Vance Powell is an American six-time Grammy Award winning record producer, engineer and mixer. [1] [2] His credits include Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Deadly Apples, Seasick Steve, Black Prairie, The Revivalists, Tinariwen, JEFF the Brotherhood, Illiterate Light, [3] Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, and Martina McBride, among many others. [4] [5]
Powell made his start in live sound, touring with local Missouri bands as a front of house engineer. In 1986, he conducted his first professional studio recording session as an engineer at Rick Massey's 'Massey Studio', stepping in for the main engineer who was sick at the time. That same year he became the studio's engineer. [1] In 1990-'93 he took a position at Lou Whitney's Column One Studio in Springfield, MO. as second engineer, recording scores of regional bands and artists. Shortly after, Powell moved to Nashville, TN, accepting a position as a monitor engineer for Tammy Wynette. The position turned into Production Manager/Front of House (FOH) Engineer, which he did until 1997, when he joined global sound reinforcement company, Clair Brothers Audio. [6] [7]
In 1998, he started a long relationship with Jars of Clay; he took a front of house position that continued through 2002. During that time several recording projects with them emerged, including their full length 2002 release (and 2003 Grammy Award winner) "The Eleventh Hour". [6]
In early 2002, John McBride asked him to help build and run Blackbird Studio, a single room semi-private facility for his wife, country music superstar Martina McBride. [8] The single room semi-private facility soon became an eight-room world class facility hosting projects such as Neil Young's “Heart of Gold” motion picture soundtrack and The Dixie Chicks' six time Grammy Award-winning “Taking the Long Way”. [6] [9] Powell remained the Chief Engineer at Blackbird for seven years. [2]
Projects outside of Blackbird soon beckoned, and Powell began working extensively with Jack White's groups including The Raconteurs, The White Stripes, and The Dead Weather, as well as many of White's production jobs such as Wanda Jackson's "The Party Ain't Over", as well as Jack White and Alicia Keys' production of "Another Way to Die" from the James Bond film Quantum of Solace . [10] [11]
Powell is the co-owner of Sputnik Sound, a recording and mixing facility he set up in 2006 together with producer/engineer Mitch Dane. Powell met White for the first time in 2006, when he worked on Danger Mouse and Daniel Luppi's Rome album, on which White guested. [10] Recent Sputnik Sound projects include Phish, Tinariwin, Seasick Steve, Leagues, Bobby Bare, Jr., Red Fang, De Staat, Diarrhea Planet, A Thousand Horses, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Wolfmother, Arctic Monkeys and Chris Stapleton.
Powell has won four Grammy Awards for his work on the albums listed below. [4] [1] [10] [12]
In 2015, Chris Stapleton's album "Traveller" won three Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) including "Album of The Year" and "New Artist of The Year". The album also received Grammy nominations for Album Of The Year, Best Country Song, Best Country Album (win), Best Country Solo Performance (win). The album was engineered and mixed by Powell. [13] [14] [12]
The production, engineering and mixing discography for Vance Powell is as follows. [15]
Year | Artist | Album | Label | Producer | Engineer | Mixer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Chris Shiflett | Long, Long Year | East Beach Records & Tapes | |||
2020 | Phish | Sigma Oasis [16] | JEMP Records | |||
2018 | Clutch | Book of Bad Decisions | Weathermaker Music | |||
2015 | Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown | The Wayside | Vervatos/Republic | |||
The Revivalists | Men Amongst Mountains | Wind-Up | ||||
Chris Stapleton | Traveller | Mercury | ||||
JEFF the Brotherhood | Wasted on the Dream | Infinity Cat | ||||
Elle King | "America's Sweetheart" from Love Stuff | RCA | ||||
Seasick Steve | Sonic Soul Surfer | BMG | ||||
The Whistles & The Bells | The Whistles & The Bells | +180 | ||||
2014 | Tinariwen | Emmaar | ANTI- | |||
Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes | Kid Tiger | Deer Head | ||||
Black Prairie | Fortune | Sugar Hill | ||||
The Dirty Guv'nahs | Hearts on Fire | Summertown | ||||
Peter Bradley Adams | The Mighty Storm | I Me Mine | ||||
Bobby Bare, Jr. | Undefeated | Bloodshot | ||||
Dirk Powell | Walking Through Clay | Bloodshot | ||||
2013 | The Almost | Fear Inside Our Bones | Tooth & Nail | |||
Insane Clown Posse | Forgotten Freshness, Vol. 5 | Psycopathic | ||||
Sturgill Simpson | High Top Mountain | High Top Mountain | ||||
De Staat | I Con | Cool Green Records | ||||
Seasick Steve | Hubcap Music | Third Man | ||||
Moon Taxi | Mountains Beaches Cities | BMG | ||||
LeAnn Rimes | Spitfire | Curb | ||||
Kings of Leon | Live At The O2 (DVD) | RCA | ||||
Various Artists | The Great Gatsby O.S.T. | Interscope | ||||
Caitlin Rose | The Stand-In | ATO | ||||
Red Fang | Whales and Leeches | Relapse | ||||
North Mississippi Allstars | World Boogie Is Coming | Songs of the South | ||||
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown | Wild Child | Carved | ||||
Leagues | You Belong Here | Bufalatone | ||||
2012 | Jack White | Blunderbuss | Third Man | |||
The Whigs | Enjoy the Company | New West | ||||
Keb' Mo' | Keb Mo/Keep It Simple | Sony | ||||
Andrew Osenga | Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut | 1010 Distribution | ||||
Andrew Peterson | Light for the Lost Boy | Centricity | ||||
Buddy Guy | Live at Legends | RCA | ||||
The Kicks | Tonight Changes Everything | The Kicks | ||||
Pujol | United States of Being | Saddle Creek | ||||
2011 | Red Fang | Murder the Mountains | Relapse | |||
Deadly Apples | Petty | |||||
Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi | Rome | Rome | ||||
Chris Thile | Sleep with One Eye Open | Nonesuch | ||||
Wanda Jackson | The Party Ain't Over | |||||
Bobby Bare, Jr. | A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head | Thirty Tigers | ||||
Johnny Gimble | Celebrating with Friends | CMH | ||||
2010 | The Whigs | In the Dark | ATO/Red | |||
Buddy Guy | Living Proof | Jive | ||||
The Dead Weather | Sea of Cowards | Warner Bros. | ||||
John Cowan | The Massenburg Sessions | Koch | ||||
Karen Elson | The Ghost Who Walks | XL | ||||
Andrew Belle | The Ladder | 101 Distribution | ||||
The White Stripes | Under Great White Northern Lights | Warner Bros. | ||||
Hillsong | Yahweh | EMI | ||||
2009 | The Dead Weather | Horehound | Independent | |||
Seasick Steve | Man from Another Time | Rykodisc | ||||
John Rich | Son of a Preacher Man | Warner Bros. | ||||
Jars of Clay | The Long Fall Back to Earth | Provident | ||||
Willie Nelson | Willie and the Wheel | Bismeaux | ||||
2008 | Jessica Simpson | Do You Know | Epic | |||
Jewel | Perfectly Clear | Valory | ||||
Jack White & Alicia Keys | "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace O.S.T. | Capitol | ||||
2007 | Jars of Clay | Christmas Songs | Nettwerk | |||
The White Stripes | Conquest | Warner Bros. | ||||
Caedmon's Call | Overdressed | Ino/Columbia | ||||
2006 | Poor Rich Folk | Love Is A Bullet | Independent | |||
Matt Dusk | Back in Town | Decca | ||||
2005 | Big & Rich | Comin' to Your City | Warner/Reprise | |||
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Latifah, and televised in the United States by CBS. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Ray Charles, whom the event was dedicated in memory of, posthumously won five Grammy Awards while his album, Genius Loves Company, won a total of eight. Kanye West received the most nominations with ten, winning three. Usher received eight nominations and won three including Best Contemporary R&B Album for his diamond selling album Confessions. Britney Spears received her first Grammy of Best Dance Recording for her 2004 smash hit "Toxic".
The Raconteurs are an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 2005. The band consists of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler (drums). Lawrence and Keeler were originally members of the Greenhornes, while White and Lawrence went on to become members of the Dead Weather.
The Eleventh Hour is the fourth full-length studio album by the band Jars of Clay. It was released in 2002 by Essential Records and marked the band's first attempt at producing a full album by themselves.
Good Monsters is the seventh full-length studio album from Jars of Clay, released by Essential Records on September 5, 2006. This is their last album of new material from Essential Records and it is said to be lyrically their most aggressive album to date. It features eleven original songs, and a remake of "All My Tears" by Julie Miller. It also features guest appearances by singer/songwriter Kate York, Leigh Nash, of Sixpence None the Richer, and the African Children's Choir.
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005, and ending September 30, 2006, in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Dixie Chicks were the night's biggest winners winning a total of five awards. Mary J. Blige received the most nominations, with eight. Don Henley was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the show on February 9, 2007. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction for VMC Programming.
Dave O'Donnell is an American record producer, engineer and mixer, known for his work with James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Bettye LaVette, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, John Mayer, Lyle Lovett, Milton Nascimento, Keb' Mo' and Ray Charles.
Consolers of the Lonely is the second studio album by American rock band The Raconteurs. It was released on March 25, 2008, on Warner Bros. Records in most parts of the world, and a day earlier on XL Recordings in the UK.
Jacquire King is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, Of Monsters and Men, Cold War Kids, Punch Brothers, City and Colour, Robert Ellis, Dawes and others. His work has received more than 35 Grammy Award nominations to date.
The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009 through Gray Matters and Essential Records.
Christopher Alvin Stapleton is an American country singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Kentucky, Stapleton moved to Nashville in 1996 to study for an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. Shortly after, he signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music.
Daniel Ellsworth and The Great Lakes (DE+TGL) is an American indie rock band originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2010. They are now living in separate cities: Los Angeles, Boston, and Columbus. The band consists of Daniel Ellsworth, Timon Lance (guitar), and Marshall Skinner (bass). The band tours extensively around North America and has released four studio albums, including two LPs and one EP: Kid Tiger, Civilized Man,Bemidji, and Fashion. Their two EPs are from an extended body of studio recordings, "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two." The acclaimed record "Fashion" was released in 2018, followed by a flurry of digital singles. Their new album, HIGH LIFE, is due out on February 16, 2024.
Traveller is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton, and was released on May 5, 2015, through Mercury Nashville.
Dave Cobb is a thirteen-time Grammy Award winning American record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, best known for producing the work of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, Take That, Rival Sons, and Zayn Malik, among others.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. The "pre-telecast" ceremony, officially known as the Premiere Ceremony, in which the majority of awards were presented, was held at the nearby Microsoft Theater. It was the 16th Grammy ceremony to be held at the Staples Center, tying the Shrine Auditorium, also in Los Angeles, for hosting the most Grammy ceremonies. It also marks the latest date for a Grammy ceremony since 2003, which was held on February 23.
The Whistles & the Bells is an American experimental alt-rock band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that serves as a moniker for singer-songwriter and producer Bryan Simpson. The band has released two full-length studio albums: The Whistles & the Bells in 2015 and Modern Plagues in 2017. Their music incorporates elements of rock, pop, folk, and electronic.
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, each of whom spoke about the impact that music had on their lives.
Mitch Dane is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter who resides in Nashville. His work with artists include Jars of Clay, JJ Heller, Brandon Heath, Jetty Rae, Sonia Leigh, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Young Fables, Ole Lonesome, Swearingen and Kelli, Kenny Foster and many others. He was awarded a Grammy for his work on Jars of Clay's 11th Hour, and nominated for Grammys for his work on four other albums. Dane also received ASCAP's "Most Played Song" award for "Nothing Without You" co-written with Bebo Norman. He owns the recording studio Sputnik Sound with Vance Powell.
Help Us Stranger is the third studio album by American rock band The Raconteurs. It was released on June 21, 2019, through Third Man Records, their first studio album in 11 years following Consolers of the Lonely (2008). The album was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and mixed at Blackbird Studio in Nashville. It was produced by the band, engineered by Joshua V. Smith, and mixed by Vance Powell.
Sigma Oasis is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on the band's JEMP Records label on April 2, 2020. The album was recorded at their studio The Barn and was produced by the band and Vance Powell.
“Cold” is a song by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. It was released on September 25, 2020 as the second single from his fourth studio album Starting Over. At the 64th Grammy Awards, the song won the award for Best Country Song.