Bill Schnee
| Bill Schnee | |
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Schnee in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William S. Schnee |
| Born |
July 4, 1947 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Recording engineer, producer |
| Associated acts | Steely Dan, Chicago, Ringo Starr, Natalie Cole, Rod Stewart, Dire Straits, Whitney Houston, Carly Simon, The Pointer Sisters, Mark Knopfler, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Marvin Gaye, Boz Scaggs, Joe Sample, Thelma Houston, Huey Lewis and The News, Pablo Cruise |
William S. "Bill" Schnee (born July 4, 1947) is an American musician, music producer, and audio engineer. Schnee has been nominated 11 times for the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Grammy Award and worked on a multitude of other Grammy nominated and awarded albums. He has won two Grammys, an Emmy for Outstanding Sound for a Television Special, and a Dove Award. In a 45+ year career of very diverse artists, Schnee has received over 135 gold and platinum records and has recorded/mixed over 50 top twenty singles.
Schnee was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where he lived until he was 13. At that time, his family moved to California. Early musical training was in trumpet, saxophone and piano. In 1964, his senior year at Glendora High School, Schnee started a band, The LA Teens, writing songs and playing organ. Immediately after graduation, The LA Teens were signed to Decca Records. When their single releases had little success, the band was dropped, however, they were immediately signed by Mike Curb to work with producer/engineer Richie Podolor. While learning his craft, Schnee attended California State Polytechnic University, majoring in Business. Schnee then started law school at Loyola University, but took a leave of absence in the second semester to continue playing and recording music. Three years after being produced by Podolor, Schnee's big break came when he was hired to engineer in Podolor's studio. On Schnee's third day, Podolor put him in to record two tracks and some overdubs for Three Dog Night. Schnee never returned to law school.
Schnee was instrumental in launching Sheffield Lab Records and the modern era direct to disc audiophile recordings, when in 1975 he produced the Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker album, I've Got the Music in Me. These audiophile albums were recorded in real time directly to the phonograph record cutting lathe. Schnee went on to produce several more of the direct to disc albums, including James Newton Howard and Friends, The Drum Record, and The Track Record.
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