Gerry Brown

Last updated
Gerry Brown
Birth nameGerald E. Brown
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)

Gerald E. "The Gov" Brown (also known as Gerry Brown; born 1958) is a recording engineer, mixer and music producer based in Los Angeles, best known for his work with artists including Whitney Houston, John Legend, Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna, Sting, Prince, Phil Collins, Marcus Miller, Wayne Shorter and Victor Wooten. [1] [2] He is credited on multiple RIAA Gold and Platinum certified albums. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Brown has won 3 Grammy awards, one in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category for his work as a producer and engineer on Stanley Clarke's 2010 album The Stanley Clarke Band [6] [7] and another one in the Best R&B Album category for his work as an engineer on John Legend's 2020 album Bigger Love. [8] He also won a Billboard Award for his work as a producer on the 1993 single “Love Is” by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight. [9] [10]

Early life and career

Brown's interest in recording technology started at a young age. At age 5, he received a tape recorder as a gift, which he used to record sounds around him. During his teenage years, Brown played the trombone for the Los Angeles High School band. The school band director invited Brown to work at his home studio and continued to mentor him in recording engineering after graduating high school. Brown was also raised Catholic and experienced choir music at his local parish. [11]

Brown obtained a degree at Sound Masters Recording Engineer School. In 1977, he started working at ABC Recording Studios in Los Angeles, organizing the studio's magnetic tapes. The studio was later known by the names Scott-Sunstorm Recording Studios, Concorde Recording Center and then Lion Share Studios. [12] Six months after he started working at Concorde, Brown was promoted to assistant engineer. There, he engineered Debra Law's album Very Special, produced by Ronnie Laws and Hubert Laws. [13] [14] Brown later became a freelance engineer in 1982. [15]

In 1988, Ed Eckstein, who at the time was president of Wing Records, hired Brown to mix the single "Lay Your Troubles Down" by Angela Winbush and Ronald Isley. The song peaked at Nr. 10 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [16] In 1991, Brown worked on Vanessa William's album The Comfort Zone for PolyGram. [4] Brown continued working with Eckstein and moved to New York in 1992 when Eckstein became co-president of PolyGram. While in New York, Brown also worked on singles for Capitol Records. [17] He returned to Los Angeles in 1996. [15]

Brown engineered and mixed tracks on Alicia Keys' 2001 album Songs in A Minor . Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson was recording at the studio next to Brown. Questlove describes Brown's recording sessions: "Gerry is world famous for his all-year-round Christmas decorations during his sessions". [18]

Brown currently works with engineer Bobby Campbell under the name "Mixed by Humanz". They mixed John Legend's 2020 album Bigger Love , produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the mobility limitations due to the pandemic, Brown mixed at Bernadette Cooper’s Museum68 studios and Campbell mixed the album at his home studios, working remotely. [2]

Selected credits

Albums and singles

YearAlbum/SingleArtistRole
1971Salisbury Uriah Heep Producer
1978 Here, My Dear Marvin Gaye Producer, engineer, mixer
1980 Don't Look Back Natalie Cole Engineer, remixer
1981Very Special Debra Laws Engineer
1987 Circumstantial Evidence Shalamar Engineer
1988"The Right Stuff" Vanessa Williams Engineer, mixer
1988"Silhouette" Kenny G Engineer
1989 Kenny G Live Kenny G Engineer
1990 The Revival Tony! Toni! Toné! Engineer, Mixer
1991 The Comfort Zone Vanessa Williams Producer, vocal arranger, engineer, mixer
1992Mastertouch Torsten de Winkel Engineer
1992 Brian McKnight Brian McKnight Producer, composer, background vocals, engineer, mixer
1992 Beverly Hills, 90210 Original TV Soundtrack -Producer
1993 Sons of Soul Tony! Toni! Toné! Engineer, mixer
1994 Storyteller Crystal Waters Engineer
1994 Sweetest Days Vanessa Williams Producer, composer, arranger, mixer
1996 Star Bright Vanessa Williams Producer, arranger, engineer
1996 House of Music Tony! Toni! Toné! Engineer, mixer
1997 Still Waters Bee Gees Engineer, mixer
1997 Lo Mejor de Mí Cristian Castro Engineer
1998 Never Say Never Brandy Mixer
1999"Almost Doesn't Count" Brandy Mixer
2001 Songs in A Minor Alicia Keys Engineer, Mixer
2002 3D TLC Mixer
2003All Hits at the House of Blues Raphael Saadiq Engineer
2004 Complex Simplicity Teedra Moses Engineer
2005 Illumination Earth, Wind & Fire Engineer
2007 The Toys of Men Stanley Clarke Engineer
2008Thunder SMV Engineer, mixer
2008 The Way I See It Raphael Saadiq Engineer
2010 The Stanley Clarke Band Stanley Clarke Producer, engineer
2011 Stone Rollin' Raphael Saadiq Engineer
2014Up Stanley Clarke Engineer, mixer
2017 War & Leisure Miguel Mixer
2017 Strength of a Woman Mary J. Blige Engineer, mixer
2018 A Legendary Christmas John Legend Mixer
2019 Jimmy Lee Raphael Saadiq Engineer
2020 Bigger Love John Legend Mixer

[1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Voodoo</i> (DAngelo album) 2000 studio album by DAngelo

Voodoo is the second studio album by the American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, released on January 25, 2000, through Virgin Records. D'Angelo recorded the album during 1998 and 1999 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, with an extensive line-up of musicians associated with the Soulquarians musical collective. Produced primarily by the singer, Voodoo features a loose, groove-based funk sound and serves as a departure from the more conventional song structure of his debut album, Brown Sugar (1995). Its lyrics explore themes of spirituality, love, sexuality, maturation, and fatherhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Roots</span> American hip hop band and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon house band

The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Current regular members of The Roots on The Tonight Show are Captain Kirk Douglas, Mark Kelley, James Poyser, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson, Stro Elliot, Dave Guy, Kamal Gray, and Raymond Angry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questlove</span> American hip hop musician (born 1971)

Ahmir K. Thompson, known professionally as Questlove, is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman for the hip hop band the Roots. The Roots have been serving as the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2014, after having fulfilled the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Questlove is also one of the producers of the 2018 cast album of the Broadway musical Hamilton. He has also co-founded of the websites Okayplayer and OkayAfrica. He joined Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University as an adjunct professor in 2016, and hosts the podcast Questlove Supreme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Hamilton (musician)</span> American singer, songwriter, and record producer

Anthony Cornelius Hamilton is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, he signed with Uptown Records, an imprint of MCA Records to record his debut studio album XTC; scheduled for release in 1996, it was ultimately shelved due to its singles failing to chart. He then gained recognition for his guest performance on Nappy Roots' 2002 single "Po' Folks," which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. His second studio album, Comin' from Where I'm From (2003) received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), earned four Grammy Award nominations, and spawned the 2004 single "Charlene", which peaked at number 19 on the chart. His third and fourth albums, Ain't Nobody Worryin' (2005) and The Point of It All (2008) both peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and received gold certifications by the RIAA. He then parted ways with So So Def in favor of RCA Records to release fifth and sixth albums, Back to Love (2011) and What I'm Feelin' (2016).

<i>Things Fall Apart</i> (album) 1999 studio album by the Roots

Things Fall Apart is the fourth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released on February 23, 1999, by MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Electric Lady during 1997 to 1998, coinciding with recording for other projects of the Soulquarians collective, including D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000). According to Spin magazine, the album became a landmark moment for the Roots and the collective, as it "swelled the Roots clique into a movement-style posse".

Tom Lord-Alge is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground floor of the Marlin Hotel.

<i>The Comfort Zone</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Vanessa Williams

The Comfort Zone is the second studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams, released on August 20, 1991, by Mercury's Wing Records Label.

<i>The Right Stuff</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Vanessa Williams

The Right Stuff is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams, released on June 6, 1988, by Wing Records. It includes the singles "The Right Stuff", "(He's Got) The Look", "Dreamin'" and "Darlin' I". The album and its singles were well received by both the urban and pop markets. It was eventually certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 and earned Williams three Grammy Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Maserati</span> American record producer and audio engineer

Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen Latifah. Since then he has worked on Grammy nominated projects with The Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé, Jason Mraz, Robin Thicke, and Usher. Maserati won a Latin Grammy in 2006 for his work on Sérgio Mendes’s Timeless. He has been nominated for a total of 10 Grammys, with four for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

<i>Lay It Down</i> (Al Green album) 2008 studio album by Al Green

Lay It Down is the 29th studio album by American singer Al Green, released May 27, 2008, on Blue Note Records. The album was produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser. The album features guest vocals from Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

<i>The Sweetest Days</i> 1994 studio album by Vanessa Williams

The Sweetest Days is the third studio album by American singer Vanessa Williams, released on December 6, 1994, by Wing Records and Mercury Records. The album peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Craig Bauer is an American Grammy Award winning mixing engineer and record producer. He has been nominated for two Album of the Year Grammy Awards for his work on Kanye West's multiplatinum album Late Registration and double platinum follow-up album, Graduation. He won a Grammy Award in 2008 for mixing The Clark Sisters' 2007 album, "Live: One Last Time".

John Haeny was an American-born music producer, recording and mixing engineer, sound designer and academic. From the late 1960s through the late 1980s he recorded, mixed and produced hundreds of albums. He worked with a variety of artists across multiple genres including Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Jim Morrison, Tom Jones, Warren Zevon and Linda Ronstadt to Weather Report, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard and Duke Ellington.

Paul Boutin is a French-born American music mixer, audio engineer and a long-time collaborator with producer/songwriter/artist Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

<i>Humanz</i> 2017 studio album by Gorillaz

Humanz is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 28 April 2017 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The album was announced on the band's official Instagram page on 23 March 2017. According to a press release, it was recorded in London, Paris, New York City, Chicago, and Jamaica, and was produced by The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka Jr. It was the band's first studio album since 2010's The Fall, and features collaborations with Jehnny Beth, Grace Jones, Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Anthony Hamilton, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Kelela, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, and Benjamin Clementine.

Trevor Muzzy is an American mixer, producer, songwriter, engineer, guitarist, and bassist, known for his work with Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Jason Derulo, Pitbull, Alejandro Sanz, and Nicki Minaj. He has engineered and mixed tracks that have gone multi-platinum like “On The Floor”, “Starships”, “Judas”, and more.

Peter Doell is an American recording and mastering engineer known for his work with Miles Davis, Toto, Céline Dion and The Beach Boys. Doell has been a staff engineer at Capitol Studios, Sunset Sound Recorders and Universal Mastering Studios West. His film and TV work includes Road To Perdition, Black Hawk Down and Monsters, Inc., American Idol, The Voice and Empire.

Thomas Vicari is an American recording engineer, mixing engineer, record producer and scoring mixer known for his work with Quincy Jones, Gino Vannelli, Nicholas Britell, Thomas Newman, Prince, George Duke and Barbra Streisand. He was the sound mixer for TV shows and films including Six Feet Under, The Newsroom, Behind the Candelabra, Phantom of the Paradise, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Wall-E and Road to Perdition.

Nova Wav is a record production and songwriting duo composed of Brittany "Chi" Coney and Denisia "Blu June" Andrews. Over the course of their career, Nova Wav has written and produced on tracks and albums for artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Saweetie, Nicki Minaj, Teyana Taylor, Kehlani and more. They were signed to Warner Chappell Music by Ryan Press and "Big Jon" Platt. They were named Billboards 2018 R&B/Hip-Hop 100 Power Players and listed on Revolt's Top 9 producers of 2019 that demanded the sound of Hip Hop and R&B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Bell (recording engineer)</span> Musical artist

Brandon Bell is a Grammy Award winning record engineer, mix engineer and producer based in Nashville. His credits include Alan Jackson, Sarah Jarosz, Joni Mitchell, Steep Canyon Rangers, Zac Brown Band, The Highwomen, Foo Fighters, Tanya Tucker, Parker McCollum, Brandi Carlile, Earl Scruggs, Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Allison Russell, and Blackberry Smoke.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gerry Brown | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  2. 1 2 Andy Jones21 July 2020 (21 July 2020). "Mixed by Humanz on mixing John Legend's new album in lockdown: "Mixing at really low levels in the bedroom, you discover a different style"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2020-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". www.riaa.com.
  4. 1 2 "Audio Track". Billboard. 1992-07-18.
  5. ↑ "Evening at Pops 2004: Vanessa Williams". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  6. ↑ "Gerry "The Gov" Brown". GRAMMY.com. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  7. ↑ "53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com.
  8. ↑ "63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  9. ↑ "Whitney Houston big winner at Billboard Music Awards". UPI. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Charts Archive". Billboard .
  11. ↑ Sam. "Bernadette Cooper & Gerry Brown [Artist & Engineer] | Speakhertz - Talk Audio" . Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  12. ↑ Cash Box. March 1980.
  13. ↑ "Audio Track". Billboard. 1980-08-02.
  14. ↑ Very Special - Debra Laws | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2020-07-11
  15. 1 2 Sam. "Bernadette Cooper & Gerry Brown [Artist & Engineer] | Speakhertz - Talk Audio" . Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  16. ↑ "Angela Winbush". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  17. ↑ "Audio Track". Billboard. 1987-12-26.
  18. ↑ Thompson, Ahmir "Questlove"; Greenman, Ben (2013-06-18). Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4555-0136-6.
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.