The amazing Tom Dowd

In class on wednesday, we watched a documentary "Tom Dowd and the Language of Music". I have not heard of this man before today, but I know of and own many things that he has contributed to or helped create. Tom was growing up and going to school in New York. His mother was a singer, and his father staged big shows and theatres like the Roxy and the Capitol. Among being the member of the school band, he was highly interested in the study of Physics. After high school, Tom was drafted into the military, and he later on began to work for what was known as the Manhattan Project, the driving force behind the A-bomb that was dropped on Japan. In hopes to get his work for the nuclear industry credited towards school, the denied him and he thought about going back to get his degree. The school was going to make him take a bunch on classes based on the principles of 30's physics, but he was well beyond that, contributing to the discovery and development of 1950's physics. He decided not to continue on with school, and got a summer job at a recording studio, were he found his true passion. Shortly after, Tom started to engineer mixes and work with artists like Aretha Franklin, The Drifters, The Allman brothers, just to name a few. Tom was noticing that studios had many limitations of capturing a good recording. Back then, while recording you had to mix on the fly, or while recording was happening. From the lack of equipment, to the unprofessionalism of the musicianship Tom saw many things that needed changing. Later on in the DVD I would find Tom in the studio with an artist, and he could just listen and know what chord the song needed to go to to sound right. Many artists commented on what an amazing ear he had, not to mention his ability to get a great sound. He would walk around in the studio, having people playing, listening, then he walk back into the control room and tweek something he thought needed it. He later began working with Jerry Wexler of Atlantic studios, and convinced Jerry that they should be recording with 8 track! Dowd was one of the first people ever to mix 4 track down to 2 track, and to begin recording with 8 track. Tom was working with Cream for a while, and continued on his musical and production journey with Eric Clapton. Some of the most important things to Tom for making a good record, was great players and a good vibe. Wether in the studio or backstage at a show, Tom was always pumping up artists to play their best, like a sports coach. If you do not have a good vibe, a good performance will not be captured. Tom was pretty much the most significant person in the music production industry as we know it today. With out him many of the options available to us today would be non-existent.