Mark Howard (producer)

Mark Howard (born June 8, 1964 in Manchester, England) is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer, who has worked with artists including Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, The Tragically Hip, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Marianne Faithfull, Emmylou Harris, U2, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Neil Young, and The Neville Brothers.

Mark Howard
Mark Howard Berlin 2007
Background information
Born (1964-06-08) 8 June 1964
Manchester, England
GenresExperimental, rock, ambient, folk, country, blues
Occupation(s)Record producer, Engineer
Associated actsBob Dylan
Lucinda Williams
Tom Waits
Marianne Faithfull
Daniel Lanois
Neil Young
Avril Lavigne
Natalie Imbruglia
R.E.M.
U2
Emmylou Harris
The Tragically Hip

Career

Howard began his career in Hamilton, Ontario, mixing shows in local clubs, and touring across Canada with King Biscuit Boy. After a motorbike accident which left him unable to lift heavy equipment, he began working as an assistant at Grant Avenue Studios.[1] In 1986, while working at Grant Avenue Studio, he met Daniel Lanois and began working on his solo album, Acadie. Lanois invited him to New Orleans to help set up a studio and begin work on The Neville Brothers album Yellow Moon, beginning a 23-year-long musical partnership. Howard worked on mixing, recording and engineering, as well as studio installations. They had studios in New Orleans, Kingsway, Emila Court on St Charles Ave, and a Victorian mansion at 1305 Soniat St, Mexico, and in San Francisco.[1] In 1987, Howard recorded the Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon at Emila Court. In 1989, Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy was recorded on Soniat St.[2]

This is the house on Soniat St, New Orleans where Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy was recorded in April, 1989 by Mark Howard.

Howard then recorded and mixed Daniel Lanois' debut solo album Acadie. In 1990, Howard recorded Chris Whitley's debut album, Living with the Law at Kingsway Studio and in 1991 recorded and mixed Lanois' second album For the Beauty of Wynona. In 1991, Mark began work on R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. Whilst at Kingsway Howard worked on records for the Neville Brothers (Brother's Keeper), Peter Gabriel (Us), R.E.M. (Monster), Harold Budd (By the Dawn of the Early Light), and Iggy Pop (American Caesar).

In 1993, Howard went solo as a producer, producing The Tragically Hip's Day for Night. He was nominated at the Canadian Juno awards for producer of the year. In 1994, Howard worked on post-production for Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball at the studio he shared with Lanois in San Francisco.

Howard then opened a studio called the Teatro, in Oxnard, California,[3] in an abandoned 1920s theatre. At this studio Howard and Lanois co-produced the soundtrack to the movie Slingblade, and Howard then produced Chris Whitley's Terra Incognita. In 1995, Howard co-produced with Ian Moore the latter's second studio album, Modernday Folklore.

In 1996, Bob Dylan began work with Howard and Lanois on Time Out of Mind at the Teatro,[4] and recorded at Miami's Criteria Studios for a month before returning to the Teatro to finish recording the album. The record went on to win three grammys, including Album of the Year. In Dylan's acceptance speech, he thanked Mark Howard, commenting that "we got a particular sound on this record which you don't get every day".[5][6]

The Teatro studio in Oxnard, California, an abandoned theatre that Howard turned into a recording studio.

In 1997, Howard and Lanois recorded Willie Nelson's Teatro, named after the studio. In July 1998, Howard produced Marianne Faithfull's, Vagabond Ways. Faithfull was introduced to Howard by Bob Dylan, who said to her that "You know Marianne, people like us with funny voices, you have to be very careful who you let produce you."[7]

U2 was the last band to record with Howard and Lanois at the Teatro, recording some of All That You Can't Leave Behind.[8]

After the Teatro Howard created his own studio at the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake, Los Angeles,[9] which was originally owned by actor and director Antonio Mareno. At Paramour, Howard produced the Lucinda Williams album, World Without Tears,[10] which was nominated for a Grammy award.[11][12] Whilst at the Paramour Howard produced Vic Chesnutt Silver lake,[13] a track with Eddie Vedder for soundtrack of the movie, I Am Sam, and the beginnings of Tom Waits Real Gone. Howard finished Real Gone at an old school house in northern California.

The Paramour Estate in Silver Lake, Los Angeles

Discography

P=Produced / E=Engineered / M=Mixed / R=Recorded

Award nominations and wins

Sources

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2009-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "The Official Bob Dylan Site". Bobdylan.com.
  3. "Recording Studio Is Phantom of the Teatro". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1998.
  4. "uncut.co.uk". Archived from the original on 2012-09-15.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-11-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Bob Dylan 980225a". Expectingrain.com.
  7. "Marianne Faithfull-Sylvie Simmons". Archived from the original on 2008-03-11.
  8. "U2 > Discography > Albums > All That You Can't Leave Behind". U2.com.
  9. "mixonline.com". Archived from the original on 2009-12-21.
  10. "acousticguitar.com". Archived from the original on 2008-10-23.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2009-05-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "20 Signs of Life From 2003". Pastemagazine.com. January 16, 2004.
  13. "In Music We Trust - Vic Chesnutt: Silver Lake". Inmusicwetrust.com.
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