Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien | |
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Background information | |
Born | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | April 19, 1934
Died | November 16, 2020 Gainesville, Florida, U.S. | (aged 86)
Genres | Pop |
Occupation(s) |
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Bruce Swedien (/swəˈdiːn/ swə-DEEN) (April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand.[1]
Swedien first achieved widespread recognition as engineer with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' 1962 single "Big Girls Don't Cry" which sold over one million copies and stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.[2]
Swedien won 5
Early life and education
Swedien was born on April 19, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, Ellsworth and Louise (Perusse) Swedien, Ellsworth of Swedish descent, and Louise of French descent, were both classically-trained musicians, leading Swedien to develop a passion for music and recording at an early age.[4][5] His father bought him a disc recording machine when he was 10 and a professional tape recorder after graduating high school.[6] Swedien studied electrical engineering with a minor in music at the University of Minnesota, but did not graduate.[6]
Career
In 1954, aged 20, Swedien set up a recording studio in the old Garrick/LaSalle movie theater in Minneapolis.[7] He transformed the space into the Swedien Recording Studio, where he produced and recorded music for several years with artists such as Art Blakey and Herbie Mann. However, in late 1957, he sold the studio and relocated to Chicago.[6][8]
In 1957, he left Minneapolis and began working for
Swedien was known for pioneering the "Acusonic Recording Process", pairing up microphones together on vocals and instruments, a technique enabled by synchronizing several multi-track recorders with
His pop work included recordings by Patti Austin, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Mick Jagger, David Hasselhoff, Jennifer Lopez,[13] Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Rufus, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, Donna Summer, and Sarah Vaughan. He worked on the scores for Night Shift, The Color Purple and Running Scared.[14]
Recognition
On November 10, 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the
On August 30, 2015, Swedien was presented the Pensado Giant Award at the second annual Pensado Awards held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.[16] The award was presented by Quincy Jones.[17]
Death
Swedien died on November 16, 2020, at the age of 86, from surgery complications for a broken hip caused by a fall.[18][19]
Awards
Swedien won 5
Year | Title | Artist | Category | Role | Result |
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1970 | Moog Groove | The Electronic Concept Orchestra | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Nominated |
1979 | Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! | Quincy Jones | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Nominated |
1981 | "Give Me the Night" | George Benson | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Nominated |
1982 | The Dude | Quincy Jones | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Nominated |
1984 | Thriller | Michael Jackson | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Won |
1988 | Bad | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Won | |
1991 | Back on the Block | Quincy Jones | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Won |
1993 | Dangerous | Michael Jackson | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Producer, engineer | Won |
"Jam" | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Composer | Nominated | ||
1996 | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | Album of the Year | Producer, engineer | Nominated | |
Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Producer, engineer | Nominated | |||
1997 | Q's Jook Joint | Quincy Jones | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical | Engineer | Won |
References
- ^ "Michael Jackson's Thriller engineer, Bruce Swedien, has died aged 86". BBC News. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bruce Swedien". GRAMMY.com. May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "Bruce Swedien, Grammy-Winning Audio Engineer of 'Thriller,' Dies at 86". Variety. November 18, 2020.
- ^ "Remembering The Musical Genius Of Master Engineer Bruce Swedien". grammy.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "2541 Nicollet: Unmarked and invisible, it's nevertheless a musical heritage site". MinnPost. May 27, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Metason. "Bruce Swedien". ArtistInfo. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Universal Audio". www.uaudio.com.
- ISBN 978-1-4584-1119-8
- ^ Savage, Mark (November 18, 2020). "Michael Jackson's Thriller engineer, Bruce Swedien, has died aged 86". BBC News. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Sweeney. Daniel ["History in the Making], Acoustic Sciences Corporation, November 7, 2012.
- ^ "Swedien Works with Jennifer Lopez". www.asc-studio-acoustics.com.
- ^ "Bruce Swedien | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Sweeney, Daniel. [An incredible new sound for Engineers], Acoustic Sciences Corporation; retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ "All Recording – ProSoundWeb".
- ^ "Second Annual Pensado Awards Winners Announced". Mixonline. September 1, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Storer, Rhi (November 18, 2020). "Bruce Swedien, studio engineer for Michael Jackson, dies aged 86". The Guardian. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Noxon, Ar (November 18, 2020). "Rest In Peace: Bruce Swedien 1934-2020". Acoustic Sciences Corporation. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
External links
- In The Studio with Bruce Swedien
- Bruce Swedien discography at Discogs
- Archived interview with Mr. Bonzai, November 2006
- Bruce Swedien on Recording, Mixing Michael Jackson
- An Incredible New Sound for Engineers Archived September 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- Q&A session with Bruce Swedien on GearSlutz
- Bruce Swedien Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2016)