Roger Nichols
Encyclopedia
Roger Scott Nichols was an American
seven-time Grammy Award
-winning recording engineer
and producer
.
Nichols was best known for his work with the group Steely Dan
and John Denver
, but his work includes numerous major music acts including the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder
, Frank Zappa
, Crosby Stills & Nash, Al Di Meola
, Roy Orbison
, Cass Elliot
, Plácido Domingo
, Gloria Estefan
, Diana Ross
, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Rickie Lee Jones
, Kenny Loggins
, Mark Knopfler
, Eddie Murphy
, Michael McDonald
, James Taylor
, and Toots Thielemans
, among others. In 2006 Nichols' work was formally recognized by The Recording Academy (Grammys) Producers and Engineers Wing.
In May 2010 Nichols was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
. He died at his home, surrounded by his family, on April 9, 2011 from the disease. In his subsequent New York Times obituary, Nichols was referred to in the headline as an 'Artist Among Sound Engineers.'
. His father was an U.S. Air Force B-47 pilot; as a result the Nichols family lived in various spots in the U.S. for the first eleven years of his life. In 1957 his family settled in Cucamonga, California
, where Nichols attended High School. One of his classmates was Frank Zappa
; Zappa would drop by Nichols' house to "play guitar, and we would do multiple passes of guitars and bounce them together" on Nichols' first recording device, a reel-to-reel tape deck
using quarter inch tape.
He attended Oregon State University
where he studied nuclear physics
. From 1965 to 1968 he was a nuclear operator
at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
(aka SONGS).
, Quantum Studios, in Torrance, California
in 1965. The facility originally was a four-car garage; it was converted into a four-track studio to record high school bands. A hi-fi supply store, created as a side business by Nichols and his partners, brought in clients and contacts that led to recording commercials, with future stars Karen Carpenter
and Larry Carlton
performing on some of the spots; another musician Nichols recorded is this era was the former Mouseketeer Cubby O'Brien
, on the drums. Nichols also recorded Kenny Rogers
, then with the First Edition
; the studio was expanded into a former post office and upgraded to 16 tracks.
Sales of recording equipment and machinery to ABC Records
' first recording studio led to a contact with Phil Kaye, who was in charge of the facility. Nichols was hired in 1970 to maintain the equipment and do engineering work with Kaye and Steve Barri
. Some of the clients Nichols recorded at this time included John Phillips
and Denny Doherty
of the Mamas and the Papas, the Grass Roots
, and Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds.
, newly hired at the ABC Dunhill label as a record producer. Walter Becker
and Donald Fagen
were also working at ABC as song writers; one night Nichols was drafted, when no one else on the staff wanted to be involved, to stay and engineer a demo
session that Becker and Fagen were holding to record their tunes for use by other artists. Nichols discovered he had a great deal in common with the then-unknown duo, including sharing a taste for impeccable audio quality. Nichols was asked to engineer their first record album in 1972, and he would wind up working with Katz, Becker and Fagen in recording the first, decade-long incarnation of the band that became known as Steely Dan.
. This conflicted with Nichols' summer vacation, and the decision was made to postpone recording until Nichols returned, much to ABC president Jay Lasker's annoyance, due to the amount of money advanced to the fledgling band. Once begun, the process was exacting. Nichols later commented: "We finished it in six months, which was quick for them. But even then their acceptance level was way above everyone else's. They never had the attitude of 'It's getting late that's good enough', or 'No-one else will notice'. Everything had to be as near perfect as technically and humanly possible." The album sold well and yielded two hit singles, ensuring Nichols would be tied to the band's fortunes. Nichols was involved in engineering every Steely Dan album to date.
session on the weekends, with Steve Barri all day and with Steely Dan all night, so they had me going 24 hours a day. They tried running me into the ground, but it didn't work. Then there was the time when we were working at Cherokee Studios
when two of the tape machines were grounded
improperly and I touched both of the machines and everything shorted
out. The face plate on one of the machines was completely melted but I didn't feel a thing. They figured something weird was going on."
In an interview after Nichols death, Donald Fagen stated that "The Immortal" name came from Roger's likeness to Lee Majors, "The Six Million Dollar Man".
with the difficulty in acquiring a steady drum tempo
, Nichols was forced to improvise. The track Show Biz Kids
had proved especially challenging in regards to a steady beat. As quoted in Brian Sweet's biography of Steely Dan, Reelin' in the Years, Nichols recalled:
The album's back cover photograph featured a photo of Steely Dan in the recording studio control room, and included Nichols' seemingly disembodied hand on the mixing console
while he hid beneath it.
After the third Steely Dan album Pretzel Logic
and the tour by the band in support of it, Steely Dan ceased touring and turned into a band that only performed on recordings. Nichols' duties became more diverse, and ranged from diagnosing a flaw on the master tape of the band's biggest selling single, Rikki Don't Lose That Number
, (a workman's gob of mustard on the tape was found by Nichols to be to blame), to helping to recover the sound on their fourth album, Katy Lied
, which had been recorded at ABC Studios and had suffered when the master tape was processed through a faulty DBX
noise reduction system while mixing.
Nichols would win three Grammy Awards (Best Engineered Recording — Non-Classical) for his late 70's-early 80's "meticulous studio work" with the band on Aja
, FM (No Static at All)
and Gaucho
and won three additional Grammys, including the notable achievement 'Album Of The Year
' for his efforts on the Steely Dan comeback album, Two Against Nature
(2000).
's album, Gaucho
, notably the song "Hey Nineteen
". This technology is now commonplace in music production around the world. He invented and produced a rubidium
nuclear clock
under his company name Digital Atomics. The purpose of the clock was to provide the accuracy of nuclear timekeeping to better synchronize digital recording equipment in the studio, but at a lower cost than the typical cesium
clocks such as those used in military and aviation applications.
Nichols was an airplane pilot, and was close friends and flying buddies with singer/songwriter John Denver
. Nichols engineered and produced albums for Denver over a nearly twenty-year period, including the 1998 children's train album titled All Aboard which earned Denver his first Grammy awarded posthumously. Nichols was on his way to California
to fly with Denver in his new experimental Long-EZ plane when he learned of the crash in which Denver was killed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
seven-time Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning recording engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Nichols was best known for his work with the group Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
and John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, but his work includes numerous major music acts including the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, Crosby Stills & Nash, Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
, Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
, Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
, Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
, Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, and Toots Thielemans
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
, among others. In 2006 Nichols' work was formally recognized by The Recording Academy (Grammys) Producers and Engineers Wing.
In May 2010 Nichols was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. He died at his home, surrounded by his family, on April 9, 2011 from the disease. In his subsequent New York Times obituary, Nichols was referred to in the headline as an 'Artist Among Sound Engineers.'
Early life
Roger Nichols was born in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. His father was an U.S. Air Force B-47 pilot; as a result the Nichols family lived in various spots in the U.S. for the first eleven years of his life. In 1957 his family settled in Cucamonga, California
Cucamonga, California
Cucamonga is the southern district of Rancho Cucamonga, California.-Education:School districts in Cucamonga include Cucamonga School District and Central School District.Some schools in the CSD also serve Ontario, California.-Elementary:...
, where Nichols attended High School. One of his classmates was Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
; Zappa would drop by Nichols' house to "play guitar, and we would do multiple passes of guitars and bounce them together" on Nichols' first recording device, a reel-to-reel tape deck
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
using quarter inch tape.
He attended Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
where he studied nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
. From 1965 to 1968 he was a nuclear operator
Nuclear operator
In mathematics, a nuclear operator is roughly a compact operator for which a trace may be defined, such that the trace is finite and independent of the choice of basis .Nuclear operators are essentially the same as trace class operators, though most authors reserve the term "trace...
at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located on the Pacific coast of California. The site is in the northwestern corner of San Diego County, south of San Clemente, and surrounded by the San Onofre State Park and next to the I-5 Highway.Unit 1 is no longer in service...
(aka SONGS).
From nuclear operator to recording engineer
Nichols and some friends created their own recording studioRecording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, Quantum Studios, in Torrance, California
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
in 1965. The facility originally was a four-car garage; it was converted into a four-track studio to record high school bands. A hi-fi supply store, created as a side business by Nichols and his partners, brought in clients and contacts that led to recording commercials, with future stars Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
and Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
performing on some of the spots; another musician Nichols recorded is this era was the former Mouseketeer Cubby O'Brien
Cubby O'Brien
Carl Patrick O'Brien , who generally goes by the nickname of "Cubby", is a professional American drummer, and a former child actor, who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer.-Early life:...
, on the drums. Nichols also recorded Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, then with the First Edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
; the studio was expanded into a former post office and upgraded to 16 tracks.
Sales of recording equipment and machinery to ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
' first recording studio led to a contact with Phil Kaye, who was in charge of the facility. Nichols was hired in 1970 to maintain the equipment and do engineering work with Kaye and Steve Barri
Steve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
. Some of the clients Nichols recorded at this time included John Phillips
John Phillips
-18th century and earlier:* John Phillips , Bishop of Sodor and Man in the Church of England* John Phillips , author and secretary to John Milton* John Phillips -18th century and earlier:* John Phillips (bishop of Sodor and Man) (1605–1633), Bishop of Sodor and Man in the Church of England* John...
and Denny Doherty
Denny Doherty
Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty was a Canadian singer and songwriter. He was most widely known as a founding member of the 1960s musical group The Mamas & the Papas.-Early career:...
of the Mamas and the Papas, the Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
, and Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds.
First meeting
In 1971 Nichols met Gary KatzGary Katz
Gary Katz is an American music producer, best known for his work with Steely Dan.-Steely Dan:Katz is most famous for his work as a producer on every Steely Dan album recorded during the first run of their career, from Can't Buy A Thrill in 1972 to Gaucho in 1980, as well as the Donald Fagen solo...
, newly hired at the ABC Dunhill label as a record producer. Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
and Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan ....
were also working at ABC as song writers; one night Nichols was drafted, when no one else on the staff wanted to be involved, to stay and engineer a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
session that Becker and Fagen were holding to record their tunes for use by other artists. Nichols discovered he had a great deal in common with the then-unknown duo, including sharing a taste for impeccable audio quality. Nichols was asked to engineer their first record album in 1972, and he would wind up working with Katz, Becker and Fagen in recording the first, decade-long incarnation of the band that became known as Steely Dan.
Engineering the birth of Steely Dan
As a result of working with Nichols, Becker and Fagen and producer Katz were determined to have him seated behind the recording console for the 1972 start of studio sessions their first album, Can't Buy a ThrillCan't Buy a Thrill
Can't Buy a Thrill is the first album by Steely Dan. Originally released in 1972, the album was a huge success. It went gold, and then platinum, peaking at #17 on the charts. In 2003, the album was ranked number 238 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...
. This conflicted with Nichols' summer vacation, and the decision was made to postpone recording until Nichols returned, much to ABC president Jay Lasker's annoyance, due to the amount of money advanced to the fledgling band. Once begun, the process was exacting. Nichols later commented: "We finished it in six months, which was quick for them. But even then their acceptance level was way above everyone else's. They never had the attitude of 'It's getting late that's good enough', or 'No-one else will notice'. Everything had to be as near perfect as technically and humanly possible." The album sold well and yielded two hit singles, ensuring Nichols would be tied to the band's fortunes. Nichols was involved in engineering every Steely Dan album to date.
Nickname: "The Immortal"
Interviewed in 1993 for 'Metal Leg, the Steely Dan Magazine', Nichols stated (regarding his nickname that appears on many of his credits): "...they were trying to kill me. I was working on a Johnny WinterJohnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
session on the weekends, with Steve Barri all day and with Steely Dan all night, so they had me going 24 hours a day. They tried running me into the ground, but it didn't work. Then there was the time when we were working at Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios
Cherokee Studios was a recording facility in Hollywood, founded in 1972 and closed in August 2007 to make way for a new building, after 35 years of operation under the Cherokee name as a well-renowned studio...
when two of the tape machines were grounded
Ground (electricity)
In electrical engineering, ground or earth may be the reference point in an electrical circuit from which other voltages are measured, or a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth....
improperly and I touched both of the machines and everything shorted
Short circuit
A short circuit in an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path, often where essentially no electrical impedance is encountered....
out. The face plate on one of the machines was completely melted but I didn't feel a thing. They figured something weird was going on."
In an interview after Nichols death, Donald Fagen stated that "The Immortal" name came from Roger's likeness to Lee Majors, "The Six Million Dollar Man".
Innovations for 'Countdown to Ecstasy', and 'The hand'
When Becker and Fagen expressed frustration during the band's second album Countdown to EcstasyCountdown to Ecstasy
Countdown to Ecstasy is the second album by rock group Steely Dan, released in July 1973. The album was written and recorded in rushed sessions between live concerts and produced two Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Show Biz Kids" and "My Old School".-History:...
with the difficulty in acquiring a steady drum tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, Nichols was forced to improvise. The track Show Biz Kids
Show Biz Kids
Show Biz Kids is a song composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and performed by Steely Dan. It was the first single from Steely Dan's 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy....
had proved especially challenging in regards to a steady beat. As quoted in Brian Sweet's biography of Steely Dan, Reelin' in the Years, Nichols recalled:
"It was just one of those tunes that that was so very difficult to play exactly in tempo, with every instrument in sync. ... There were no drum machines in those days, so we made a 24 track, eight bar tape loopTape loopIn music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
, which at 30 ips was a considerable length of tape, trailed it out through the door into the studio, around a little idler which was set up on a camera tripod, back into the studio and then copied that to a second 24 track machine. Everything was on tape except the lead vocal and the lead guitar. It worked like a dream."
The album's back cover photograph featured a photo of Steely Dan in the recording studio control room, and included Nichols' seemingly disembodied hand on the mixing console
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
while he hid beneath it.
Steely Dan's studio-only years
Pretzel Logic
Pretzel Logic is the third studio album by the American jazz-rock band Steely Dan, originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, and...
and the tour by the band in support of it, Steely Dan ceased touring and turned into a band that only performed on recordings. Nichols' duties became more diverse, and ranged from diagnosing a flaw on the master tape of the band's biggest selling single, Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a single released in 1974 by rock/pop/jazz group Steely Dan and the opening track of their third album Pretzel Logic. The record became the group's highest charted album, peaking at #4 on "Billboard" in the summer of 1974....
, (a workman's gob of mustard on the tape was found by Nichols to be to blame), to helping to recover the sound on their fourth album, Katy Lied
Katy Lied
Katy Lied is the fourth album by Steely Dan, originally released in 1975 by ABC Records. It went gold and peaked at #13 on the US charts. The single "Black Friday" also charted at #37....
, which had been recorded at ABC Studios and had suffered when the master tape was processed through a faulty DBX
Dbx
dbx or DBX may refer to:* dbx , a Unix source-level debugger* dbx, Inc., a professional audio recording equipment company** dbx , a noise reduction system invented by dbx, Inc....
noise reduction system while mixing.
Nichols would win three Grammy Awards (Best Engineered Recording — Non-Classical) for his late 70's-early 80's "meticulous studio work" with the band on Aja
Aja (album)
-Charts:AlbumPop Singles-Awards:Grammy Awards-External links:**, courtesy of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television...
, FM (No Static at All)
FM (No Static At All)
"FM " is a song by American jazz-rock band Steely Dan. It is the title theme to the 1978 film FM...
and Gaucho
Gaucho (album)
Gaucho is the seventh studio album by the American Jazz rock band Steely Dan, released in 1980. The sessions for Gaucho represented the peak of Steely Dan's recording studio perfectionism and obsessive recording techniques...
and won three additional Grammys, including the notable achievement 'Album Of The Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
' for his efforts on the Steely Dan comeback album, Two Against Nature
Two Against Nature
Two Against Nature is the eighth album by Steely Dan, released in 2000. The album won the group four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, and marked the first Steely Dan studio album in 20 years, following 1980's Gaucho. It has been certified 2x platinum in the US.Two Against Nature marked...
(2000).
Inventions
In 1978, Nichols pioneered the technique of "digital drum replacement" by inventing the Wendel sampling computer, which was used to provide some of the drum and percussion sounds on Steely DanSteely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
's album, Gaucho
Gaucho (album)
Gaucho is the seventh studio album by the American Jazz rock band Steely Dan, released in 1980. The sessions for Gaucho represented the peak of Steely Dan's recording studio perfectionism and obsessive recording techniques...
, notably the song "Hey Nineteen
Hey Nineteen
"Hey Nineteen" is a song by American jazz rock band Steely Dan, written by members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and released on their 1980 album Gaucho.-Story:...
". This technology is now commonplace in music production around the world. He invented and produced a rubidium
Rubidium
Rubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
nuclear clock
Atomic clock
An atomic clock is a clock that uses an electronic transition frequency in the microwave, optical, or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms as a frequency standard for its timekeeping element...
under his company name Digital Atomics. The purpose of the clock was to provide the accuracy of nuclear timekeeping to better synchronize digital recording equipment in the studio, but at a lower cost than the typical cesium
Caesium
Caesium or cesium is the chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature...
clocks such as those used in military and aviation applications.
Other activities
Roger Nichols was a columnist for many years at EQ, a professional audio magazine.Nichols was an airplane pilot, and was close friends and flying buddies with singer/songwriter John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
. Nichols engineered and produced albums for Denver over a nearly twenty-year period, including the 1998 children's train album titled All Aboard which earned Denver his first Grammy awarded posthumously. Nichols was on his way to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to fly with Denver in his new experimental Long-EZ plane when he learned of the crash in which Denver was killed.
Personal life
He was married to writer/musician Conrad Reeder. Nichols had two daughters, Cimcie & Ashlee. He started a company called Roger Nichols Digital in late 2005. The next year the company took over licensing and distribution of the Elemental Audio plugins.Death
Nichols was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer on May 29, 2010. In early 2011 he was reported to be "fighting for his life," and after nearly a year of medical treatments he and his family were reportedly "all but bankrupt." Nichols died on April 9, 2011, aged 66.Grammy Awards
- 1977 "Best Engineer Non-Classical" Steely Dan AjaAja (album)-Charts:AlbumPop Singles-Awards:Grammy Awards-External links:**, courtesy of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television...
- 1978 "Best Engineer Non-Classical" Steely Dan FM (soundtrack)FM (soundtrack)FM is the original soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. The soundtrack won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.-Track listing:#"FM " - Steely Dan – 4:52#"Night Moves" - Bob Seger – 3:27...
- 1981 "Best Engineer Non Classical" Steely Dan GauchoGaucho (album)Gaucho is the seventh studio album by the American Jazz rock band Steely Dan, released in 1980. The sessions for Gaucho represented the peak of Steely Dan's recording studio perfectionism and obsessive recording techniques...
- 1997 Producer "Best Children's Album" John Denver "All Aboard!All Aboard! (John Denver album)All Aboard! is the 24th and final album by American singer-songwriter John Denver released in August 1997.The album consists of old fashioned swing, big band, folk, bluegrass and gospel styles of music woven into a theme of railroad songs...
" - 2000 "Best Pop Vocal Album" Steely Dan Two Against NatureTwo Against NatureTwo Against Nature is the eighth album by Steely Dan, released in 2000. The album won the group four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, and marked the first Steely Dan studio album in 20 years, following 1980's Gaucho. It has been certified 2x platinum in the US.Two Against Nature marked...
- 2000 "Album of the Year" Steely Dan Two Against Nature
- 2000 "Best Engineer Non-Classical" Steely Dan Two Against Nature