First of all I need to say that I’ve met some awesome musicians and studio engineers over my years of recording. I hate to say how long I’ve been recording. I must have recorded my first project when I was 5 years old, as they say. I first met Randy Wills on a recording gig when I was 16, where he was playing keyboard and I was hired to do vocals. It was the beginning of a wonderful love affair of music that we shared.
My first real recording project was 1975 and Randy Wills in the Exceptions Studios in Topeka, Kansas was in his early twenties. He had just gotten a Tascam 40-4 reel-to-reel machine. He encouraged me to record what I was singing every night in the lounges of Wichita and other mid-western towns. I had written several songs, and we mixed them between other familiar-sounding songs. He was and is an incredible talent and has been a driving encouragement in my musical career over the years.
The Album Cover from This Day
Randy recorded my first vinyl LP, “This Day”, simply voice and my guitar. It took us a day, vocals and guitar recorded at the same time. We recorded live with no punches(fixing no mistakes), and the recording quality of that project is still one of my best to date. Randy helped me with several other projects over the years. His studio grew, and soon he was keeping up with all of the latest in multi-track and digital recording. Randy helped record and arrange accompaniment for “The Person I Am”, recorded in 1980 as well as “Sometime’s It’s a Matter of Time” and “Positively Dr. Mary”, both recorded sometime after I moved to Colorado. Randy’s sometimes typical-temperamental-artist-self was worth the extra patience, I have to admit. Working with him wasn’t always a joy. I remember that I’d arrive after driving for hours to record and he’d still be in bed some days and then moody for the first half of the day. But the end result never suffered, and he was as passionate and obsessed with my work as I was.
I was spoiled by Randy’s drive, his ear and his understanding of what I was capable of. He never considered himself the producer really, only one of the best engineers I’ve ever worked with. It was always understood that my vision came first, though he had opinions that I often drew from and that made my music better. Some engineers think if they catch a note that doesn’t ring as true on your instrument or they suggest a certain feel from your performance, they want some extra compensation for production. Randy always did it because he loved it and for THAT his ego would take a back seat. He never pointed out how I was to benefit from his expertise. But benefit I did.
Randy gave me a good barometer to judge all those who came after. The search was on because of my Colorado location to find another Randy. Though I HAVE found one other studio that I love and feel at home in, Raven Recording in Denver, there’s really NOT another Randy. I’ve recorded in at least 6 other studios over the years. Until the past couple of years, none of those studios lived up to the expectations that were set in motion by my wonderful association with Randy early on.
Thank you, Randy, for your encouragement and the professional standard that you placed in my heart in my early years. It has followed me throughout my musical life.