In The News

Tributes are paid to record producer Andy Johns

Tributes are paid to record producer Andy Johns

TRIBUTES have been paid to the legendary record producer and engineer Andy Johns who has passed away aged 62.

Mr. Johns, who was born in England but had been living in the United States for many years, will be best remembered for his work with The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

His first job in the recording industry had been as a tape operator at the famed Olympic Studios in London. He gained great experience working on a large number of albums, including Jimi Hendrix’s Axis Bold As Love (1967).

His long association with Led Zeppelin began in 1969 when he worked on the recording of Led Zeppelin II (1969). He went on to work on five more of the band’s albums.

Always willing to experiment with ways of capturing sounds, Mr. Johns at one point placed the drums at the bottom of a stairwell for the recording of Led Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971), see below.

In 1971, he was invited by the Rolling Stones’ producer Jimmy Miller to work on what was to become the group’s acclaimed album Exile On Main Street. Most of the recording sessions took place at a mansion on the Côte d’Azur before the band completed the recordings in Los Angeles. The highly complex task of mixing the album was entrusted to Mr. Johns, with the resulting double LP being released in May 1972.

He moved to the United States in the mid-1970s. Among his first projects in the U.S. was Television’s debut studio album Marquee Moon, which he co-produced with the band’s Tom Verlaine. He went on to work with a range of bands, including Van Halen and L.A. Guns.

His contribution to the music industry was recognised in 2012 when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Among the many to pay tribute was Kim Richards, chief executive officer and chairman of Allied Artists International. He said: “Andy Johns was truly a legend amongst legends; an icon of icons, and remains an inspiration to all who love and make music.”

Mr. Johns passed away in California after suffering complications with a stomach ulcer.

He is survived by his wife Annette and sons Evan, Jesse and Will.

To hear an excerpt from When The Levee Breaks, click here.

To view an interview with Mr. Johns, click here.

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