03 / The story
From Tolna
to Music Row.
Like a lot of producers, I started out playing in the band: twelve years singing and playing bass in rock bands across the Midwest and Canada. Then I built my own studio in Fargo, which is one way to learn what really works on a record.
In 1985 I moved to Nashville and assisted on records for Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Petra and Sandi Patty. Poco asked me to come out and mix front of house, and the road followed with Kathy Mattea and Michael Johnson.
In 1988, with Tim DuBois, Van Stephenson, Monty Powell and Dave Robbins, I opened Midtown Tone & Volume on Music Row. It was meant to be a 16-track demo room. It turned into home for 25 years, and the records made along the way add up to nearly 100 Top-40 singles.
Diamond Rio · 27+ years
They even call me the “seventh member,” just to make me feel good.
Three firsts in the studio
01
First country album recorded entirely on digital hard-disk recorders (Diamond Rio).
02
First album mixed entirely on a digital console (Diamond Rio).
03
First Canadian album on hard-disk recorders (Duane Steele).