The Sound designers and engineers have often been underrated in the world of popular music artists. The process of making and releasing an album takes time, money and a group of quality people. Engineers and audio technicians are responsible for the quality of the record. But Behind any successful artist, there is usually a music producer. Coming from “old school,” here are some that are worth mentioning. There are, of course, a good supply of new producers hitting the scene that I will cover in a future article.
David Walter Foster, (born November 1, 1949), is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, songwriter, and arranger. He has been a producer for musicians including Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Michael Bublé, Chicago, Natalie Cole, The Corrs, Céline Dion, Jackie Evancho, Kenny G, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Kenny Rogers, Seal, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Westlife. Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. He is the chairman of Verve Records.
Nigel Godrich who produced Radiohead and Beck.
Mutt Lange some albums under his belt – AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and “Back in Black,” Def Leppard’s “Hysteria,” Nickelback’s “Dark Horse,” Foreigner’s “4,” and many more.
Brian Eno known as brilliant songwriter, musician, musical pioneer, he is also an amazing producer. Apart from his own records, Brian produced seven U2 records, including the legendary “The Joshua Tree,” along with albums by David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo, and many more.
Flemming Rasmussen the man who produced three classic Metallica albums – “Ride the Lightning,” “Master of Puppets,” and “…And Justice for All,” as well as albums by Rainbow, Blind Guardian, Ensiferum, Artillery, Evile, and more.
Trent Reznor the man behind the magic of Nine Inch Nails.
Andy Sneap known for his work with Megadeth, Arch Enemy, Exodus, Accept, Kreator, Machine Head, Cradle of Filth, Testament, Opeth, Trivium, and many more.
Steve Albini was in charge of production of many classic albums, including records by Nirvana, Pixies, Leftover Crack, and many more.
Brendan O’Brien has a amazingly rich production opus, which includes classic albums by Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Korn, Papa Roach, Incubus, Mastodon, Rage Against the Machine, and many more.
Alan Parsons is known as one of the greatest studio engineers of all time, but he also produced his own albums, including “I Robot,” “Tales of Mystery and Imagination,” and many more. His engineering efforts include Pink Floyd classic “The Dark Side of the Moon,” The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Steven Wilson’s “The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories),” and more.
Jimmy Page produced all the Led Zeppelin albums.
Steven Wilson Porcupine Tree, solo albums, and a few Opeth classics. He is also known for remixing classic albums by such titans of prog as King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, and more.
Dr. Dre fetched quite a bit of kudos from the UG community as one of the most crucial producers in the genre’s history,
Phil Spector the inventor of the wall of sound, the man who produced many of the hits in the sixties, including some of the Beatles songs. He ended up quite a controversial figure with his love of guns and ultimate murder sentence,
Bob Rock Metallica’s “Black Album” typically stands out as Bob’s most prominent work, but this guy also produced other albums as well, Motley Crue, The Offspring, The Cult, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Black Veil Brides, and more.
Martin Birch the man behind classic albums by Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, and more.
Rick Rubin a versatile producer, he was the producerof classic albums by rock, metal, hip-hop, pop, and country albums. Slayer, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Johnny Cash, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Adele, System of a Down, and many, many more.
Butch Vig the man who produced Nirvana classic “Nevermind,” the majority of Garbage opus, as well as a few Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins records, of the grunge era.
George Martin commonly referred to as “the fifth Beatle,” 89-year-old Sir George Henry Martin is the man behind the sound of The Beatles. He produced or oversaw the production of every album by the Fab Four, and played an important role in the music revolution those four lads brought to the world.
Lou Adler (born December 13, 1933) is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer, music executive, talent manager, songwriter, film director, film producer, and co-owner of the famous Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of iconic musical artists, including Carole King and The Mamas & the Papas, Barry McGuire. King’s Diamond-certified album Tapestry, produced by Adler, won the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Quincy Jones 82-year-old legend Quincy Jones is known for his work with such musical icons as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, George Benson, and more.