Fairbairn was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999. His most successful productions are "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey" by Bon Jovi, "Permanent Vacation", "Pump", and "Get a Grip" by Aerosmith, "The Razors Edge" by AC/DC, and "Balance" by Van Halen, each of which sold at least five million copies. He was a trumpet player, then started a career as a record producer for the Canadian rock band Prism. He won the Canadian music industry Producer of the Year Juno Award three times. He produced albums for many well-known international artists such as Loverboy, Blue Öyster Cult, Bon Jovi, Poison, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Scorpions, Van Halen, Chicago, The Cranberries, INXS, Kiss and Yes.