Bruce Swedien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bruce Swedien
Swedien in 1998
Background information
Born	(1934-04-19)April 19, 1934 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	November 16, 2020(2020-11-16) (aged 86) Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Audio engineer Songwriter Record producer
Years active	1959–2020
Associated acts	Michael Jackson Quincy Jones

Bruce Swedien (April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer, and record producer. He was famous for working with music legends like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, and Barbra Streisand.

Swedien first became well-known in 1962. He was the engineer for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry." This song sold over a million copies and was number one on the Billboard charts for five weeks.

Bruce Swedien won 5 Grammy Awards for Best Engineered Album. These awards were for his amazing work with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. He was also nominated for 13 other Grammy Awards.

Bruce Swedien's Early Life

Bruce Swedien was born on April 19, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, Ellsworth and Louise Swedien, were both trained musicians. This meant Bruce grew up loving music and recording sounds from a young age.

When he was 10, his dad bought him a machine that could record sounds onto discs. After high school, he got an even better, professional tape recorder.

Bruce studied electrical engineering and music at the University of Minnesota. However, he didn't finish his degree there.

At 20 years old, in 1954, Bruce opened his own recording studio. It was in an old movie theater in Minneapolis. He called it Swedien Recording Studio. He recorded music for artists like Art Blakey and Herbie Mann there for several years. In late 1957, he sold his studio and moved to Chicago.

Bruce Swedien's Music Career

In 1957, Bruce left Minneapolis and started working for RCA Victor Records in Chicago. Soon after, he moved to Universal Recording Corporation. There, he worked under a top engineer named Bill Putnam.

Bruce first met Quincy Jones when Quincy was a vice president at Mercury Records in Chicago. They worked together on albums for artists like Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan. Later, Swedien went to Brunswick Records. He helped create the label's unique sound in the late 1960s and 1970s. Brunswick Records had many R&B and pop hits with groups like The Chi-Lites and singers like Jackie Wilson.

Special Recording Techniques

Swedien was known for creating a special way of recording called the "Acusonic Recording Process." This method involved using two microphones together on voices and instruments. He made this possible by linking several multi-track recorders using a special time code.

This technique helped create a rich, spacious sound. You can hear this sound on albums he worked on with Quincy Jones. A great example is George Benson's song "Give Me the Night." You can also hear it on the Michael Jackson albums he engineered.

When recording with Michael Jackson, Bruce often tried new things. He would have Michael stand at different distances from the microphone. He even had Michael sing through a cardboard tube to get unique sounds! Bruce wrote a book in 2009 called In the Studio With Michael Jackson about his experiences.

Famous Artists Bruce Swedien Worked With

Bruce Swedien worked on pop music for many famous artists. These include Patti Austin, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Mick Jagger, Jennifer Lopez, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, and Donna Summer.

He also worked on the music scores for movies. Some of these films were Night Shift, The Color Purple, and Running Scared.

Awards and Honors

On November 10, 2001, Bruce Swedien received an honorary doctorate degree. This was from the Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. It was given to him for his amazing work as a sound engineer. Swedien also taught special classes for sound engineers at Swedish National Radio.

On August 30, 2015, he received the Pensado Giant Award. This award was given to him by Quincy Jones himself.

Bruce Swedien's Death

Bruce Swedien passed away on November 16, 2020, at 86 years old. He had surgery for a broken hip, which he got from a fall.

Grammy Awards and Nominations

Bruce Swedien won 5 Grammy Awards and was nominated 12 times for his incredible work.

See also

In Spanish: Bruce Swedien para niños