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Bob Clearmountain

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Bob Clearmountain
Clearmountain standing in front of a chalkboard
Clearmountain in 2017
Born (1953-01-15) January 15, 1953 (age 71)
Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s)Music engineer, audio mixer, producer
Years active1977–present
SpouseBetty Bennett
Awards

Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953 with the last name "Chiaramonte",[1] literally 'bright or clear mountain' in Italian) is an American[2] record producer.

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 (notably Born in the U.S.A.),[3] The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Pretenders, and Bryan Adams. He has mixed some of the most iconic live shows in music history, including Live Aid, The Concert for New York for 9/11, and most recently, the Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts at Wembley Stadium and The Forum. Records he mixed have won eight Grammys. His most recent nomination was for Best Immersive Audio Album, "The Savior". He has also been nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning two for Saturday Night Live's 40th Anniversary Special and 25th Anniversary Rock-n-Roll Concert.

Biography

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As a teenager, Clearmountain had many friends who were musicians or aspirants. He loved music, and played bass guitar in a bar band, but felt he did not want to rely on these capricious beings for his career.[4] Always more interested in the technical side, Clearmountain had a makeshift studio at home equipped 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. According to an interview with Sound on Sound, Clearmountain was immediately attracted when he entered a professional recording studio for the first time.[4]

His band had been making a demo recording at Mediasound Studios on 57th Street in New York. Determined to make a career in the technical side of the music business, he visited frequently and pestered the studio for a job. He was eventually hired as a gofer.[4] Clearmountain claims that after making about two deliveries, he found staff at the office 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.[4]

According to Clearmountain, he was hired as Chief Engineer at the Power Station recording studio as they were opening in around 1977, and had a say in designing the recording studios and choosing the equipment as a rock music studio.[4]

Clearmountain also played bass on the Dead Boys' first album, Young, Loud and Snotty, before Jeff Magnum rejoined the group.

Personal life

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Clearmountain is married to Apogee Electronics CEO Betty Bennett.[5]

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

List of Grammy Awards & nominations

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Year Work Role Award/Nomination
2023 "Live At The Piano" Cory Henry Producer/Engineer/Mixer Nominee - Best Alternative Jazz Album
2019 "The Savior" A Bad Think Mixer Nominee - Best Immersive Audio Album
2011 "Paraíso Express" Alejandro Sanz Mixer Winner Latin Grammy - Best Male Pop Vocal Album
2011 "Paraíso Express" Alejandro Sanz Mixer Winner - Best Latin Pop Album
2006 "Seeger Sessions" Bruce Springsteen Mixer Winner - Best Traditional Folk Album
2005 "Avalon" Roxy Music Mixer Nominee - Best Surround Sound Album
1998 "Firecracker" Lisa Loeb Mixer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non Classical
1997 "Blue Moon Swamp" John Fogerty Mixer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non Classical
1994 "Rhythm, Country And Blue" Various Artists Mixer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non Classical
1992 "Storyville" Robbie Robertson Mixer Nominee - Best Engineered Album - Non Classical

List of 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

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

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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 Shakes Jenny Lewis Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Automatic Jim James Quadron
Avett Brothers John Legend Queens of the Stone Age
Band of Horses Johnny Marr Regina Spector
Beck Jose James Rhye
Belle & Sebastian JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys Robert Glasper
Bloc Party k.d. lang Rodrigo y Gabriela
Chromeo Kelis Rosanne Cash
Cold War Kids Killer Mike Ryan Adams
Common KT Tunstall Say She She
Conor Oberst Leon Bridges Shelby Lynne
Courtney Barnett Little Dragon Silversun Pickups
Dan Auerbach Local Natives Sofi Tukker
David Gray Lord Huron Spoon
Death Cab for Cutie Ludovico Einaudi St. Vincent
Divine Fits M. Ward Sturgill Simpson
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Manu Chao Teddy Thompson
Fitz and the Tantrums Mayor Hawthorne The Airborne Toxic Event
Foals Meshell Ndegeocello The Cinematic Orchestra
Franz Ferdinand Metric The Kills
Future Islands MGMT The Olms
Gary Clark, Jr Miguel The Shins
Gary Numan Miike Snow The War on Drugs
Glen Hansard Moby The xx
Grizzly Bear Natalia Lafourcade thenewno2
Hiatus Kaiyote Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Tinariwen
Interpol Neal Francis Tom Jones
Jake Bugg Nick Waterhouse Toro y Moi
James Blake Norah Jones TV on the Radio
Janelle Monae Pete Yorn Vampire Weekend
Killer Mike War Was and Damian “JR Gong” Marley
Natalia Lafourcade Neil Francis Wilco

References

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  1. ^ "Don Was & Bob Clearmountain: Getting It Right". 2 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b Lockwood, Dave (June 1, 1999). "Bob Clearmountain: Master Mixer". Sound on Sound. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  3. ^ ""This is what Bruce calls his primal scrub": Bob Clearmountain talks mixing and tweaking Springsteen's Born In The USA guitars". 9 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Master Mixer Bob Clearmountain". Sound on Sound, June 1999
  5. ^ Droney, Maureen (March 1, 2004). "Bob Clearmountain". Bob Clearmountain | Mixonline.com. www.mixonline.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
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