Glyn Johns: Difference between revisions

Glyn Johns
Birth name	Glyn Thomas Johns
Born	(1942-02-15) 15 February 1942 (age 81) Epsom, Surrey, England
Genres	Rock
Occupation(s)	Producer, engineer, musician
Instrument(s)	guitar
Years active	1959-present

Musical artist

Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer, and record producer. As an engineer and producer, he has worked with many of the most famous rock recording acts from both the UK and abroad, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, the Eagles, Bob Dylan, the Band, Eric Clapton, the Clash, the Steve Miller Band, the Small Faces, and many others.

In 1965 Johns became one of the first independent British recording engineers, who could operate as a freelance not under the hire of a particular record label or studio. He is widely considered one of the preeminent recording engineers and producers in the history of rock music. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Johns has also recorded as a solo musical artist.

He is the father of engineer and producer Ethan Johns and older brother of the late Andy Johns, also a renowned producer and recording engineer.

Early biography 1942–59[edit]

Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England on February 15, 1942,^[2] and is the older brother of the late Andy Johns. At the age of eight Johns joined a local church choir as a boy soprano. Felton Rapley, considered one of the leading pipe organists in the UK at the time, became the choirmaster, and as under his direction Johns progressed, being given occasional solos and eventually elevated to head chorister at the age of eleven. Johns attributes his experience in the choir, particularly hearing and watching Rapley play the organ, as having a profound impact on his musical direction. At thirteen Johns left the choir after his vocal cords began to change.

Johns’ next-door neighbour lent him a Guild electric guitar, which sparked his interest playing guitar. At this time he was attending the church’s Wednesday night youth club, where for the first time he saw Jimmy Page play guitar. Johns became a fan of traditional jazz and joined a local ragtag jazz band on tea chest bass. He attributes the record “Little Rock Getaway” by Les Paul and Mary Ford as an influence. Les Paul was one of the first musicians to experiment with tape multi-tracking and sound effects. Lonnie Donegan‘s skiffle hit version of Lead Belly‘s “Rock Island Line” was also influential. According to Johns “I had heard nothing like it and rushed out to buy it the next day”. He soon bought his own guitar and was introduced to blues and folk recordings by a neighbor, who lent him records by artists such as Snooks Eaglin, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives. Johns began to keep company with a group of friends interested in music, whose ranks included Ian Stewart (later in the Rolling Stones), Rob Mayhew, and Colin Golding. In 1959 at the age of seventeen, Johns left school, and with Mayhew and Golding formed the band the Presidents.

Career in music and recording[edit]

Over a long career as an engineer and/or producer, Johns produced has worked with a wide range of the musical industry’s most successful artists.^[14] Johns has also recorded as a solo musical artist.

Early years: 1959–63[edit]

IBC Studios and as performing artist[edit]

In 1959 Johns began his career as an as an assistant engineer at IBC Studios on Portland Place in London.^[16] IBC was an independent recording studio and had no affiliation with a label. Johns’ early duties included odd tasks and providing basic support for the experienced engineers. His first session was for Lonnie Donegan.

At the time IBC had a busy schedule. Coats and ties required for engineers (and white lab coats for technical engineers). Most recordings done then in mono (except classical) During Johns’ first year at IBC, the popularity of Rock & roll increased and demand for records that sounded more American. Engineers were confronted with the challenge of capturing louder music. Younger engineers such were more apt to try new approaches, and Terry Johnson, another young engineer at IBC, convinced Johns to move in this direction.

During Johns’ first year at IBC, the popularity of Rock & roll increased and demand for records that sounded more American. Engineers were confronted with the challenge of capturing louder music. Younger engineers such were more apt to try new approaches, and Terry Johnson, another young engineer at IBC, convinced Johns to move in this direction. Jack Good, one of the UK’s early successful rock and roll producers, made regular use of IBC Studios, and did most of his recordings with Johns and Johnson engineering sessions. They engineered prerecorded tracks for the Oh Boy! television programme, which featured leading British rock and roll performers of the day, such as Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Wee Willie Harris, and…