Rob Fraboni | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Alan Fraboni |
| Born | (1951-04-23)23 April 1951 (age 73) California, United States |
| Genres | Rock,Blues,Reggae,Folk music,Roots reggae,Jazz,World music |
| Occupation | Producer/Audio Engineer |
| Instrument | Drums/percussion |
| Years active | 1970 - present |
| Labels | Island Records,Elektra Records,Warner Bros. Records,Arista Records,RSO Records |
Robert Alan Fraboni (born 23 April 1951)[1] is an American, California-born record producer and audio engineer, well known for his work withBob Dylan,The Band,Eric Clapton,The Rolling Stones,Tim Hardin,The Beach Boys,Joe Cocker, andBonnie Raitt, and as Vice President atIsland Records where he oversaw the remastering of the entireBob Marley catalog.[2] He produced the soundtrack onMartin Scorsese's groundbreaking concert movie,The Last Waltz, which included an all-star cast of famous rock and roll performers. He built and designed the legendaryShangri-La studios in Malibu to the specification of Bob Dylan and The Band. Referred to as a "genius" byKeith Richards in his bestselling autobiographyLife.[3]
As a young teenager in southern California, he hitchhiked to Hollywood and sat in on recording sessions withPhil Spector atGold Star Studios. He moved to New York City in 1971 and studied under Al Grundy at the Institute for Audio Research. From there he began working with Herb Abramson A-1 studios and recorded artists including Dave "Baby" Cortez and Michael Brown. He then went on to work at the Record Plant with engineers Chris Stone, Roy Cicala, Jack Adams, Shelly Yakus, Tom Flye, Jack Douglas,Jimmy Iovine, and Dennis Ferrante. While at the Record Plant he worked with musicians includingBob Dylan,Allen Ginsberg,Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles,Eric Carmen's the Raspberries, andJohn Lennon.[4]
In 1972 Fraboni moved back to California and was hired as a maintenance engineer atThe Village Recorder but was quickly promoted to chief engineer by ownerGeordie Hormel. There he engineered "Sail On, Sailor" forThe Beach Boys and mixed half of the Holland record, which would be his first album that made it on the charts.[4]He then worked withJimmy Miller on theRolling Stones albumGoat's Head Soup as well asPlanet Waves withBob Dylan andThe Band. Dylan then invited him to be a sound consultant for the Dylan/Band tour in 1974. Also recorded at "the Village" were albums withJoe Cocker (includingYou Are So Beautiful),Wayne Shorter and Nicholas Tremulis.
In 1976, Fraboni designed and built Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, CA, to the precise specifications ofBob Dylan andThe Band.[5] He was president and co-owner of the studio for ten years he worked onThe Band'sNorthern Lights – Southern Cross,Eric Clapton'sNo Reason to Cry,Wayne Shorter'sNative Dancer,Bonnie Raitt'sGreen Light,Tim Hardin'sUnforgiven andBlondie Chaplin's self-titled solo debut. Also during this time, he spent 18 months working withMartin Scorsese andThe Band on the soundtrack forThe Last Waltz, considered one of the greatest concert films ever made. Also during this time, in both Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd's separate biographies, he is credited with delivering the actual proposal between the two and served as Best Man at their wedding.[6]
In 1985, Fraboni was hired and moved back to New York by Island Records' founderChris Blackwell as the corporate vice president of Island Records. There he worked closely with Blackwell in all creative aspects of the company, handling signings, A&R, product management, artist development, quality control, and remastering of artists' catalogs. He worked as executive producer onMelissa Etheridge's self-titled debut record; served as music director on the Good to Go Film Project; worked withRobert Palmer; helped remaster U2'sJoshua Tree; producedBuckwheat Zydeco, Nick Tremulis, andJohn Martyn; signedEtta James to Island; sat in on sessions withThe Bongos; and went to Barry Diament, to remaster all ofBob Marley's catalog for CD on Tuff Gong in 1989.[2]
After leaving Island just prior to its sale to Polygram, he worked withPhoebe Snow andWendy Wall. Fraboni started Domino Records in the early '90s, which released recordings byAlvin Lee,John Mooney, Cowboy Mouth, and Rusty Kershaw. With new backing for Ardeo Records in the mid-'90s, he releasedIvan Neville'sThanks,Gary Nicholson'sThe Sky's Not the Limit, and Bellevue Cadillac'sBlack and White. He producedJohn Mooney again for the House of Blues releaseAgainst the Wall. At Keith Richards' home in Jamaica during Thanksgiving 1995, he and Richards co-produced some of the only nyahbinghi recordings ever made outdoors. Keith's label, Mindless Records released these asThe Wingless Angels.[7] He also producedKeith Richards' material on the Rolling Stone'sBridges to Babylon in 1997[8] as well as served as a sound consultant on the subsequent tour. Fraboni launched his QRS Entertainment in 2003 withAbout Them Shoes, a recording byHubert Sumlin which features appearances by Clapton, Keith Richards, and others. The label also has music by Nick Tremulis, Sir Mack Rice, Sean Walshe, and Blondie Chaplin.[9]
Fraboni was nominated for Producer of the Year at the New York Music Awards in 1989 for aWendy Wall album on SBK which won Best Folk Album of the Year. He received a Grammy nomination in 1982 for aBonnie Raitt record,Green Light, as well as a Grammy nomination in 1978 forThe Last Waltz movie soundtrack. The Stones'Bridges to Babylon was nominated for Best Rock Album of 1997. He won a Grammy in 2002 for best Country Album for his production ofKeith Richards' performance of "You Win Again" on theHank Williams tribute album,Timeless. ForHubert Sumlin'sAbout Them Shoes he received a 2005 Grammy nomination for "Best Blues Album" and won "Best Blues Album" at The Blues Music Awards in 2006.
See full discography atRob Fraboni Discography