Vance Powell

Vance Powell is an American six-time Grammy Award winning record producer, engineer and mixer.[1][2] His credits include Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Deadly Apples, Seasick Steve, Black Prairie, The Revivalists, Tinariwen, JEFF the Brotherhood, Illiterate Light,[3] Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, and Martina McBride, among many others.[4][5]

Life and career

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Powell made his start in live sound, touring with local Missouri bands as a front of house engineer. In 1986, he conducted his first professional studio recording session as an engineer at Rick Massey's 'Massey Studio', stepping in for the main engineer who was sick at the time. That same year he became the studio's engineer.[1] In 1990-'93 he took a position at Lou Whitney's Column One Studio in Springfield, MO. as second engineer, recording scores of regional bands and artists. Shortly after, Powell moved to Nashville, TN, accepting a position as a monitor engineer for Tammy Wynette. The position turned into Production Manager/Front of House (FOH) Engineer, which he did until 1997, when he joined global sound reinforcement company, Clair Brothers Audio.[6][7]

In 1998, he started a long relationship with Jars of Clay; he took a front of house position that continued through 2002. During that time several recording projects with them emerged, including their full length 2002 release (and 2003 Grammy Award winner) "The Eleventh Hour".[6]

In early 2002, John McBride asked him to help build and run Blackbird Studio, a single room semi-private facility for his wife, country music superstar Martina McBride.[8] The single room semi-private facility soon became an eight-room world class facility hosting projects such as Neil Young's “Heart of Gold” motion picture soundtrack and The Dixie Chicks' six time Grammy Award-winning “Taking the Long Way”.[6][9] Powell remained the Chief Engineer at Blackbird for seven years.[2]

Projects outside of Blackbird soon beckoned, and Powell began working extensively with Jack White's groups including The Raconteurs, The White Stripes, and The Dead Weather, as well as many of White's production jobs such as Wanda Jackson's "The Party Ain't Over", as well as Jack White and Alicia Keys' production of "Another Way to Die" from the James Bond film Quantum of Solace.[10][11]

Powell is the co-owner of Sputnik Sound, a recording and mixing facility he set up in 2006 together with producer/engineer Mitch Dane. Powell met White for the first time in 2006, when he worked on Danger Mouse and Daniel Luppi's Rome album, on which White guested.[10] Recent Sputnik Sound projects include Phish, Tinariwin, Seasick Steve, Leagues, Bobby Bare, Jr., Red Fang, De Staat, Diarrhea Planet, A Thousand Horses, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Wolfmother, Arctic Monkeys and Chris Stapleton.

Awards

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Powell has won four Grammy Awards for his work on the albums listed below.[4][1][10][12]

In 2015, Chris Stapleton's album "Traveller" won three Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) including "Album of The Year" and "New Artist of The Year". The album also received Grammy nominations for Album Of The Year, Best Country Song, Best Country Album (win), Best Country Solo Performance (win). The album was engineered and mixed by Powell.[13][14][12]

Selected discography

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The production, engineering and mixing discography for Vance Powell is as follows.[15]

Year Artist Album Label Producer Engineer Mixer
2022 Chris Shiflett Long, Long Year East Beach Records & Tapes
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2020 Phish Sigma Oasis[16] JEMP Records
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2018 Clutch Book of Bad Decisions Weathermaker Music
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2015 Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown The Wayside Vervatos/Republic
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The Revivalists Men Amongst Mountains Wind-Up
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Chris Stapleton Traveller Mercury
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JEFF the Brotherhood Wasted on the Dream Infinity Cat
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Elle King "America's Sweetheart" from Love Stuff RCA
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Seasick Steve Sonic Soul Surfer BMG
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The Whistles & The Bells The Whistles & The Bells +180
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2014 Tinariwen Emmaar ANTI-
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Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes Kid Tiger Deer Head
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Black Prairie Fortune Sugar Hill
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The Dirty Guv'nahs Hearts on Fire Summertown
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Peter Bradley Adams The Mighty Storm I Me Mine
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Bobby Bare, Jr. Undefeated Bloodshot
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Dirk Powell Walking Through Clay Bloodshot
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2013 The Almost Fear Inside Our Bones Tooth & Nail
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Insane Clown Posse Forgotten Freshness, Vol. 5 Psycopathic
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Sturgill Simpson High Top Mountain High Top Mountain
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De Staat I Con Cool Green Records
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Seasick Steve Hubcap Music Third Man
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Moon Taxi Mountains Beaches Cities BMG
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LeAnn Rimes Spitfire Curb
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Kings of Leon Live At The O2 (DVD) RCA
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Various Artists The Great Gatsby O.S.T. Interscope
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Caitlin Rose The Stand-In ATO
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Red Fang Whales and Leeches Relapse
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North Mississippi Allstars World Boogie Is Coming Songs of the South
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Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown Wild Child Carved
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Leagues You Belong Here Bufalatone
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2012 Jack White Blunderbuss Third Man
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The Whigs Enjoy the Company New West
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Keb' Mo' Keb Mo/Keep It Simple Sony
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Andrew Osenga Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut 1010 Distribution
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Andrew Peterson Light for the Lost Boy Centricity
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Buddy Guy Live at Legends RCA
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The Kicks Tonight Changes Everything The Kicks
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Pujol United States of Being Saddle Creek
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2011 Red Fang Murder the Mountains Relapse
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Deadly Apples Petty
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Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi Rome Rome
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Chris Thile Sleep with One Eye Open Nonesuch
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Wanda Jackson The Party Ain't Over
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Bobby Bare, Jr. A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head Thirty Tigers
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Johnny Gimble Celebrating with Friends CMH
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2010 The Whigs In the Dark ATO/Red
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Buddy Guy Living Proof Jive
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The Dead Weather Sea of Cowards Warner Bros.
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John Cowan The Massenburg Sessions Koch
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Karen Elson The Ghost Who Walks XL
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Andrew Belle The Ladder 101 Distribution
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The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights Warner Bros.
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Hillsong Yahweh EMI
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2009 The Dead Weather Horehound Independent
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Seasick Steve Man from Another Time Rykodisc
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John Rich Son of a Preacher Man Warner Bros.
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Jars of Clay The Long Fall Back to Earth Provident
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Willie Nelson Willie and the Wheel Bismeaux
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2008 Jessica Simpson Do You Know Epic
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Jewel Perfectly Clear Valory
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Jack White & Alicia Keys "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace O.S.T. Capitol
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2007 Jars of Clay Christmas Songs Nettwerk
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The White Stripes Conquest Warner Bros.
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Caedmon's Call Overdressed Ino/Columbia
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2006 Poor Rich Folk Love Is A Bullet Independent
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Matt Dusk Back in Town Decca
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2005 Big & Rich Comin' to Your City Warner/Reprise
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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Vance Powell, GRAMMY® Winner for Best Engineered Album | Universal Audio". Uaudio.com.
  2. ^ a b "Vance Powell: Blackbird Studios, Jars of Clay, Wanda Jackson". Tapeop.com.
  3. ^ "Illiterate Light Forge Forward in Dark Times". Spin.com.
  4. ^ a b "Vance Powell Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  5. ^ "Vance Powell Discography". Discogs.com.
  6. ^ a b c "Black Bird Studios: Vance Powell". Pro.blackbirdstudio.com.
  7. ^ "RSR002 – Vance Powell - Grammy Winning Production, Mixing, And Engineering At Sputnik Sound". Recordingstudiorockstars.com. September 18, 2015.
  8. ^ [1] [dead link]
  9. ^ "Izotope Feature". Izotope.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Inside Track: Jack White". Soundonsound.com.
  11. ^ "Brite Revolution Interview". Briterevolution.com.
  12. ^ a b "Chris Stapleton". Grammy.com.
  13. ^ "CMA Awards 2015 Recap: Chris Stapleton Takes Center Stage". Billboard.
  14. ^ Hostelley, Laura HostelleyLaura (November 5, 2015). "Chris Stapleton Wins New Artist of the Year at 2015 CMA Awards". Taste of Country.
  15. ^ "Vance Powell Credits and Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  16. ^ "Sigma Oasis". Phish.com. Retrieved 2020-04-02.