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Dave Cobb

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For other people with similar names, see David Cobb (disambiguation).


Dave Cobb
Born (1974-07-09) July 9, 1974 (age 50)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
  • recording engineer
Years active2005–present
Websitedavecobbproducer.com

Dave Cobb (born July 9, 1974) 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.[1][2]

Cobb is also a contributor to the six million-selling 2018 A Star Is Born soundtrack and produced "Always Remember Us This Way" for Lady Gaga.[3][4]

Early life

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Cobb was born in Savannah, Georgia,[5] to Mary Cobb (née Floyd) and David Cobb, Sr.. He attended The Cottage School in Roswell.

Cobb said his family was very religious and was active in the Pentecostal faith (his maternal grandmother was a minister).[3] Cobb began playing drums and taking guitar lessons at church when he was four years old.[6]

Career

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Cobb's career in music began as a session musician in Atlanta, sometimes working with producers Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri. In the late 1990s he joined Britpop band The Tender Idols, featuring Ian Webber (vocals), Danny Howes (guitar), Guy Strauss (drums) and Joe Jones (bass), and Cobb on guitar and bass.[7] The band signed with New York record label Emagine and released three LPs, the second of which Dave Cobb co-produced.[8] Cobb's involvement in the recording process got him interested in working in the recording studio and led to him recording and producing other bands he was friends with.[5]

Cobb left the band and moved to Los Angeles, California in 2004. Cobb's manager, Andrew Brightman, introduced him to Shooter Jennings,[5] and the two became friends, connecting over shared interest in bands like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and Nine Inch Nails.[8] Jennings also expanded Cobb's country music education and, in 2005, Cobb produced Jennings' debut solo album Put the "O" Back in Country. Over the next several years, Cobb produced more albums by Jennings, as well as albums by such rock bands as Rival Sons,[3] and co-produced Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song (2008) and The Guitar Song (2009).[7]

In 2009, thanks to his professional connection to Jennings, Cobb produced the Oak Ridge Boys' record The Boys Are Back,[4] encouraging the band to record outside their standard catalog. The group then went on to cover songs by The White Stripes, Neil Young and John Lee Hooker.[9]

In 2011 Cobb moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[3] Cobb established a recording studio in a bedroom-sized room at the back of his house and named it Low Country Sound.[10] After meeting Sturgill Simpson at a Billy Joe Shaver concert,[11] Cobb produced Simpson's debut studio album High Top Mountain (2013) and its follow-up, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2014). Recorded at Cobb's Low Country Sound studio in only four days, Cobb used many different vintage recording techniques, avoiding any electronic recording approaches for this particular album.[7]

Cobb began working with Jason Isbell in 2013. Isbell's album Southeastern, recorded in Cobb's home and studio, was an effort to chronicle an acoustic sound similar to what is found on Simon And Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water, where a non-traditional recording environment was captured to provide an organic, live and "warm" sound.[5][12] The same year, Cobb began work producing Early Morning Shakes, the third studio album from Whiskey Myers, a Country Southern rock band from Palestine, Texas. The record was released on February 4, 2014.

Cobb met singer-songwriter Anderson East at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, and Cobb ended up producing East's 2015 album Delilah, which was recorded at FAME Studios in North Alabama's Muscle Shoals. Rodney Hall from FAME allowed the pair into the archives—in the vault they found George Jackson's song, "Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em," which is now a track on Delilah.[13] The video for "Find 'Em" is shot at FAME.[14]

In 2015, Cobb founded Low Country Sound (LCS), a record label imprint of Elektra that has a distribution deal with Atlantic Records.[15] The debut project for Low Country Sound was the 2015 record Delilah by Anderson East, who is currently signed with the label.[16] The same year, Cobb co-produced Chris Stapleton's debut studio album Traveller at the historic RCA Studio A on Nashville's Music Row, which was slated for demolition.[10] The album would go on to top the Billboard Year-End Top Country Albums chart in 2016 and 2017,[17][18] and win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.[19]

On March 18, 2016, the collaborative album Southern Family was released on the Low Country Sound imprint. Produced and curated by Cobb, the concept album was inspired by the album White Mansions, with themes centered on family values and the artist's experiences growing up in the South. It contains song contributions by Zac Brown, Anderson East, Jason Isbell, Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Morgane and Chris Stapleton among others. It was officially released on March 18, 2016.[20]

RCA Studio A was saved from demolition, and in July 2016, Cobb began a long-term residency at the studio.[10] The title of Chris Stapleton's 2017 releases From A Room: Volume 1 and From A Room: Volume 2 refer to the albums being recorded at the studio, as does The Oak Ridge Boys' 2018 release, 17th Avenue Revival, referring to the studio's location on 17th Avenue in Nashville.

In 2022, Cobb produced Gavin DeGraw's eighth album titled Face the River, the album 4 by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, as well as Sammy Hagar and the Circle's album Crazy Times.

In 2024, Cobb produced singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony's debut album Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, who came to prominence half a year prior with the viral single "Rich Men North of Richmond". While most of the songs were already released as acoustic recordings, they were re-recorded and provided new arrangements by Cobb.[21]

Artistic approach

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Cobb has said he focuses on the performer's voice, aiming for an end product which sounds natural. Cobb often plays guitar, and occasionally drums, on the records he produces.[5] Cobb cites Jimmy Miller (Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street) as an important influence in his approach to producing, as well as Glyn Johns and Brendan O'Brien.[22] Current influences include Gabriel Roth (Daptone Records).[5]

Cobb also is known to not have a preference over analog recordings versus digital, instead believing the spontaneous nature of creativity as well as the inspiration derived from new discovery, predominantly drives the organic quality of a song.[5]

Personal life

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Cobb lives in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.[3][16] Cobb is married; he and his wife, who is from Albania, have one daughter together.[6][7][3]

One of Cobb's paternal cousins from Georgia is the singer-songwriter Brent Cobb.[7][23] Additionally, Cobb said he grew up with musician Butch Walker.[6]

Cobb has talked about the long-term passion that turned into a serious hobby where he explores different types of wine, especially from Paso Robles and other California vineyards.[6]

Awards

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Equipment

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  • Console / board: HELIOS by Dick Swettenham (Abbey Road Studios)[6]
  • Recorder: Endless Analog's CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor)[25][26]
  • Converters: Burl Audio B80 Mothership and the B32 Vancouver[27]

Selected discography

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Artist Album Label Credit Year
The Red Clay Strays Made By These Moments RCA Producer 2024
Zayn Room Under the Stairs Mercury Producer 2024
Greta Van Fleet Starcatcher Universal Producer 2023
William Prince Stand in the Joy Six Shooter Records Producer 2023
Sammy Hagar and the Circle Crazy Times Universal Producer 2022
Gavin DeGraw Face the River RCA Producer 2022
Slash 4 (feat Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators) Gibson Records Producer 2022
Jade Bird Different Kinds of Light Glassnote Records Producer 2021
Barry Gibb 'Greenfields': The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1 Capitol Records Producer 2021
Chris Stapleton Starting Over Mercury Nashville Producer 2020
Dawes Good Luck with Whatever Rounder Records Producer 2020
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Reunions Thirty Tigers Producer 2020
William Prince Reliever Six Shooter Records Producer 2020
Ian Noe Between the Country "National Treasury Recordings" Producer 2019
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Live from the Ryman Thirty Tigers Mixer 2019
Dirty Heads Supermoon Five Seven Producer 2019
Rival Sons Feral Roots
"Do Your Worst"		 LCS/Atlantic Producer 2019
Brandi Carlile and Sam Smith "Party of One" Single Producer 2019
Lady Gaga A Star Is Born Soundtrack
"Always Remember Us This Way"		 Interscope Records Producer & Music Consultant 2018
Marcus King Band Carolina Confessions Producer 2018
Elle King Shake the Spirit
"Ram Jam" and "Told You So"		 RCA Producer 2018
Brandi Carlile By the Way, I Forgive You Low Country Sound/Elektra Producer 2018
The Oak Ridge Boys 17th Avenue Revival Lightning Rod Records Producer 2018
Lori McKenna The Tree CN Records Producer 2018
John Prine The Tree of Forgiveness Oh Boy Records, Nashville Producer 2018
The Revivalists Take Good Care Producer 2018
Amanda Shires To The Sunset Producer 2018
Colter Wall Songs of the Plains Producer 2018
Shooter Jennings Shooter Producer 2018
Ashley Monroe Sparrow Warner Bros. Nashville Producer 2018
Wheeler Walker Jr. WW III Thirty Tigers Producer 2018
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit The Nashville Sound Southeastern Producer 2017
Chris Stapleton From A Room: Volume 1 Mercury Nashville Producer 2017
Europe Walk the Earth Hell and Back Records Producer, co-writer 2017
Zac Brown Band Welcome Home No Reserve/Elektra Producer 2017
The Lone Bellow Walk Into A Storm Descendant Records/Masterworks Producer 2017
Colter Wall Colter Wall YMRC/Thirty Tigers Producer 2017
Judah & the Lion Folk Hop n' Roll CTV/Caroline Producer 2017
Wheeler Walker Jr. Ol' Wheeler Thirty Tigers Producer 2017
Various artists: Anderson East, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of the Story (An Album to Benefit War Child) Looking Out Foundation Producer 2017
Anderson East "Forever Young" featured in Ram Trucks Television Commercial Low Country Sound/Elektra Producer, Performer 2017
Chris Shiflett West Coast Town Le Coq Napoleon/SideOneDummy Producer 2017
All Them Witches Sleeping Through War New West Records Producer 2017
Jillette Johnson All I Ever See In You Is Me Rounder Producer 2017
Lori McKenna The Bird and the Rifle CN Records Producer 2016
Brent Cobb Shine On Rainy Day Low Country Sound/Elektra Producer 2016
Whiskey Myers Mud Wiggy Thump Producer 2016
Amanda Shires My Piece of Land Lightning Rod Producer 2016
Judah & the Lion Folk Hop N' Roll CTV/Caroline Producer 2016
Bonnie Bishop Ain't Who I Was Thirty Tigers Producer 2016
Brett Dennen Por Favor Elektra Records Producer 2016
Various artists: Anderson East, Brandy Clark, Brent Cobb, Holly Williams, Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell, John Paul White, Miranda Lambert, Morgane Stapleton feat. Chris Stapleton, Rich Robinson, Shooter Jennings, Zac Brown Band Southern Family (compilation) Low Country Sound/Elektra Producer 2016
Lake Street Dive Side Pony Nonesuch Records Producer 2016
Mary Chapin Carpenter The Things That We Are Made Of Lambent Light Records Producer 2016
Rival Sons Hollow Bones Earache Records Producer 2016
The Sore Losers Skydogs Excelsior Recordings Producer 2016
Holly Williams TBA Georgiana Records Producer 2016
A Thousand Horses Southernality[28] Republic Records Producer 2015
Corb Lund Things That Can't Be Undone New West Records Producer 2015
Kristin Diable Create Your Own Mythology[29] Thirty Tigers/Speakeasy Records Producer 2015
Chris Stapleton Traveller[30] Universal Music Group Nashville Producer 2015
Anderson East Delilah[31] Elektra Records Producer 2015
Chris Isaak First Comes The Night Vanguard Producer 2015
Christian Lopez Band Onward Blaster Producer, Mixer 2015
Houndmouth Little Neon Limelight Rough Trade Records Producer, Mixer 2015
honeyhoney 3 Concord Records Producer 2015
Finger Eleven Five Crooked Lines Concord Records Producer 2015
Lindi Ortega Faded Gloryville[32] Last Gang Records Producer 2015
Europe War of Kings Hell and Back Records Producer, Mixer 2015
Wheeler Walker Jr. Redneck Shit Pepperhill Music Producer, Mixer 2015
California Breed California Breed Frontiers Records Producer 2014
Rival Sons Great Western Valkyrie Earache Records Producer 2014
Whiskey Myers Early Morning Shakes Wiggy Thump Records Producer, Mixer 2014
Eliot Bronson Eliot Bronson Saturn 5 Records Producer 2014
Sturgill Simpson High Top Mountain High Top Mountain/Loose Music Producer 2013
Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds in Country Music High Top Mountain/Loose Music Producer 2014
The Wans He Said, She Said Independent Producer 2014
Jason Isbell Southeastern Southeastern/Thirty Tigers Producer 2013
Jason Isbell Something More Than Free Southeastern/Thirty Tigers Producer 2015
Rival Sons Head Down Earache Records Producer, engineer, writer 2013
Lindi Ortega Tin Star Last Gang Records Producer 2013
Rival Sons Pressure & Time Earache Records Producer, engineer, writer 2011
Jamey Johnson The Guitar Song Mercury Nashville Producer 2010
Jamey Johnson The Lonesome Song Mercury Nashville Producer 2008
Shooter Jennings The Wolf Universal South Producer 2007
Shooter Jennings Electric Rodeo Universal South Producer 2006
Shooter Jennings Put the "O" Back in Country Universal South Producer, engineer, co-writer 2005
Waylon Jennings Waylon Forever Vagrant Records Producer 2008
Rival Sons Before the Fire Earache Records Producer 2009
George Jones Squidbillies – Theme Song Cartoon Network Producer 2011
A Thousand Horses A Thousand Horses EP Interscope Records Producer 2009
The Secret Sisters The Secret Sisters Universal Republic Producer 2010
Brooke White High Hopes & Heartbreak June Baby Records Producer 2009
Michael Johns Hold Back My Heart Downtown Records Producer, co-writer 2009
Nico Vega Nico Vega Myspace Records Producer 2007
Black Robot Black Robot Brightman Music Producer, engineer, co-writer 2007
Chris Cornell Carry On ("Safe and Sound") Interscope Records Producer 2007
The Strays Le Future Noir TVT Producer, co-writer 2006
The Ringers Headlocks and Highkicks Independent Producer, co-writer 2006
Rock 'n' Roll Soldiers So Many Musicians to Kill Atlantic Producer 2005
The Shys Astoria Sire/London/Rhino Producer, co-writer 2005

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Powers, Ann (June 22, 2015). "The Making Of Jason Isbell's '24 Frames'". NPR Music. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  2. ^ Lane, Baron (November 5, 2015). "David Cobb – The Man Behind The Roots Music Tide". Twang Nation. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Powers, Ann (December 16, 2015). "An Outsider Remakes Nashville's Traditional Sound". NPR Music.
  4. ^ a b Kerns, William (June 19, 2009). "Oak Ridge Boys: Legendary vocalists reinvent band with stripped-down sound". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Bosso, Joe (October 6, 2014). "Nashville's hottest producer, Dave Cobb, talks "sound purity"". MusicRadar.
  6. ^ a b c d e Monahan, Pat (March 30, 2015). "Episode 87: Dave Cobb by Patcast by Pat Monahan". Patcast by Pat Monahan (Train). starts at 19:40[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b c d e Moss, Marissa R. (July 23, 2014). "Producer Profile: Dave Cobb". Rolling Stone.
  8. ^ a b Leight, Elias (November 19, 2015). "Producer Dave Cobb Talks Working With Chris Stapleton & Country's 'Tipping Point'". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Gerome, John (May 29, 2009). "Oak Ridge Boys tackle White Stripes on new album". Pioneer Press. Associated Press.
  10. ^ a b c Bacon, Tony (February 2019). "Dave Cobb: Producer & Engineer". Sound On Sound. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Sturgill Simpson & Dave Cobb – Interview". LR Baggs. August 12, 2014.
  12. ^ Verity, Michael (October 23, 2015). "The Producers, Part 1: Dave Cobb". The Bluegrass Situation.
  13. ^ Orr, Dacey (July 23, 2015). "How a bathroom break at The Bluebird sold superproducer Dave Cobb on Anderson East". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  14. ^ East, Anderson (March 2, 2015). "Anderson East – Find 'Em, Fool 'Em and Forget 'Em [Live from FAME Studios]". Anderson East.
  15. ^ Orr, Dacey (July 24, 2015). "Dave Cobb and Anderson East Talk Bromance, Nashville, FAME Studios, Chris Stapleton and More". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Rau, Nate (April 14, 2015). "Red-hot producer Dave Cobb partners with Elektra Records". The Tennessean.
  17. ^ "Billboard Top Country Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  18. ^ "Billboard Top Country Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  19. ^ "Grammys: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd Lead Nominations". Rolling Stone. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  20. ^ Vain, Madison (January 6, 2016). "Dave Cobb explains 'Southern Family'". Entertainment Weekly.
  21. ^ Willman, Chris (March 29, 2024). "Oliver Anthony to Release Dave Cobb-Produced Debut Album on Easter Sunday". Variety.
  22. ^ Bosso, Joe (February 16, 2015). "Dave Cobb's top 5 tips for producers". MusicRadar.
  23. ^ DeYoung, Bill (January 8, 2013). "5 questions: Brent Cobb". Connect Savannah.
  24. ^ Mansfield, Brian (September 18, 2014). "Jason Isbell dominates Americana Music Awards". USA Today.
  25. ^ "Dave Cobb mixing with Endless Analog CLASP". Endless Analog. February 28, 2010.
  26. ^ "Dave Cobb Chooses CLASP for Secret Sisters". Clyne Media. November 5, 2010.
  27. ^ "Dave Cobb using the B80 Mothership / B32 Vancouver". Burl Video Productions. October 10, 2013.
  28. ^ Roland, Tom (July 22, 2015). "A Thousand Horses Hope They Have The Public's Number With 'Drunk Dial'". Billboard.
  29. ^ Horowitz, Hal (February 24, 2015). "Kristin Diable: Create Your Own Mythology". American Songwriter.
  30. ^ Lindenmuth, Katy (June 1, 2015). "8 Music-Related Reasons Nashville Is Buzzing Right Now: 6. The Existence of Chris Stapleton". Billboard.
  31. ^ Billboard Staff (July 17, 2015). "Tomorrow's Hits: R. City, Anderson East & Rico Richie". Billboard.
  32. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (August 6, 2015). "Go Behind the Scenes With Country Singer Lindi Ortega as She Records New Album 'Faded Gloryville': Exclusive Video". Billboard.
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