Steve Albini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Albini
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Albini in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven Frank Albini |
| Born | July 22, 1962 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Missoula, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | May 7, 2024 (aged 61) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1981–2024 |
| Labels | Touch and Go |
Steven Frank Albini (born July 22, 1962 – died May 7, 2024) was an American musician and a very skilled audio engineer. He started and owned a famous recording studio in Chicago called Electrical Audio. Steve helped record thousands of music albums for many well-known bands. Some of these include Nirvana, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, and Page and Plant.
Contents
Early Life and Music Discovery
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Steven Frank Albini was born in Pasadena, California. His father was a researcher who studied wildfires. Steve had two siblings. His family moved around a lot when he was young. They finally settled in Missoula, Montana, in 1974. Steve was of Italian American heritage.
When Steve was 14 or 15, he broke his leg. While he was recovering, he started playing the bass guitar. A friend introduced him to the band Ramones on a school trip. Steve thought it was the best music he had ever heard. He bought all the Ramones albums he could find. He often said that hearing their first album inspired his whole music career.
Steve was amazed by bands like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Pere Ubu, and Devo. He loved their unique punk sound. During his teenage years, Steve played in several bands. These included Just Ducky in Montana and Small Irregular Pieces of Aluminum in Chicago.
After finishing high school at Hellgate High School, Steve moved to Evanston, Illinois. He went to Northwestern University and studied journalism.
Music Career and Studio Work
After discovering punk music as a teenager, Steve Albini played in many punk bands. He earned a degree in journalism. He also wrote for local music magazines, called zines. Then he moved to Chicago and became a big part of the punk music scene there.
In 1981, Steve formed the band Big Black. They released two albums together. After Big Black broke up, Steve opened his own recording studio, Electrical Audio. He then focused mostly on being an audio engineer. This meant he helped other bands record their music.
In 1992, Steve started another band called Shellac with his friends Bob Weston and Todd Trainer. Shellac released several albums, including At Action Park (1994) and 1000 Hurts (2000).
Steve was known for having strong opinions. He believed that the music industry sometimes treated musicians unfairly. Because of this, he refused to take a percentage of album sales (called royalties) when he worked on a record. Instead, he always charged a flat fee for his engineering work. He wanted to be fair to the artists.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Steve Albini was married to Heather Whinna, who is a film director. They lived in Chicago. Steve enjoyed cooking and even had a food blog. On his blog, he wrote about the meals he made for his wife. People said he was a good food writer with a quiet, funny style.
Since 1996, Steve and Heather did charity work every Christmas. They would help respond to letters sent to the Chicago post office.
Steve was also a big fan of poker. He was especially good at mixed games, which combine different types of poker. He won two special poker championships called World Series of Poker bracelets. He won one in 2018 and another in 2022.
Passing Away
Steve Albini passed away from a heart attack at his home in Chicago on May 7, 2024. He was 61 years old.
Discography
Steve Albini worked on many albums throughout his career. You can find a full list of his work in the main article about his discography.
Images for kids
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Albini in 2008
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Studio B in Electrical Audio
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Albini (right) with Ani DiFranco and RZA at The New Yorker festival in September 2005
See also
In Spanish: Steve Albini para niños
