Jack Richardson, CM, has left the studio for the final time. After decades of being Canada’s father of record producing, “Sir” Jack passed away last week in London, Ontario at the young age of 81.
In his career Jack produced many of the Guess Who hits including These Eyes and American Woman. In the mid 1960’s he was one of the founders of Nimbus 9, a mutli-media production company that had the best recording studio in Toronto in Yorkville in the early 1970’s. Bob Ezrin started his career working for Jack at Nimbus 9. Ezrin brought in Alice Cooper, and they produced the Love it to Death album together, featuring the hits I’m Eighteen and the Ballad of Dwight Fry. Jack also produced Night Moves for Bob Seger and countless other International and Canadian acts throughout his five decade career. See Jack Richardson on Wiki.
I spent time at Nimbus when I was growing up, and I recorded with Jack on a couple of forgotten projects in the late 1970’s. Later, when Nimbus was closing down (around 1980?), Dee Long and I bought Ezrin’s favourite EMT Plate and some microphones and baffles for ESP, our studio in Buttonville. Bob pulled off the side cover so he could make sure it had his file marks on the metal sheet! Awesome!
Alice Cooper’s DaDa was recorded at ESP, which of course meant that Vince used the very same EMT reverb in two very different studios.
In reading about Jack’s career I couldn’t help but notice that he never won a Juno Award for Producing. Yes I know they have renamed the Producer Award in his honor, but, how could he have not won ten of them? That’s Canada for you.
Alice Cooper at Nimbus with Jack Richardson in the 70s
I really enjoyed Preserving and Protecting the Frank Zappa Archives with Joe Travers and Gail Zappa of the Zappa Family Trust. Joe and Gail talked about Frank’s massive creative output, and their work in saving everything for future generations.
Nothing could be finer than to be in California in the springtime.
Two old friends from AIR Studios on Oxford Street, London, find themselves having a pleasant afternoon at Rancho Park, in the Cheviot Hills of West Los Angeles, 20 years later. Who would have thought?
Frank Ogelthorpe and John Jones on the 10th teeing ground of the Rancho Park Golf Course
I was listening to a new mix that Junya had just finished for Nick Wood‘s new album when the 8.9 earthquake struck North Eastern Japan last evening Los Angeles time. Although we lost contact for quite a while, I stayed awake to make sure that everyone was alright at Syn. By 3 AM I went bed after a Skype chat with Junya assured me everyone was safe. I don’t know if he was able to get home because transportation had stopped, but Nick was able to drive home, although I have not heard from him today.
I can only hope and pray for everyone effected by this extreme event. All of us in Los Angeles are feeling extra uneasy as we have increased fear and thoughts of our own future quakes.
