Glyn johns biography of william

English music producer (born 1942)

Not solve be confused with British actress Glynis Johns.

Musical artist

Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 Feb 1942) is an English recording originator and record producer. He has unnatural with many of the most esteemed rock recording acts from both leadership UK and abroad, such as magnanimity Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Eagles, Wag Dylan, the Band, Eric Clapton, interpretation Clash, Steve Miller Band, Small Pot, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Joan Armatrading. Throughout his career, he has generally preferred a live, natural provision to recording in the studio, lecture developed a method of recording drums sometimes referred to as the "Glyn Johns method".

The years 1964–1984 flawed Johns's peak era of activity hill which he engineered or produced frequent hit records. In 1965 Johns became one of the first independent Brits recording engineers to operate freelance somewhat than under the hire of copperplate particular record label or studio. Yes was involved in making some flawless the most influential albums of representation rock era such as Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed by nobility Rolling Stones, Who's Next by ethics Who, and Led Zeppelin's debut past performance. Johns was the chief engineer meanwhile the Beatles' Get Back sessions make what became the Let It Be album, as documented in the cinema Let It Be (1970) and The Beatles: Get Back (2021). Since 1984 Johns has continued to be ugly in the industry.

Johns is integrity father of Ethan Johns, and class older brother of Andy Johns (1950–2013), all three of whom shared blue blood the gentry same career. In addition to monarch work as an engineer and manufacturer, Johns has recorded as a lone musical artist. In 2012, Johns was inducted into the Rock and Turn around Hall of Fame, receiving the Accord for Musical Excellence.

Early life

Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England, prohibit 15 February 1942, and is illustriousness older brother of Andy Johns. Response his autobiography, Glyn Johns recounts think about it at the age of eight take action joined a local church choir sort a boy soprano. Felton Rapley, reputed one of the leading pipe organists in the UK at the prior, became the choirmaster, and as Artist progressed, Johns was given occasional solos and eventually rose to head songstress at the age of eleven. Artist attributes his experience in the set, particularly hearing and watching Rapley diversion the organ, as having a critical impact on his musical direction. Introduction he approached adolescence, Johns left interpretation choir after his vocal cords began to change.

Johns recounts that his tight-fisted neighbour lent him a Guild thrilling guitar, which sparked his interest execution guitar. At this time Johns was attending the church's Wednesday night early life club, where for the first frustrate he saw Jimmy Page play bass. Johns became a fan of fixed jazz and joined a local males jazz band on tea chest voice. He cites the record "Little Scarp Getaway" by Les Paul and Within acceptable limits Ford as an influence. Les Undesirable was one of the first musicians to experiment with tape multi-tracking come to rest sound effects.Lonnie Donegan's skiffle hit appall of Lead Belly's "Rock Island Line" was also influential—according to Johns, "I had heard nothing like it give orders to rushed out to buy it nobility next day". He soon bought ruler own guitar and was introduced blow up blues and folk recordings by great neighbour, who lent him records from one side to the ot artists such as Snooks Eaglin, Goblin McGhee, Sonny Terry, Woody Guthrie, topmost Burl Ives. Johns began to not keep to company with a group of companionship interested in music, whose ranks charade Ian Stewart (later in the Set out Stones). In 1959 at the dawn on of 17, Johns left school, final with Mayhew and Golding formed blue blood the gentry band the Presidents.

Career in music current recording

Over a long career as spruce up engineer and/or producer, Johns has fake with numerous successful musical acts rotation the industry. Johns has also real as a solo musical artist.

Early years: 1959–1963

IBC Studios and as performing artist

See also: IBC Studios and Decca Records

In 1959, Johns began his career brand an assistant recording engineer at IBC Studios on Portland Place in Author. IBC was an independent recording accommodation and had no affiliation with grand label. Johns recounts that his obvious duties included odd tasks and equipping basic support for the experienced engineers. His first session as a cut engineer was for the popular skiffle singer Lonnie Donegan.

At the time IBC had a busy schedule. Coats station ties were required to be even by recording engineers (and white rod coats for technical engineers). Most recordings were done then in mono (except for classical music). During Johns's cardinal year at IBC, the popularity competition rock and roll increased and require for records that sounded more Dweller. Engineers were confronted with the badly behaved of capturing louder music. Younger engineers were more apt to try newborn approaches, and Terry Johnson, another rural engineer at IBC, convinced Johns result move in this direction. Johns recounts that Jack Good, one of excellence UK's early successful television rock squeeze roll producers, made regular use assess IBC Studios, and did many enjoy his recordings with Johns and Writer engineering sessions. They engineered pre-recorded imprints for the Oh Boy! television agenda, which featured leading British rock bear roll performers of the day, much as Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Blackjack Fury, Wee Willie Harris, and others.

Johns recounts that in the early Decade, he was signed to Decca Registers as a solo musical performing graphic designer at the urging of Jack Agreeable. Johns's first single, "Sioux Indian", was produced by Jack Good and excellence next two produced by Tony Meehan. Johns later went on to transcribe for Pye Records and Immediate Chronicles, but none of his solo chronicles became hits.

During this time, Johns was playing in the Presidents, who, according to Johns, began to put rectitude phrase "Featuring Decca Recording Star Glyn Johns" on their posters. Johns accomplished that he could invite musicians squeeze IBC on Sundays, when the cottage was not booking sessions—letting musicians value in the sound room whilst subside honed his engineering and producing capacity at the console. The makeshift session attracted many of the best callow musicians in London, such as Prise Page, Ian Stewart, Alexis Korner, Brian Jones, and Nicky Hopkins. Johns recounts that his first session as most important engineer was for a recording coarse Joe Brown, which was produced indifference Tony Hatch.^[a] In 1962, Johns entered into an arrangement with George Clouston, the manager at IBC studios, relate to let him produce records by consider artists.

The Rolling Stones 1962–1963

See also: Class Rolling Stones and Ian Stewart (musician)

Johns's friend, Ian Stewart was playing keyboard with the Rolling Stones. The link lived for a while in uncluttered house nicknamed "the Bungalow" with lone of Stewart's friends, Brian Wiles, who played in a group with Jeff Beck. It was through Stewart consider it Johns became involved in recording dignity Rolling Stones on their earliest recordings. Johns mentions that in March 1963, he brought them to IBC seal record several tracks. After Andrew Loog Oldham became the Rolling Stones' superintendent, Stewart was asked to leave primacy group, and Oldham took over nobleness role as producer of the group's recordings. Oldham moved the Rolling Stones' sessions to other studios, such gorilla Regent Sound, using other engineers, slab for more than a year Artist was not involved with the Unbolt Stones recordings.

As engineer for Shel Talmy

In 1963, Johns made arrangements to accumulate and record a session with Georgie Fame, but was paired, only type engineer, with producer Shel Talmy. At the start he was skeptical, but unexpectedly enjoyed working with Talmy, and the unite formed a successful partnership on distinct recordings for the next couple be more or less years, recording hit songs for learning such as the Kinks and excellence Who.

Peak years: 1964–1984

The Kinks, the Who, and Eric Clapton and as independent

During the mid 1960s, Johns worked form a junction with several of the popular British destructive groups of the era. With maker Shel Talmy he engineered many fence the early records by the Kinks and the Who, such as "You Really Got Me" and "All Dowry and All of the Night" from one side to the ot the Kinks, and "My Generation" uninviting the Who.

In 1965, Johns left IBC studios to further pursue his on one`s own career as a singer and trouper and promote his latest record "Mary Anne", but the record failed do away with chart. At the urging of Talmy, Johns began working freelance as swindler independent producer and engineer—one of loftiness first independent engineers in the UK. Subsequently, he did sessions at several studios such as Decca, Pye, Sandstone Arch, and Olympic.

In 1971, Johns reunited with the Who for the crowning time since the mid-1960s, this period as a co-producer, to work enlarge what became the album Who's Next.^[b] According to Pete Townshend in sovereignty autobiography:

Glyn was my model go in for what a good producer should be—someone who guides the music and coins the right sound—and there was cool great mutual respect and fondness mid us. We were both perfectionists shut in the studio who worked quickly. Found was his work as an designer on the early Who sessions ... delay made them sound so great.

Johns continuing to work with the Who in every nook the 1970s as an engineer ditch parts of Quadrophenia in 1973. Dirt produced and engineered The Who stomachturning Numbers (1975) and produced early session for Who Are You (1978) have under surveillance engineer John Astley, who later took over as producer. Johns returned craving work with the group, producing be proof against engineering 1982's It's Hard.

Pete Townshend recruited Johns to engineer Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert in 1973. Johns produced take engineered Eric Clapton's 1977 album, Slowhand, which featured hits such as "Lay Down Sally", "Wonderful Tonight", and top version of J. J. Cale's "Cocaine", with Clapton's next album, Backless in 1978, which contained another hit "Promises". Behave his autobiography Eric Clapton wrote message Johns:

He was a disciplinarian who did not like people mucking make happen or wasting time. When we were in the studio we were come next to work and he'd get self-conscious if there was any goofing cross out. Even though we were all obtaining ancestry stoned or drunk we responded drawback that quite well. He brought stop off the best in us, and whilst a result that album [Slowhand] has great playing and a great atmosphere."

The Rolling Stones 1965–1975

See also: Olympic Studios

Though Johns briefly ceased recording the Arise Stones in late 1963 and 1964, in 1965 he returned to righteousness role on their British sessions ahead assisted the group with much call upon their most famous material.^[c] With Artist that year they recorded "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the albums December's Children (And Everybody's) and Out of Our Heads. Johns worked indifferently with the Rolling Stones as deviser for the remainder of the ten and into the mid-1970s—from December's Family tree (And Everybody's) (1965) through to Black and Blue (1975).^[d]

Starting with the meeting for Between the Buttons in make something stand out 1966, Johns and the Rolling Stones began to record extensively at Athletics Studios. Olympic Studios became Johns's superior studio for many years,^[e] and limitation became one of the most in-demand recording facilities in England.

In 1968 character Rolling Stones expressed the desire ploy work with an American producer snowball Johns recommended Jimmy Miller, who unwind had seen working with Traffic. Artist stayed on as engineer, and trade this team the group recorded Beggars Banquet (1968) and Let It Bleed. (1969) Glyn Johns engineered some become aware of the tracks on Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main St. (1972), both produced by Jimmy Miller. Disseminate these two albums his brother, Arch Johns, also worked as an engineer.^[f] His brother engineered Goat's Head Soup, the last Rolling Stones album get well by Jimmy Miller. Glyn Johns voluntary to certain tracks on It's Sole Rock 'n Roll, and returned type chief recording engineer on the indeed sessions for Black and Blue.^[g]

The Brief Faces, the Faces, Humble Pie, captivated Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend

In rendering 1960s, Johns engineered many of honesty records made by the Small Swot, such as "Whatcha Gonna Do Step It" "Tin Soldier",^[72] their 1967 favourable outcome, "Itchycoo Park", which featured the loft of bizarre phasing effects^[72] Johns acute from another Olympic engineer, George Chkiantz.^[h] Johns engineered the Small Faces' 1968 LP, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake.

After excellence group's breakup, guitarist and lead soloist Steve Marriot formed Humble Pie, whose membership included Peter Frampton—Johns produced phoney their third and fourth albums, Humble Pie and Rock On.^[i] The following former Small Faces, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones, joined mess up Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, both from Jeff Beck Group to alteration the Faces, and Johns engineered gain co-produced (with the band) the albums A Nod Is as Good in that a Wink... to a Blind Horse^[80] and Ooh La La. During honesty 1970s, after leaving the Faces, Ronnie Lane worked on several projects with the Rough Mix album with Pete Townshend, which was produced by Glyn Johns. Lane began to experience trim problems and was diagnosed with double sclerosis. In 1983, Eric Clapton near Johns helped organize the ARMS Patience Concerts to raise money for Lane's medical bills and research for position disease, and assembled a cast supporting musicians for the show, which target Clapton, Jimmy Page, Bill Wyman, Blockhead Watts, Steve Winwood and others.

Led Zeppelin

Johns engineered Led Zeppelin's debut album canned in October 1968. Though Jimmy Folio was credited as producer, Johns was involved in the production during justness making of the album. According collect Johns, when working on the recording, he developed his method of advantage three microphones to record drums storeroom stereo mixes.

The Beatles

Glyn Johns worked by the same token the chief recording engineer on authority Beatles' "Get Back" sessions, which were both taped and filmed. The operation resulted the Let It Be tome and Let it Be (1970) added The Beatles: Get Back (2021)documentary flicks. In 1969, Paul McCartney called Artist and asked him to assist do business sessions. George Martin, though officially planned as the producer, only made random appearances. During taping and shooting, Convenience Lennon in jest referred to him as "Glynis" (referring to the obviously unrelated actress Glynis Johns).

According to Artist, he suggested that band play spruce up concert on the rooftop of their Apple Studio facility, where much marketplace the sessions were being recorded ride filmed, and rigged the recording sway onto the rooftop connected to monitor room for the performance. He additionally recommended that the album be prepared as an "audio documentary" with bunk and banter included between each indication. Johns helped the band compile many versions of the album, all fair-haired which got shelved before the post was turned over to producer Phil Spector in 1970, who reworked put on view and released it as the notebook Let It Be.^[j]

Johns engineered early prerecorded parts of the song "I Hope for You (She's So Heavy)" at Trident Studios on 23 February 1969, turn this way in later finished form appeared harmonize the Abbey Road album. For Abbey Road's remaining tracks, the group shared to EMI Studios and re-united tackle producer George Martin and a uniform of engineers including Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald, and Alan Parsons.

Johns assisted merge with early sessions of Paul McCartney president Wings' Red Rose Speedway.^[k] Johns net the project due to what take steps described as his lack of recompense with the material.

Procol Harum, Joe Indulge, the Move, and the Easybeats sit others

Johns also worked with other Brits acts such as Procol Harum,Joe Cocker,the Move, and Fairport Convention. He rigged several songs by Australia's the Easybeats, including their 1967 hit "Friday point My Mind", which was produced close to Shel Talmy. Johns worked with magnanimity French musician Johnny Hallyday.

The Steve Playwright Band, Bob Dylan, the Band, birth Eagles

In the late 1960s and Decennium, Johns was in demand on both sides of the Atlantic and gripped with American acts such as depiction Steve Miller Band, and the Eagles. Johns did his first work seam an American act in 1968 fretfulness the Steve Miller Band, whom sharptasting had seen perform live at probity Fillmore in San Francisco. The authority came to England to record their debut album, Children of the Future, at Olympic with Johns as manipulator. During the sessions, Johns assumed rectitude role of producer. Johns produced predominant engineered their next three albums, Sailor,Brave New World, and Your Saving Grace.

At the request of producer Bob General, Johns engineered the live recordings clasp Bob Dylan's performance backed by loftiness Band at the Isle of Human Festival in 1969, some of which appeared on his 1970 Self Portrait album. He later produced and imitation Dylan's 1984 live album, Real Live. Johns also did one of class mixes for the Band's Stage Fright in 1970.^[l]

Johns engineered and produced prestige Eagles' first three albums, bringing them to Olympic Studios in London border on record their self titled debut, followed by Desperado, and the early sitting for On the Border. During these years they achieved success, recording hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Tequila Sunrise", and "Best of My Love", which became their first number one confrontation single. Increasingly the group began disruption develop internal friction and with Artist. They also objected to John's rest on use of drugs in say publicly studio. By 1974, singer/guitarist Glenn Freyr and drummer/vocalist Don Henley gained state of the band, and sought capital more hard-rocking approach. Johns, who higher their early country-rock orientation, fell jet of favour with the group see left during the making of On the Border, so they moved high-mindedness sessions to California and brought look onto producer/engineer Bill Szymczyk to finish probity album. Eventually, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon departed, and the band recruited Don Felder and former James Ring guitarist Joe Walsh.

Other American acts

Johns falsified and co-produced the first two albums by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, which provided the hits "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" and "Jackie Blue". Johns worked with others such monkey Spooky Tooth,Billy Preston, and Howlin' Fiend. Johns engineered the song "A Mortal Needs a Maid" on Neil Young's 1971 Harvest album. Johns has further worked with Emmylou Harris.

Joan Armatrading

After assessing the disappointing sales of Joan Armatrading's second album, A&M Records selected Artist to produce her next three albums, beginning in 1976 with Joan Armatrading, followed by Show Some Emotion (1977), and To the Limit (1978). Accoutrement Armatrading with her first chart luck, "Love and Affection", the eponymous tertiary album cemented her career, and was once described by Johns as king best work.

The Clash

In 1982, Johns niminy-piminy with the Clash during the uplift stages of making the album Combat Rock. Initially it was intended cuddle be a double album tentatively bring round the working title Rat Patrol evade Fort Brag. The group's chief songwriters Mick Jones and Joe Strummer disagreed on how to proceed, and according to Johns even booked separate studios in New York to do their own competing mixes of the album.^[m] According to Clash biographer Marcus Clothing, the group's manager Bernie Rhodes, postponed to bring in either Gus Enmity, who had produced Elton John, blunder Glyn Johns.^[n] Johns recounts that interpretation chief of London's CBS RecordsA & R department, Muff Winwood (brother identical musician Steve Winwood), having been unhappy with Jones' and Strummer's mixes, freely Johns to remix the album. Artist agreed and, upon hearing an rayon of one of the previous mixes, was concerned about the record's development self-indulgence, but was also impressed market many of its tracks and accomplished that there was enough strong data to make a good album. Artist recommended that the album be cut to one disc, and proceeded private house reduce the number of tracks shadow inclusion, plus he edited down leadership length of several tracks in resign from to remixing all of the songs that ended up on the furthest back release.^[o]

1985–present

Though Johns's output slowed in nobleness mid-1980s, he undertook work with Middle of the night Oil, Nanci Griffith, Belly,New Model Army,Joe Satriani,John Hiatt,Buckacre,Gallagher and Lyle,Georgie Fame,Helen Technologist, and many others. Johns produced undue of Linda Ronstadt's 1998 We Ran album.

In 2011, after a number assault years spent largely away from arrange, Johns worked with Ryan Adams govern his album, Ashes & Fire. Imprint February 2012, Johns began work build the Band of Horses album, Mirage Rock. Johns and Clapton collaborated soon again for Clapton's 2016 release I Still Do.

Approach to recording

Johns has alleged that he prefers, when possible, picture record instrumental tracks with musicians conduct together live in the studio restructuring a collective unit, using a circumscribed number of microphones and tracks—in systematic space suitable for ensemble playing mosey has unique acoustical characteristics, and blooper generally prefers recording the basic sign from one continuous take of organized whole performance, rather than editing group different pieces.

"I have never lost interpretation value of musicians interacting with double another as they play. This crapper be so subtle and invariably silt nothing more than a subconscious heart-warming reaction to what others are display around you, with what you go up in price contributing having the same effect come together them. When a musician overdubs top or her part onto an give to track, this ceases to be topping two-way interaction.

Johns developed an approach champion recording drums in stereo, sometimes referred to as the "Glyn Johns Method", that aims to achieve a enchantment perspective of the whole kit, seldom exceptionally employing more than three or unite microphones. His method consists of point two overhead microphones, with one tell untruths over the snare drum and greatness other slightly over and to nobleness right of the floor tom (both pointed towards and equidistant from birth snare drum), as well as expert third microphone set in front round the bass drum. He sometimes uses an additional close mic for prestige snare drum.

Family

See also: Andy Johns, Ethan Johns, and Will Johns

Glyn Johns even-handed the older brother of the impresario and engineer Andy Johns (1950–2013), who began as an engineer with Jimi Hendrix under the tutelage of Eddie Kramer, and like Glyn Johns, stilted with the Rolling Stones and Facade Zeppelin.^[153] Glyn Johns has two major sisters.

With Glyn Johns's first wife Sylvia, Johns had two children, including neat son Ethan Johns, who is efficient producer and engineer who has afflicted with artists such as Paul Songwriter, Kings of Leon, and like cap father Ryan Adams, as well considerably a daughter Abigail Johns.

Glyn Johns review the uncle of the blues jongleur Will Johns (son of Andy Johns).

Legacy

Glyn Johns is recognized as one handle the pre-eminent audio engineers and commit to paper producers of the rock era. Prevent 14 April 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Foyer of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Appease received an Award for Musical Superiority and was honoured for his effort on landmark recordings by many wellknown artists. He was also the conqueror of the 2013 Music Producers Association Inspiration Award.

Johns has written an experiences titled Sound Man, published by Surprise Rider Press on 13 November 2014, in which he recounts his memories working with the Rolling Stones, magnanimity Beatles, the Who, the Eagles, Player, Stills and Nash, and others.

Discography

Main article: Glyn Johns discography

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography