philramone.com (last version, archived at the Internet Archive)
Musical artist
Philip Rabinowitz (January 5, 1934[1] – March 30, 2013), better known as Phil Ramone, was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer,[2] and co-founder of A & R recording studio. Its success led to expansion into several studios and a record production company. He was described by Billboard as "legendary",[3] and the BBC as a "CD pioneer".[4]
Early life
Ramone was born in South Africa and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As a child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three [citation needed] and performing for Princess Elizabeth at age 10. In the late 1940s, he trained as a classical violinist at the Juilliard School, where one of his classmates was Phil Woods. Ramone opened his own recording studio before he was 20.[5] He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on December 14, 1953.[6]
In 1972, management of A & R included Robert Gerics (general manager and studio manager), Nick Diminno (studio manager), and Irving Joel (chief engineer). The studios were located at 799 7th Avenue and 322 West 48th Street.[8]
Ramone's early work in producing and engineering was with jazz artists, working on John Coltrane records and acting as engineer for the Getz/Gilberto album in 1963, for which he won his first Grammy. He transitioned during the 1960s to working with folk-rock, pop-rock, and R&B acts such as Peter, Paul and Mary, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan, first primarily as an engineer, and later as a producer. He won his first production Grammy for his work on 1975's Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon. He produced Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger and began a fruitful collaboration with Joel producing a string of hit albums throughout the rest of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1993, he produced Duets, Frank Sinatra's comeback album, a commercial hit that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Album Chart. During the rest of the 1990s, Ramone moved from production work to his primary role as an industry executive, serving as chairman of The Recording Academy, though he would still be involved in some studio work including several Broadway cast recordings, as well as helping produce, with Quincy Jones, the televised A Tribute to Brian Wilson in 2001.[9]
Technical innovations
Ramone was a founding member of META (the Music & Engineering Technology Alliance).[10]
October 1, 2024, marked the forty-second anniversary of the world's first commercially marketed compact disc. On that date in 1982, CBS/Sony released a digital compact disc of Billy Joel's 52nd Street in Japan, alongside Sony's CD player CDP-101.[11]
Ramone introduced optical surround sound for movies.[12] His book, Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music, written with Chuck Granata, was released on October 9, 2007. Also in October 2007, Ramone produced a limited engagement performance of Richard Vetere's Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story.[13] The play was directed by Charles Messina and co-produced by Sonny Grosso. It premiered at The Tilles Center in Greenvale, New York.[14]
On July 8, 2008, Columbia Records released The Stranger 30th Anniversary, which features interviews with Ramone. This box set includes a remastered version of the 1977 Billy Joel album The Stranger by Ramone.[15] The following summer, Ramone produced Gershwin Across America, a tribute album to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. The album features Jewel, Jason Mraz, Darius Rucker, and Paul Simon.[16] In 2011, Ramone worked with George Michael, during his 2011 Symphonica Tour.[2] Also in 2011, Ramone produced the songs "You Were Meant for Me" and "I'm Coming Back" on Lalah Hathaway's album Where It All Begins. One of Ramone's final projects was as the producer of the rock band Chicago's 2011 holiday album, Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three.
Personal life
Ramone was married to Karen Ichiuji-Ramone, with whom he had one son.[12] Ramone had two sons from a prior marriage.
Death
Ramone was hospitalized in late February 2013 with an aortic aneurysm,[10][17][18] and died on March 30, 2013, from complications involving the surgery related to it, at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He was aged 79.[5]
Awards
Grammys
Ramone was nominated for 34 Grammy awards, winning 14 including a Technical Grammy Award in 2005 for a lifetime of innovative contributions to the recording industry.[19][20]
^"Richard Vetere Collection". Stony Brook University Special Collections & University Archives. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
