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Bob Clearmountain

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Bob Clearmountain
Clearmountain standing in front of a chalkboard
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
SpouseBetty Bennett
Awards

Bob Clearmountain (born Chiaramonte, January 15, 1953)[1] is an American mixing engineer and record producer.[2] best known for his work with major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and Bryan Adams. 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 credited with establishing the role of mixing engineer.[3]

Clearmountain 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

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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

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Mediasound and Power Station

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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

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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

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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

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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]

Production discography

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Main article: Bob Clearmountain production discography

Selection of work as producer

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Selection of work as live mixer/engineer

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Date Concert Location
November 3, 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Barclays Center, Brookyn, New York
November 5, 2022 Rock & 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 Concert Wembley 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 Ceremony Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City
August 12-14, 1994 Woodstock 94 Winston Farm, Saugerties New York
May 5th, 1990 A Tribute to John Lennon The Pier Head, Liverpool
August 24, 1989 The Who - Tommy Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California
June 11, 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert Wembley Stadium London, UK
July 13, 1985 Live Aid John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

KCRW Apogee Sessions

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In 2005, Clearmountain collaborated with Apogee Electronics to convert unused space in the company's Santa Monica headquarters into Apogee Studio, a recording studio and performance venue.[21] Beginning in 2010, Santa Monica radio station KCRW began hosting live music performances in the venue, called KCRW Apogee Sessions and later KCRW Live from Apogee Studio, with Clearmountain handling the mixing and recording.[22][23] Artists for these KCRW sessions have included David Gray, Ryan Adams, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Vampire Weekend, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Regina Spektor, Glen Hansard, the Shins, k.d. lang, Shelby Lynne, Leon Bridges, Norah Jones, the Avett Brothers, Mayer Hawthorne, Alabama Shakes, Belle & Sebastian, John Legend, Beck, John Mayer, Common, and Queens of the Stone Age.[24][25] In 2024, Cory Henry recorded his album Live at the Piano at the studio; the first recorded there to receive a Grammy Award nomination.[25]

Awards and recognition

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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.[26]

In 2003, he was awarded the Music Producers Guild Icon Award for "a person seen to be an icon of the recording industry."[27]

Grammy Awards & nominations

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Year Work Artist Role Award/Nomination
1992 Storyville Robbie Robertson Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical[28]
1994 Rhythm, Country And Blues Various Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical[29]
1997 Blue Moon Swamp John Fogerty Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical[30]
1998 Firecracker Lisa Loeb Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical[31]
2005 Avalon Roxy Music Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Surround Sound Album[32]
2006 We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions Bruce Springsteen Mixing Engineer Winner - Best Traditional Folk Album[33]
2011 Paraíso Express Alejandro Sanz Mixing Engineer Winner Latin Grammy - Best Male Pop Vocal Album[34]
2011 Paraíso Express Alejandro Sanz Mixing Engineer Winner - Best Latin Pop Album[35]
2019 The Savior A Bad Think Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Immersive Audio Album[36]
2024 Avalon Roxy Music Mixing Engineer Nominee - Best Immersive Audio Album[37]

Emmy Awards & nominations

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Year Work Role Award/Nomination
2023 Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert Mixer Nominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2021 Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You - Apple TV Mixer Nominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2015 The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special - NBC Mixer Winner - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special
2010 The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert - HBO Mixer Winner - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special
2001 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - HBO Mixer Nominee - Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special
1993 MTV Unplugged - MTV Mixer Nominee - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing For A Variety Or Music Series Or Special

References

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  1. ^ a b "Don Was & Bob Clearmountain: Getting It Right". Elmore Magazine. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d Harvey, Steve (10 January 2025). "Wildfires Tear Through Los Angeles Audio Community". Mix. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  17. ^ a b 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. ^ "Gear: Bob Clearmountain's Studio That Love Built". Billboard. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Apogee Sessions". KCRW. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  23. ^ Singh, Sonya (2015-01-22). "Photos: Belle and Sebastian Kick Off KCRW's Apogee Sessions". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  24. ^ Hochman, David (3 September 2018). "The 180-Seat Invite-Only Los Angeles Music Venue That's Attracting Arena Rockers". Forbes. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Bob Clearmountain's Apogee Studio Redefines Audio Excellence with the Power of Dante". Dante. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  26. ^ "TEC Lifetime Achievement". MIX. 1 September 2004. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Bob Clearmountain receives MPG Icon Award". Sound On Sound. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  28. ^ "1991 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1991. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  29. ^ "1994 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1994. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  30. ^ "1997 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1997. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  31. ^ "1998 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 1998. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  32. ^ "2004 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  33. ^ "2006 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  34. ^ "11th Annual Latin Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees". LatinGrammy.com. Latin Recording Academy. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  35. ^ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  36. ^ "62nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  37. ^ "67th Annual Grammy Awards Nominees". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
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See also

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