Bob Clearmountain

Last updated
Bob Clearmountain
Bob clearmountain (cropped).jpg
Clearmountain in 2017
Born
Bob Chiaramonte

(1953-01-15) January 15, 1953 (age 72)
Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s) Mixing engineer, producer
Years active1977–present
Spouse Betty Bennett
Awards

Bob Clearmountain (born Chiaramonte, January 15, 1953) [1] is an American mixing engineer and record producer. [2] Described by Sound on Sound magazine as having "his name on more hit records than anyone else in the history of popular music", [2] he is well-known for his work with major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and Bryan Adams. He is credited with establishing the role of mixing engineer. [3]

Contents

He has mixed some of the most iconic live shows in music history, including Live Aid [4] and The Concert for New York City. Records mixed by Clearmountain have won eight Grammy Awards. He has also won two Emmy Awards from five nominations.

Early life and education

Born in Connecticut, Clearmountain later moved to New York City, where he graduated from Greenwich High School in 1971. [5] As a teenager, Clearmountain had many friends who were musicians. He loved music, and played bass guitar in various bar bands, but felt he didn't want his career to depend on other musicians. [2] When a band he was a member of went to Mediasound Studios on 57th Street in New York to record a demo, Clearmountain felt like he could live there. Recognizing his interest in recording, Clearmountain assembled a makeshift home studio with a two-track reel-to-reel tape recorder, some microphones and a talkback. He also loved to make tape recordings of the band's concerts. [2]

Career

Mediasound and Power Station

Determined to make a career in recording, he visited Mediasound frequently and lobbied the studio for a job. He was eventually hired as a gofer in 1972. [6] [2] On his first day working at the studio, after making about two deliveries, he realized that studio staff had been looking for him – they had apparently been expecting him to be working on a recording session as an assistant engineer. The star-struck new assistant engineer found that his first session was with Duke Ellington. [2] Ellington's solo piano session remained unreleased until 2017, when Storyville Records released it as An Intimate Piano Session. [7] At Mediasound, Clearmountain engineered albums for Kool & the Gang. He also played bass on the Dead Boys' first album, Young, Loud and Snotty (1977), before Jeff Magnum rejoined the group.

In 1977, Clearmountain was approached by his Mediasound co-worker, Tony Bongiovi, who had decided to build his own recording studio. Clearmountain became part of Bongiovi's team that designed and opened Power Station, with Clearmountain becoming the studio's Chief Engineer. [2] [6] [8] Clearmountain worked exclusively at the Power Station over the next two or three years, working with artists including The Rezillos, Narada Michael Walden, and others. [9] During this time, he recorded several hit albums for the Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards project Chic and Sister Sledge's hit album We Are Family , which established his reputation as a mixing engineer. Clearmountain soon found himself being sought out specifically as a mixing engineer, with The Rolling Stones requesting Clearmountain to mix their single, "Miss You", and Roxy Music having him remix their single "Dance Away". [2]

Independence and success

Around 1979, Clearmountain became independent, working at various studios in addition to the Power Station. [6] Artists he had worked with brought him back, and he mixed Roxy Music's Flesh and Blood (1980) and Avalon (1982), [10] and the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You (1981) (including engineering vocals and overdubs for "Start Me Up") [11] [6] , as well as their live album, Still Life (1982).

Clearmountain also began both mixing and producing with Bryan Adams on his 1981 album You Want It You Got It , beginning a longstanding professional collaboration between the two that continued through Cuts Like a Knife and Adams' rise to mainstream popularity, and decades beyond. [9]

In late 1982, when David Bowie chose Nile Rodgers to produce his next album, Clearmountain was chosen to engineer the sessions at the Power Station. The resulting album, Let's Dance (1983) was a worldwide commercial success. [6] The same year, Clearmountain mixed Huey Lewis and the News' album Sports . The following year, he produced and mixed Hall & Oates' Big Bam Boom and mixed Bruce Springsteen's landmark album Born in the U.S.A. . [12] [13]

He produced Simple Minds' Once Upon a Time (1985) and The Pretenders' Get Close (1986), and continued to mix new albums for Springsteen and Bowie. In 1987, having established himself as a top mixing engineer, he mixed INXS's album Kick . [14]

Mix This! studio

In 1994, Clearmountain built Mix This!, [1] [15] a private recording studio located in the basement of his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. [16] [17] He eventually sought out the Neve 8068 from the Power Station's Studio A and acquired it for his studio. [18] [19]

Episode 6 of the first season of From the Basement , Nigel Godrich's web television series, was filmed at Mix This! rather than the show's usual filming location of London's Maida Vale Studios. Clearmountain later upgraded the studio to for Dolby Atmos, and used it for immersive album mixes of Roxy Music's Avalon and Simple Minds' Sparkle in the Rain. [16]

On January 8, 2025, the studio and the residence in which it was located were both destroyed by the Palisades Fire. [16]

Personal life

Clearmountain is married to Apogee Electronics CEO Betty Bennett. [16] [20] In January 2025, their residence and his studio were destroyed by the Palisades Fire. [17] [4]

Selection of work as producer

Selection of work as live mixer/engineer

DateConcertLocation
November 3, 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Barclays Center, Brookyn, New York
November 5, 2022Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California
September 27, 2022 Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert Kia Forum Los Angeles, California
September 3, 2022 Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins Tribute ConcertWembley Stadium London, UK
December 12, 2012 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief -Madison Square Garden, New York City
March 15, 1999 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyWaldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City
August 12-14, 1994 Woodstock 94 Winston Farm, Saugerties New York
May 5th, 1990A Tribute to John Lennon The Pier Head, Liverpool
August 24, 1989 The Who - TommyUniversal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California
June 11, 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute ConcertWembley Stadium London, UK
July 13, 1985 Live Aid John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Awards and recognition

Clearmountain has won multiple Grammy and Emmy awards.

In 1991, he was awarded the TEC Awards Les Paul Award, honoring "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology." The following year, Clearmountain was awarded the TEC Lifetime Achievement Award. [21]

In 2003, he was awarded the Music Producers Guild Icon Award for "a person seen to be an icon of the recording industry." [22]

Grammy Awards & nominations

YearWorkArtistRoleAward/Nomination
1992StoryvilleRobbie RobertsonMixing EngineerNominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical [23]
1994Rhythm, Country And BluesVariousMixing EngineerNominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical [24]
1997Blue Moon SwampJohn FogertyMixing EngineerNominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical [25]
1998FirecrackerLisa LoebMixing EngineerNominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical [26]
2005AvalonRoxy MusicMixing EngineerNominee - Best Surround Sound Album [27]
2006We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions Bruce Springsteen Mixing EngineerWinner - Best Traditional Folk Album [28]
2011Paraíso Express Alejandro Sanz Mixing EngineerWinner Latin Grammy - Best Male Pop Vocal Album [29]
2011Paraíso ExpressAlejandro SanzMixing EngineerWinner - Best Latin Pop Album [30]
2019The SaviorA Bad ThinkMixing EngineerNominee - Best Immersive Audio Album [31]
2024AvalonRoxy MusicMixing EngineerNominee - Best Immersive Audio Album [32]

Emmy Awards & nominations

YearWorkRoleAward/Nomination
2023Taylor Hawkins Tribute ConcertMixerNominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2021Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You - Apple TVMixerNominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2015The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special - NBCMixerWinner - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2010The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert - HBOMixerWinner - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special
2001Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - HBOMixerNominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special
1993MTV Unplugged - MTVMixerNominee - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special

List of KCRW/Apogee Sessions Recorded and Mixed by Bob Clearmountain

About Apogee Studio: Apogee is a rare place where both music and music products are created, right here in Santa Monica. Part recording studio, product development lab, and high fidelity music venue, Apogee Studio is the child of music industry power couple Betty Bennett and Bob Clearmountain. The soulful digital audio technology at the heart of home and pro studios worldwide is produced by Apogee Electronics, a company founded and run by Bennett for over 38 years. Songs that have ascended to our worldwide music consciousness have one audio engineer in common more than almost any other, the legendary music mixer Bob Clearmountain. If you're lucky enough to get on the guest list with up to 180 other music fans for a show at Apogee, personally mixed by Bob and hosted by Betty and KCRW, it's an intimate experience you'll never forget.

Alabama ShakesJenny LewisPreservation Hall Jazz Band
AutomaticJim JamesQuadron
Avett BrothersJohn LegendQueens of the Stone Age
Band of HorsesJohnny MarrRegina Spector
BeckJose JamesRhye
Belle & SebastianJP, Chrissie and the Fairground BoysRobert Glasper
Bloc Partyk.d. langRodrigo y Gabriela
ChromeoKelisRosanne Cash
Cold War KidsKiller MikeRyan Adams
CommonKT TunstallSay She She
Conor OberstLeon BridgesShelby Lynne
Courtney BarnettLittle DragonSilversun Pickups
Dan AuerbachLocal NativesSofi Tukker
David GrayLord HuronSpoon
Death Cab for CutieLudovico EinaudiSt. Vincent
Divine FitsM. WardSturgill Simpson
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic ZerosManu ChaoTeddy Thompson
Fitz and the TantrumsMayor HawthorneThe Airborne Toxic Event
FoalsMeshell NdegeocelloThe Cinematic Orchestra
Franz FerdinandMetricThe Kills
Future IslandsMGMTThe Olms
Gary Clark, JrMiguelThe Shins
Gary NumanMiike SnowThe War on Drugs
Glen HansardMobyThe xx
Grizzly BearNatalia Lafourcadethenewno2
Hiatus KaiyoteNathaniel Rateliff and the Night SweatsTinariwen
InterpolNeal FrancisTom Jones
Jake BuggNick WaterhouseToro y Moi
James BlakeNorah JonesTV on the Radio
Janelle MonaePete YornVampire Weekend
Killer MikeWarWas and Damian “JR Gong” Marley
Natalia LafourcadeNeil FrancisWilco

Related Research Articles

<i>Avalon</i> (Roxy Music album) 1982 studio album by Roxy Music

Avalon is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Roxy Music, released on 28 May 1982 by E.G. Records, and Polydor. It was recorded between 1981 and 1982 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and is regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. It has been credited with pioneering the sophisti-pop genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Station (recording studio)</span> Recording studio in Manhattan, New York City

Power Station at BerkleeNYC is a recording studio on 441 West 53rd Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was originally founded in 1977 as Power Station and known as Avatar Studios from 1996 to 2017. Renowned for its exceptional acoustics, the studio has been the site of hundreds of gold, platinum, and Grammy Award-winning recordings.

<i>Tracks</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 1998 box set by Bruce Springsteen

Tracks is a four-disc box set by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released in 1998 containing 66 songs. This box set mostly consists of never-before-released songs recorded during the sessions for his many albums, but also includes a number of single B-sides, as well as demos and alternate versions of already-released material.

Anthony Carmine Bongiovi Jr. is an American record producer and recording engineer. He is the cousin of musician Jon Bon Jovi.

Sylvia Lenore Massy is an American record producer, mixer, and engineer. Her first major breakthrough occurred with 1993's Undertow, the full-length triple platinum-selling debut for Los Angeles alternative metal band Tool as well as her work with System of a Down, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Brazilian band South Cry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Ludwig</span> American audio mastering engineer

Robert C. Ludwig is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Metallica, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, Tool and Daft Punk, with more than 3,000 credits. He is the recipient of 13 Grammy and other awards. In 1992, Ludwig founded his own mastering facility, Gateway Mastering Studios, in Portland, Maine. He retired in 2023.

Ron Saint Germain is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family.

<i>Live</i> (Roxy Music album) 2003 live album by Roxy Music

Live is a double live album by English art rock band Roxy Music, released in 2003. Their fourth official live album, it contains performances from a variety of venues on their 2001 reunion world tour, and represents the entire set list from those concerts. Live was packaged in a Digipak case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Jensen</span> American sound engineer (b. 1954)

Ted Jensen is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' Hotel California, Green Day's American Idiot and Norah Jones' Come Away with Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apogee Electronics</span> American audio equipment manufacturer

Apogee Electronics is an American manufacturer of audio interfaces, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, USB & iOS microphones, and audio production software.

Jim Scott is an American record producer and audio engineer, best known for his large body of work as an engineer, and his work as a producer with American rock bands Tedeschi Trucks Band and Wilco.

<i>One on One</i> (Bob James and Earl Klugh album) 1979 studio album by Bob James and Earl Klugh

One on One is a 1979 collaboration album by jazz keyboardist Bob James and guitarist Earl Klugh that won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1981. In 1982 the album was certified gold in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EastWest Studios</span> Recording studio complex in Hollywood, US

EastWest Studios is a recording studio complex located at 6000 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally constructed by Bill Putnam in the 1960s, the studios are currently owned by sound developer Doug Rogers and managed by Candace Stewart.

Toby Warren Scott is an American record producer, engineer and sound mixer. In addition to serving as an engineer on 18 Bruce Springsteen albums and numerous live performances, Scott has also recorded artists including Bob Dylan, Natalie Merchant, Steve Perry, Bette Midler, Blue Öyster Cult, Alison Goldfrapp, Tommy Tutone and Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha NS-10</span> Model of Yamaha studio reference loudspeakers

The Yamaha NS-10 is a loudspeaker that became a standard nearfield studio monitor in the music industry among rock and pop recording engineers. Launched in 1978, the NS-10 started life as a bookshelf speaker destined for the domestic environment. It was poorly received but eventually became a valuable tool with which to mix rock recordings. The speaker has a characteristic white-coloured mid–bass drive unit.

Clif Norrell is an American record producer, recording engineer, music mixer, and musician. He has worked with many prominent artists including Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., Jeff Buckley, No Doubt, Rush, Faith No More, Shania Twain, Mick Jagger, Dave Grohl, Sting, Paul McCartney, Gavin Degraw, Joss Stone, Selena Gomez and The Police.

Neil Dorfsman is an American sound engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Dire Straits, Bruce Hornsby, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney and Sting. He won Grammy Awards for Best Producer for Bruce Hornsby's Scenes from the Southside (1988) and Sting's ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a Grammy Award for Best Engineer for Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (1985), as well as a nomination for Best Engineer for Dire Straits's Love Over Gold (1982). Further, he recorded two tracks on Sting's Brand New Day (1999), which won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Album. He mixed the East Village Opera Company's Olde School, which received a Grammy Nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2009. In 1988 and 1998, Dorfsman won a TEC Award for Engineer of the Year.

Ryan Freeland is an American record producer, songwriter, engineer, and mixer based in Los Angeles. Freeland is a five-time Grammy Award winner and is best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt, Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry, Grant-Lee Phillips, Hugh Laurie, Ingrid Michaelson, Loudon Wainwright III, Rodney Crowell, Alana Davis, and Jonatha Brooke. He is represented exclusively by Global Positioning Services Management in Santa Monica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Furch</span> German music engineer, mixer, pianist, and composer

Richard Oliver Furch is an American music engineer, mixer, and pianist. He has worked with many prominent names in music, including: Usher, Prince, Boyz II Men, Macy Gray, Ruben Studdard, Chaka Khan, India.Arie, and Tyrese, as well as Chinese recording artists, JJ Lin, Tanya Chua, Wang Leehom, Jolin Tsai, and G.E.M. amongst many others.

Mediasound was an American independent recording studio facility located at 311 West 57th Street in New York City established in 1969 by Harry Hirsch and Bob Walters with financial backing from Joel Rosenman and John P. Roberts.

References

  1. 1 2 "Don Was & Bob Clearmountain: Getting It Right". Elmore Magazine. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lockwood, Dave (1 June 1999). "Bob Clearmountain: Master Mixer". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Chapman, Lee (21 June 2023). "Apogee Digital: Changing Digital Recording Forever". Produce Like A Pro. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 Pilley, Max (12 January 2025). "Legendary producer Bob Clearmountain loses home and studio in Los Angeles wildfires". NME. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Bob Chiaramonte Clearmountain". Greenwich High School. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Baccigaluppi, John (January 2019). "Bob Clearmountain: Living in the Mix". Tape Op. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Mosey, Chris (20 March 2017). "Duke Ellington On Storyville Records". AllAboutJazz. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Bieger, Hannes (April 2012). "Studio File: Avatar, New York". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 Buskin, Richard (July 2006). "Classic Tracks: Bryan Adams 'Run To You'". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Inglis, Sam (August 2003). "Recording & Remixing Roxy Music's Avalon". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Buskin, Richard (April 2004). "Classic Tracks: Start Me Up". Sound On Sound. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  12. ↑ Buskin, Richard (March 2010). "Classic Tracks: Bruce Springsteen 'Born In The USA'". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Laing, Rob (9 May 2024). ""This is what Bruce calls his primal scrub": Bob Clearmountain talks mixing and tweaking Springsteen's Born In The USA guitars". musicradar. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Jackson, Blair (1 December 2012). "Classic Tracks: INXS's "Need You Tonight"". Mix. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  15. ↑ Verna, Paul (24 December 1994). "Integration Is The Byword As Digital Comes Of Age". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 79–80. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Harvey, Steve (10 January 2025). "Wildfires Tear Through Los Angeles Audio Community". Mix. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  17. 1 2 Brown, August (10 January 2025). "Bob Clearmountain, L.A. studio icon, lost his home in the Palisades fire: 'This could be the end of our world.'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  18. ↑ "Bob Walters, 1924-2012". Mix. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  19. ↑ Alter, Gaby (1 February 2010). "Classic Tracks: The Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong"". Mix. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  20. ↑ Droney, Maureen (March 1, 2004). "Bob Clearmountain". Bob Clearmountain | Mixonline.com. www.mixonline.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ "TEC Lifetime Achievement". MIX. 1 September 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Bob Clearmountain receives MPG Icon Award". Sound On Sound. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  23. ↑ "1991 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1991. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  24. ↑ "1994 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1994. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  25. ↑ "1997 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1997. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "1998 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1998. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  27. ↑ "2004 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  28. ↑ "2006 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  29. ↑ "11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees". LatinGrammy.com. Latin Recording Academy. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  30. ↑ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  31. ↑ "62nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  32. ↑ "67th Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.