On This Day

Recording Engineers in History

Music Industry: Album Cover Artists - Billboard Magazine and Charts - Mastering Engineers - Music Critics - Music Directors - Music Journalists - Music Managers - Music Producers - Music Promoters - Music Publishers - Music Teachers - Music Theorists - Musical Instrument Inventors - Musicologists

Birthdays in Music

  • 1653-03-25 Joseph Sauveur, French mathematician, physicist and sound engineer who coined the name acoustics for the study of sound from the ancient Greek word ακουστός, meaning "able to be heard", born in La Flèche, France (d. 1716)
  • 1905-12-02 Moses Asch, Polish-American recording engineer (founder of Folkways Records), born in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1986) [1]
  • 1909-05-06 Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor ("Sig Alert" for traffic and emergency notices), born in Stigler, Oklahoma (d. 2004)
  • 1921-12-30 Lillian McMurry (née Shedd), American blues producer, audio engineer, and record label owner (Trumpet Records - Sonny Boy Williamson II; Elmore James), born in Purvis, Mississippi (d. 1999) [1]
  • 1923-02-22 Norman "Hurricane" Smith, British sound engineer (The Beatles, 1962-65), producer (Pink Floyd; The Pretty Things), and musician ("Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?"; "Don't Let It Die"), born in Edmonton, London (d. 2008)
  • 1924-07-22 Bill Perkins, American cool jazz tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Stan Kenton; Bud Shank; The Tonight Show Band, 1970-82), and recording engineer, born in San Francisco, California, (d. 2003)
  • 1924-11-02 Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2016)
  • 1925-10-20 Tom Dowd, American recording engineer and producer (innovator of multitrack recording), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2002)
  • 1926-05-31 (Heinz) "Henry" Lewy, German-American sound engineer and record producer (Joni Mitchell; Leonard Cohen; Neil Young; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Stephen Bishop; Judee Sill; The Monkees), born in Magdeburg, Germany (d. 2006)
  • 1927-03-31 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
  • 1928-05-08 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), born in New York City (d. 2008)
  • 1929-02-21 Henry Kloss, American audio engineer (acoustic loudspeaker), born in Altoona, Pennsylvania (d. 2002)
  • 1929-11-02 Amar Bose, American electrical engineer, academic (M.I.T.), sound engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur (Bose Corporation), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
  • 1930-04-17 Albert "Al" Schmitt, American Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and record producer (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2021) [1]
  • 1930-07-29 Jim Stewart, American audio engineer, producer, and record label co-founder (Stax), born in Middleton, Tennessee (d. 2022) [1]
  • 1933-03-18 Dayton "Bones" Howe, American record producer and sound engineer (The 5th Dimension; The Association; Tom Waits), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1934-09-23 Joe Tarsia, American audio engineer and studio owner (Sigma Sound Studio), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2022) [1]
  • 1935-01-19 [Augustus] Owsley Stanley III, American audio engineer and LSD cook who worked with the Grateful Dead, born in Kentucky (d. 2011)
  • 1936-01-07 Richard Podolor, American session guitarist, sound engineer, and record producer (Three Dog Night; Steppenwolf), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022)
  • 1936-08-31 Igor Zhukov, Russian pianist, conductor (Moscow Chamber Orchestra), and sound engineer, born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), Russia (d. 2018)
  • 1937-01-09 Malcolm Cecil, British jazz bassist, record producer, audio engineer, and electronic musician (Ronnie Scott; Blues Incorporated; TONTO's Expanding Head Band), born in London, England (d. 2021)
  • 1937-10-16 Emile Ford, St. Lucian pop singer (first Black male singer to top UK charts - "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?"), and sound engineer, born in Castries, St Lucia (d. 2016)
  • 1938-02-25 Ed Cobb, American pop vocalist (The Four Preps, 1956-66 - "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)"), songwriter ("Tainted Love"), sound engineer and producer, born in Honolulu, Hawaii (d. 1999)
  • 1939-03-28 Roy Cicala, American sound engineer (Record Plant Studios (NYC) - Jimi Hendrix; John Lennon; Frank Sinatra), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2014)
  • 1939-07-10 (John) "Fritz" Richmond, American folk musician (washtub bass and jug), and recording engineer, born in Newtown, Massachusetts (d. 2005) [1]
  • 1940-05-18 Mike Elliott, American jazz and session guitarist, and audio engineer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2005)
  • 1940-07-08 Joe B. Mauldin, American rock double-bass player (The Crickets), songwriter, and recording engineer (Gold Start Studios), born In Lubbock, Texas (d. 2015)
  • 1941-01-28 King Tubby [Osbourne Ruddock], Jamaican sound engineer and record producer, born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 1989)
  • 1941-09-05 Elliot Mazer, American audio engineer and record producer (Chubby Checker; Neil Young), born in New York City (d. 2021)
  • 1942-02-15 Glyn Johns, British recording engineer and producer (Eagles; The Who; Eric Clapton), born in Epsom, Surrey, England
  • 1942-04-19 Edwin "Eddie" Kramer, South African-British recording engineer, producer and photographer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Beatles), born in Cape Town, South Africa
  • 1942-09-08 Chuck Plotkin, American recording engineer and producer (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Orleans), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1943-02-13 Bill Szymczyk, American sound engineer, and record producer (The Eagles; Joe Walsh), born in Muskegon, Michigan
  • 1943-02-20 Eddy Offord, British audio engineer and record producer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Yes), born in the UK
  • 1943-06-25 Chris Huston, British-born recording engineer and guitarist, born in North Wales, England
  • 1944-09-03 Bill Price, British audio engineer (Tom Jones; Wings: Sparks; Elton John), and record producer (The Clash; Sex Pistols; Waterboys), born in England (d. 2016)
  • 1944-09-22 Roger Nichols, American recording engineer, producer and inventor (Steely Dan; John Denver), born in Oakland, California (d. 2011)
  • 1945-05-12 Keith Olsen, American rock record producer and sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac; Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station; Joe Walsh - The Confessor), born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (d. 2020)
  • 1945-12-05 Geoff Emerick, British sound engineer and record producer (Beatles; Elvis Costello), born in Crouch End, North London, England (d. 2018)
  • 1945-12-12 Alan Ward, English rock musician (Elton Motello), and audio engineer, born in Nottingham, England
  • 1946-11-22 Aston Barrett, Jamaican reggae bassist (Bob Marley & the Wailers - "I Shot the Sheriff"; Burning Spear), sound engineer, and producer, born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2024) [1]
  • 1947-01-13 Chris Thomas, British sound engineer and record producer (Beatles; Pink Floyd; Procol Harem; Elton John; The Pretenders), born in Brentford, Middlesex, England
  • 1947-07-04 Bill Schnee, American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning audio engineer (Steely Dan; Bette Midler; Natalie Cole), and music producer (Pablo Cruise; Huey Lewis; Boz Scaggs), born in Phoenix, Arizona
  • 1947-12-08 Geoff Daking, American rock drummer (Blue Magoos), audio engineer, and recording studio designer, born in the USA
  • 1948-07-11 Martin Rushent, British sound engineer (Gentle Giant; Shirley Bassey), and record producer (Buzzcocks; The Human League), born in Enfield, England (d. 2011)
  • 1948-10-30 Toby Scott, American audio engineer and sound mixer (Bruce Springsteen), born in California
  • 1948-12-20 Alan Parsons, British music producer (The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot) and recording engineer (The Dark Side of the Moon; Let it Be), born in London, England
  • 1948-12-27 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple ) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), born in Woking, Surrey, England (d. 2020)
  • 1949-04-09 Alex Sadkin, American audio engineer, and record producer (Grace Jones; Thompson Twins), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 1987)
  • 1949-06-25 Michael Barbiero, American disco and heavy metal sound engineer, mixer, record producer, and studio owner, born in New York City
  • 1949-08-25 (Reinhold) Mack, German audio engineer (Electric Light Orchestra) and record producer (Queen; Sparks), born in West Germany
  • 1949-10-23 John Leckie, British audio engineer and record producer (XTC; Muse; Stone Roses; Radiohead), born in Paddington, London, England
  • 1949-10-24 Mike D. Stone, American recording engineer (Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh, Bee Gees, America), born in the USA (d. 2017)
  • 1950-02-25 Emitt Rhodes, American rock singer-songwriter, musician (Merry-Go-Round), sound engineer, and record producer, born in Decatur, Illinois (d. 2020)
  • 1950-05-20 Andy Johns, British sound engineer (Rolling Stones; Led Zeppelin), and record producer (Free; Humble Pie; L.A. Guns), born in Epsom, Surrey, England (d. 2013)
  • 1950-06-16 Garry Roberts, Irish rock guitarist (Boomtown Rats - "I Don't Like Mondays"), and audio engineer, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2022)
  • 1951-03-18 Tret Fure, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, and audio engineer, born in Iowa
  • 1951-04-23 Rob Fraboni, American audio engineer, record producer (Bob Dylan, The Band, Joe Cocker, Donna the Buffalo), born in California
  • 1951-05-19 James Boyer, American audio engineer and record producer (Peter Cetera; Billy Joel; George Benson), born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
  • 1951-10-21 Thom Panunzio, American audio engineer (Bruce Springsteen; The Roches; Tom Petty, No Doubt), and record producer (Alice Cooper; Joan Jett; Iggy Pop), born in the USA
  • 1951-12-03 Chris Kimsey, British sound engineer and producer (Rolling Stones; Peter Frampton; Peter Tosh; Marillion), born in Battersea, London, England
  • 1952-05-31 Neil Dorfsman, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer and record producer (Dire Straits, Bruce Hornsby, Sting), born in New York City
  • 1952-07-06 Greg Ladanyi, Hungarian-American record producer and recording engineer, born in Elkhart, Indiana (d. 2009)
  • 1952-10-27 Bill Bottrell, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer, songwriter and record producer (Sheryl Crow; Shelby Lynne; Michael Jackson; Rosanne Cash), born in California
  • 1952-11-03 (Derek) "Del" Palmer, English session and touring bassist, and sound engineer (Kate Bush), born in Greenwich, England (d. 2024)
  • 1953-01-15 Bob Clearmountain, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer (Bruce Springsteen; Crowded House), and record producer (Bryan Adams; Bon Jovi), born in Connecticut
  • 1953-11-14 James Guthrie, English music producer and sound engineer (Pink Floyd), born in Edmonton, England
  • 1953-12-26 Henning Schmitz, German recording engineer and keyboardist (Kraftwerk, 1991-present), born in Wuppertal, Germany
  • 1954-03-10 Scott Litt, American sound engineer and record producer (Flaming Lips; R.E.M.), born in New York
  • 1954-05-28 George E Mahlberg, American astronomer (Mt Palomar/Mt Wilson, California, 1974-78), movie actor, sound engineer, and DJ (Dr. Cosmo), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2011)
  • 1955-01-07 Bruce Kaphan, American recording engineer, composer, session (American Music Club) and new age music (Hybrid) pedal steel guitar player, born in San Francisco, California
  • 1955-02-15 Hugh Padgham, British record producer and audio engineer (Phil Collins; The Police; Spandau Ballet), born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
  • 1956-04-19 Gary Langan, British sound engineer, record producer, and musician (The Art of Noise, 1983-86), born in Surrey, England
  • 1956-05-31 Fritz Hilpert, German electro-pop musician and sound engineer (Kraftwerk, 1987-2023), born in Amberg, West Germany
  • 1956-10-06 Mike Shipley, Australian audio engineer, and record producer of rock and country music (Paper Airplane), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2013)
  • 1957-11-14 Sean Slade, American sound engineer, record producer (Radiohead; Hole), and music educator, born in Lansing, Michigan
  • 1959-09-06 David Tickle, British audio engineer and record producer (Split Enz; Four Non-Blondes), born in Guildford, Surrey, England
  • 1960-03-05 Nicolas Launay, British record producer, composer and recording engineer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Arcade Fire; Kate Bush; Talking Heads), born in London, England
  • 1960-03-13 Stuart Sullivan, American audio engineer (Roky Erikson; Willie Nelson; Sublime), and recording studio owner, born in East Lansing, Michigan
  • 1960-06-30 Brendan O'Brien, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer and record producer (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Chris Cornell, and Bruce Springsteen), born in Atlanta, Georgia
  • 1960-08-16 Flood [Marc Ellis], British record producer and audio engineer, born in London, England
  • 1962-04-24 Rick Beato, American audio engineer, record producer, musician, songwriter, and educator, born in Rochester, New York
  • 1962-05-06 Adam Yellin, American sound engineer and record producer (The Ramones), born in New York City
  • 1962-07-15 Howard Gray, British audio engineer, and record producer (UB40; Apollo 440; Stealth Sonic Orchestra), born in Sydney, Australia
  • 1962-07-22 Steve Albini, American writer, recording engineer and musician (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac), born in Pasedena, California
  • 1962-10-04 Tim Palmer, British record producer and audio engineer (Tin Machine; Big Country; Tears For Fears; Robert Plant), born in North Shields, Englanda
  • 1962-10-20 Stuart Bruce, English recording engineer (Band Aid -"Do They Know It's Christmas?": Loreena McKennitt), born in Northolt, Middlesex, England
  • 1965-06-14 Trina Shoemaker, American mixer, record producer, and sound engineer (Queens of the Stone Age; Sheryl Crow), born in Joliet, Illinois
  • 1965-09-04 Greg Fidelman, American guitarist, sound engineer (Rick Rubin productions), and record producer (Metallica)
  • 1966-06-07 Eric Kretz, American rock drummer, Songwriter (Stone Temple Pilots - "Plush"), and sound engineer, born in San Jose, California
  • 1967-02-23 Chris Vrenna, American musician, producer, and sound engineer (Nine Inch Nails; Tweaker), born in Erie, Pennsylvania
  • 1968-01-01 Rick J. Jordan [Hendrik Stedler], German keyboardist, composer, producer, and audio engineer (Scooter, 1993-2014 - "Jumping All Over the World"), born in Hanover, West Germany
  • 1970-07-06 Frank Salvato II, American sound engineer, keyboardist, and songwriter, born in Camden, New Jersey
  • 1971-02-28 Nigel Godrich, British record producer, recording engineer, and musician (Radiohead; Thom Yorke; Atoms for Peace), born in Westminster, London
  • 1977-07-30 Finneas [O'Connell], American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, record producer, and audio engineer (Billie Eilish), born in Los Angeles, California

Weddings in Music

  • 1998-02-22 Singer-songwriter Tori Amos (34) weds British sound engineer Mark Hawley (34) in West Wycombe, England

Deaths in Music

  • 1716-07-09 Joseph Sauveur, French mathematician, physicist and sound engineer who coined the name acoustics for the study of sound from the ancient Greek word ακουστός, meaning "able to be heard", dies at 63
  • 1967-02-03 Joe Meek, English record producer and influential sound engineer (Telstar), commits suicide at 37
  • 1986-10-19 Moses Asch, Polish-American recording engineer (founder of Folkways Records), dies at 81 [1]
  • 1987-07-25 Alex Sadkin, American audio engineer, and record producer (Grace Jones; Thompson Twins), dies in a car crash in The Bahamas at 38
  • 1989-02-06 King Tubby [Osbourne Ruddock], Jamaican sound engineer and record producer, shot to death outside his home at 48
  • 1999-03-18 Lillian McMurry (née Shedd), American blues producer, audio engineer, and record label owner (Trumpet Records - Sonny Boy Williamson II; Elmore James), dies of a heart attack at 77 [1]
  • 1999-09-19 Ed Cobb, American pop vocalist (The Four Preps, 1956-66 -"26 Miles (Santa Catalina)"), songwriter ("Tainted Love"), sound engineer and producer, dies of leukemia at 61
  • 2002-01-31 Henry Kloss, American audio engineer (acoustic loudspeaker), dies at 73
  • 2002-10-27 Tom Dowd, American recording engineer and producer (innovator of multitrack recording), dies of emphysema at 77
  • 2003-08-10 Bill Perkins, American cool jazz tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Stan Kenton; Bud Shank; The Tonight Show Band, 1970-82), and recording engineer, dies of cancer at 79
  • 2004-06-02 Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor ("Sig Alert" for traffic and emergency notices), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 95
  • 2005-09-14 Mike Elliott, American jazz and session guitarist, and audio engineer, dies at 65
  • 2005-11-23 (John) "Fritz" Richmond, American folk musician (washtub bass and jug), and recording engineer, dies of lung cancer at 66 [1]
  • 2006-04-08 (Heinz) "Henry" Lewy, German-American sound engineer and record producer (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Stephen Bishop, Judee Sill, The Monkees), dies at 79
  • 2007-08-15 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, dies at 80
  • 2008-03-03 Norman "Hurricane" Smith, British sound engineer (The Beatles, 1962-65), producer (Pink Floyd; The Pretty Things), and musician ("Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?"; "Don't Let It Die"), dies at 85
  • 2008-05-08 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), dies of emphysema on his 80th birthday
  • 2008-08-21 "Huckle" Jerry Finn, American sound engineer and record producer (Blink-182), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage and heart attack at 39
  • 2009-09-29 Greg Ladanyi, Hungarian-American record producer and recording engineer, dies of injuries sustained in a fall at 57
  • 2011-03-12 [Augustus] Owsley Stanley III, American audio engineer and LSD cook who worked with the Grateful Dead, dies in a car crash in Australia at 76
  • 2011-04-02 George E Mahlberg, American astronomer (Mt Palomar/Mt Wilson, California, 1974-78), movie actor, sound engineer, and DJ (Dr. Cosmo), dies at 56
  • 2011-04-09 Roger Nichols, American recording engineer, producer and inventor (Steely Dan; John Denver), dies of pancreatic cancer at 66
  • 2011-06-04 Martin Rushent, British sound engineer (Gentle Giant; Shirley Bassey), and record producer (Buzzcocks; The Human League), dies at 62
  • 2013-04-07 Andy Johns, British sound engineer and record producer (Humble Pie; Free; Joe Satriani), dies at 62
  • 2013-07-12 Amar Bose, American electrical engineer, academic (M.I.T.), sound engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur (Bose Corporation), dies at 83
  • 2013-07-25 Mike Shipley, Australian audio engineer, and record producer of rock and country music (Paper Airplane), dies of an apparent suicide at 56
  • 2014-01-22 Roy Cicala, American sound engineer (Record Plant Studios (NYC) - Jimi Hendrix; John Lennon; Frank Sinatra), dies at 74
  • 2015-02-07 Joe B. Mauldin, American rock double-bass player (The Crickets), songwriter, and recording engineer (Gold Start Studios), dies of cancer at 74
  • 2016-08-25 Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), dies at 91
  • 2016-12-22 Bill Price, British audio engineer (Tom Jones; Wings: Sparks; Elton John), and record producer (The Clash; Sex Pistols; Waterboys), dies of cancer at 72
  • 2017-12-03 Mike D. Stone, American recording engineer (Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh, Bee Gees, America), dies of lymphoma at 68
  • 2018-01-26 Igor Zhukov, Russian pianist, conductor (Moscow Chamber Orchestra), and sound engineer, dies at 80
  • 2018-10-02 Geoff Emerick, British sound engineer and record producer (Beatles; Elvis Costello), dies of a heart attack at 72
  • 2020-03-09 Keith Olsen, American rock record producer and sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac; Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station; Joe Walsh - The Confessor), dies of cardiac arrest at 74
  • 2020-07-19 Emitt Rhodes, American rock singer-songwriter, musician (Merry-Go-Round), sound engineer, and record producer, dies at 70
  • 2020-08-09 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), dies at 71 [1]
  • 2021-02-07 Elliot Mazer, American audio engineer and record producer (Chubby Checker; Neil Young), dies of a heart attack at 71
  • 2021-03-28 Malcolm Cecil, British jazz bassist, record producer, audio engineer and electronic musician (Ronnie Scott; Blues Incorporated; TONTO's Expanding Head Band), dies at 84
  • 2021-04-26 Albert "Al" Schmitt, American Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and record producer (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), dies at 91 [1] [2]
  • 2022-03-09 Richard Podolor, American session guitarist, sound engineer, and record producer (Three Dog Night; Steppenwolf), dies at 86
  • 2022-11-01 Joe Tarsia, American audio engineer and studio owner (Sigma Sound Studio), dies at 88 [1]
  • 2022-11-09 Garry Roberts, Irish rock guitarist (Boomtown Rats - "I Don't Like Mondays"), and audio engineer, dies at 72
  • 2022-12-06 Jim Stewart, American audio engineer, producer, and record label co-founder (Stax), dies at 92 [1]
  • 2024-01-05 (Derek) "Del" Palmer, English session and touring bassist, and sound engineer (Kate Bush), dies at 71
  • 2024-02-03 Aston Barrett, Jamaican reggae bassist (Bob Marley & the Wailers - "I Shot the Sheriff"; Burning Spear), sound engineer, and producer, dies of heart failure after a series of strokes at 77 [1]

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in music history.