony/Murmur

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Buck-O-Nine — Libido

  • Release date: 16 March 1999
  • Label: TVT

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Liquid Tension Experiment — Liquid Tension Experiment 2

  • Release date: 15 June 1999
  • Label: Magna Carta

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Amanda Marshall — Tuesday's Child

  • Release date: 22 June 1999
  • Label: Sony/Epic

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| doubleDrive — 1000 Yard Stare

  • Release date: 17 August 1999
  • Label: MCA

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Our Lady Peace — Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch

  • Release date: 21 September 1999
  • Label: Columbia

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|Big Sky — Best of the Decade

  • Release date: 4 October 1999
  • Label: Epic

|Production: compilation

Production, engineering, mixing: "Destiny", "Skin Deep"

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Billionaire — Ascension

  • Release date: 19 October 1999
  • Label: Slash

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory

  • Release date: 26 October 1999
  • Label: Elektra

| Mixing (tracks 2–8, 11)

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Little Steven — Born Again Savage

  • Release date: 30 November 1999
  • Label: Pachyderm

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2000

| Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes — Live at the Greek

  • Release date: 29 February 2000
  • Label: TVT

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| The Unband — Retarder

  • Release date: 7 March 2000
  • Label: TVT

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Satriani — Engines of Creation

  • Release date: 14 March 2000
  • Label: Epic

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Brave New World

  • Release date: 29 May 2000
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Tidewater Grain — Here on the Outside

  • Release date: 12 September 2000
  • Label: RuffNation

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2001

| Journey — Arrival

  • Release date: 3 April 2001
  • Label: Columbia

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Bodyjar — How It Works

  • Release date: 10 July 2001
  • Label: Capitol

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| HIM — Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights

  • Release date: 27 August 2001
  • Label: BMG

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Live Scenes from New York

  • Release date: 11 September 2001
  • Label: Elektra

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| SOiL — Scars

  • Release date: 11 September 2001
  • Label: J

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan="6" | 2002

| Silvertide — American Excess (EP)

  • Label: J

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

  • Release date: 29 January 2002
  • Label: Elektra

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Rock in Rio

  • Release date: 25 March 2002
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Neurotica — Neurotica

  • Release date: 25 June 2002
  • Label: SmackDown!

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|Steve Louw & Big Sky — Beyond The Blue

  • Release Date: 9 September 2002
  • Label: Sony

|Production, engineering, mixing

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Lordi — Get Heavy

  • Release date: 1 November 2002
  • Label: BMG Finland

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2003

| Span — Mass Distraction

  • Label: Interscope/Island

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Led Zeppelin — How the West Was Won

  • Release date: 27 May 2003
  • Label: Atlantic

| Engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Dance of Death

  • Release date: 2 September 2003
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Josh Ritter — Hello Starling

  • Release date: 9 September 2003
  • Label: V2

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Train of Thought

  • Release date: 11 November 2003
  • Label: Elektra

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=4 | 2004

| Silvertide — Show and Tell

  • Release date: 8 June 2004
  • Label: J

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Hurricane Party — Get This (EP)

  • Release date: 10 August 2004
  • Label: Sanctuary

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| New York Dolls — The Return of the New York Dolls: Live from Royal Festival Hall, 2004

  • Release date: 28 September 2004
  • Label: Attack

| Remixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Live at Budokan

  • Release date: 5 October 2004
  • Label: Atlantic

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2005

| Josh Ritter — 4 Songs Live (EP)

  • Release date: 22 February 2005
  • Label: V2

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Oz Noy — Ha!

  • Release date: 26 April 2005
  • Label: Magna Carta

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Supagroup — Rules

  • Release date: 31 May 2005
  • Label: Foodchain

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| After the Fall — Always Forever Now

  • Release date: 21 August 2005
  • Label: Festival Mushroom

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Death on the Road

  • Release date: 30 August 2005
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2006

| Soulphood — Liquid Dynamite

  • Release date: 17 January 2006
  • Label: Rock Lord

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Oliver Black — Live in Texas (EP)

  • Release date: 21 March 2006
  • Label: TVT

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — You & Me

  • Release date: 6 June 2006
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Black Stone Cherry — Black Stone Cherry

  • Release date: 18 July 2006
  • Label: Roadrunner

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — A Matter of Life and Death

  • Release date: 28 August 2006
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2007

| Kittie — Funeral for Yesterday

  • Release date: 20 February 2007
  • Label: Merovingian

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| The Mooney Suzuki — Have Mercy

  • Release date: 19 June 2007
  • Label: Elixia

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — Sloe Gin

  • Release date: 21 August 2007
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Oz Noy — Fuzzy

  • Release date: 11 September 2007
  • Label: Magna Carta

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Supagroup — Fire for Hire

  • Release date: 25 September 2007
  • Label: Foodchain

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|

|Big Sky — Trancas Canyon

  • Release date: April 2008
  • Label: Sony

|Production, engineering, mixing

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2008

| Jordan Zevon — Insides Out

  • Release date: 15 April 2008
  • Label: New West

| Engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Journey — Revelation

  • Release date: 3 June 2008
  • Label: Nomota/Frontiers

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Lauren Harris — Calm Before the Storm

  • Release date: 10 June 2008
  • Label: Demolition

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — Live from Nowhere in Particular

  • Release date: 19 August 2008
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Dream Theater — Chaos in Motion 2007–2008

  • Release date: 22 October 2008
  • Label: Roadrunner

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=4 | 2009

| Joe Bonamassa — The Ballad of John Henry

  • Release date: 24 February 2009
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Flight 666 – The Original Soundtrack

  • Release date: 22 May 2009
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — Live from the Royal Albert Hall

  • Release date: 22 September 2009
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Hollywood Undead — Desperate Measures

  • Release date: 10 November 2009
  • Label: A&M/Octone

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=4 | 2010

| Joe Bonamassa — Black Rock

  • Release date: 23 March 2010
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, photography

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — The Final Frontier

  • Release date: 13 August 2010
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Black Country Communion — Black Country

  • Release date: 20 September 2010
  • Label: Mascot/J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, lyricist, composer

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Mr. Big — What If...

  • Release date: 15 December 2010
  • Label: Frontiers/Victor

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=5 | 2011

| Joe Bonamassa — Dust Bowl

  • Release date: 22 March 2011
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer, photography

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Journey — Eclipse

  • Release date: 23 May 2011
  • Label: Nomota/Frontiers

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Black Country Communion — 2

  • Release date: 13 June 2011
  • Label: Mascot/J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer, liner notes

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| John Hiatt — Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns

  • Release date: 2 August 2011
  • Label: New West

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa — Don't Explain

  • Release date: 27 September 2011
  • Label: J&R Adventures/Mascot

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=9 | 2012

| Black Country Communion — Live Over Europe

  • Release date: 27 February 2012
  • Label: Mascot/J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer, liner notes

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — En Vivo!

  • Release date: 23 March 2012
  • Label: EMI

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — Driving Towards the Daylight

  • Release date: 22 May 2012
  • Label: J&R Adventures/Provogue

| Production, engineering, mixing, guitar, tambourine, toy piano, cowbell, percussion

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Robert Cray Band — Nothin but Love

  • Release date: 27 August 2012
  • Label: Provogue

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Joe Bonamassa — Beacon Theatre: Live from New York

  • Release date: 24 September 2012
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer, photography

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Steve Harris — British Lion

  • Release date: 24 September 2012
  • Label: EMI

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| John Hiatt — Mystic Pinball

  • Release date: 25 September 2012
  • Label: New West

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Beth Hart — Bang Bang Boom Boom

  • Release date: 16 October 2012
  • Label: Provogue/Mascot

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Black Country Communion — Afterglow

  • Release date: 29 October 2012
  • Label: Mascot/J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| rowspan=4 | 2013

| Joe Bonamassa — An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House

  • Release date: 25 March 2013
  • Label: J&R Adventures

| Production, engineering, mixing, composer

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Iron Maiden — Maiden England '88

  • Release date: 25 March 2013
  • Label: EMI

| Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa — Seesaw

  • Release date: 20 May 2013
  • Label: J&R Adventures/Mascot

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| Black Star Riders — All Hell Breaks Loose

  • Release date: 21 May 2013
  • Label: Nuclear Blast

| Production, engineering, mixing, percussion

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| 2015

| Iron Maiden — The Book of Souls

  • Release date: 4 September 2015
  • Label: Parlophone

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|2021

|Smith/Kotzen — Smith/Kotzen

  • Release date: 26 March 2021
  • Label: BMG

|Mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|2021

|Steve Louw — Headlight Dreams

  • Release date: 7 May 2021
  • Label: BFD / The Orchard

|Production, mixing

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

| 2021

| Iron Maiden — Senjutsu

  • Release date: 3 September 2021
  • Label: Parlophone

| Production, engineering, mixing

| style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|2022

|Steve Louw — Thunder and Rain

  • Release date: 11 November 2022
  • Label: BFD / The Orchard

|Production, mixing

|style="text-align:center;" |

|-

|2024

|Steve Louw — Between Time

  • Release date: 6 September 2024
  • Label: BFD / The Orchard

|Production, mixing

| style="text-align: center;" |

|-

|2026

|Steve Louw — Traces of the Flood

  • Release date: 15 May 2026
  • Label: BFD / The Orchard

|Production, mixing

| style="text-align: center;" |

|}

References

;General

  • Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
  • Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

;Specific

  • Caveman Productions
  • Video Interview