Wally Heider
Encyclopedia
Wally Heider was an American
recording engineer and recording studio
owner (Wally Heider Studios
.)
in the late 60s and early 70s. Though he had a chronic stutter
and more than ample girth, nothing could stop him from refining and advancing the art of remote recording
. His high-energy style endeared him to many musical artists whose work was enhanced by his engineering techniques.
His initial collection of recordings, from his time as an engineer during the big band
era, formed the basis of the Hindsight Records
catalogue, acquired from Heider in 1979 by Thomas Gramuglia. Through Heider, Hindsight ended up owning over 9,000 copyrights and masters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
recording engineer and recording studio
Recording 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...
owner (Wally Heider Studios
Wally Heider Studios
Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio in San Francisco, California between 1969 and 1980, started by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider.-History:...
.)
History
After a distinguished career as an engineer in the 1940s and 1950s, he was instrumental in recording the San Francisco SoundSan Francisco Sound
The San Francisco Sound refers to rock music performed live and recorded by San Francisco-based rock groups of the mid 1960s to early 1970s. It was associated with the counterculture community in San Francisco during these years.- Stylistic Dimensions :...
in the late 60s and early 70s. Though he had a chronic stutter
Stuttering
Stuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
and more than ample girth, nothing could stop him from refining and advancing the art of remote recording
Remote recording
Remote recording, also known as location recording, is the act of making a high-quality complex audio recording of a live concert performance, or any other location recording that uses multitrack recording techniques outside of a recording studio. The multitrack recording is then carefully mixed,...
. His high-energy style endeared him to many musical artists whose work was enhanced by his engineering techniques.
His initial collection of recordings, from his time as an engineer during the big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
era, formed the basis of the Hindsight Records
Hindsight Record Company
Hindsight Records is a record company based on original recordings from the Big Band era by Wally Heider. Rights to the Hindsight catalogue were acquired from Wally Heider by Thomas Gramuglia in 1979...
catalogue, acquired from Heider in 1979 by Thomas Gramuglia. Through Heider, Hindsight ended up owning over 9,000 copyrights and masters.
Career chronology
- '60s Big band and pop recordings
- disciple of Bill PutnamBill PutnamMilton Tasker "Bill" Putnam was a renowned American audio engineer, songwriter, producer, studio designer and businessman who has been described as "the father of modern recording"...
; assisted at United Western RecordersUnited Western RecordersUnited Western Recorders, often abbreviated to UWR, was a renowned recording studio complex in Hollywood, California, which became one of the most successful independent recording studios in the world in the late 1950s and 1960s....
, Hollywood. - 1966 Monterey Jazz FestivalMonterey Jazz FestivalThe Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
remote recordings; met Dale Manquen. - 1967 Monterey Pop FestivalMonterey Pop FestivalThe Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
remote recordings. - 1968 Studio 3, Los Angeles Crosby Stills & NashCrosby, Stills & Nash (album)Crosby, Stills & Nash is the first album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, released in 1969 on the Atlantic Records label. It spawned two Top 40 hits, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which peaked respectively at #28 the week of August 23, 1969, and at #21 the week of October 25, 1969, on...
- 1968-1980 Wally Heider StudiosWally Heider StudiosWally Heider Studios was a recording studio in San Francisco, California between 1969 and 1980, started by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider.-History:...
, 245 Hyde Street, S.F. - 1969 remote 24-track recording
- 1970 remote 8-track recording; for example Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
at Oakland Coliseum. - 1971-72 1971-72 dual 2-inch 24-track remote truck recording.
- August 20, 1972 WattstaxWattstaxWattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974...
recording - 1974-75 remote concert recordings in the Los Angeles area.
- Instrument rental business in SF until Dolph Rempp and SIRStudio Instrument RentalsStudio Instrument Rentals is one of the first backline companies in America and it has been involved in all phases of the entertainment business. SIR was established in 1967....
came along. - 1975 studio at 1604 N. Cahuenga, L.A.
- 1976 Filmways
Musicians, Albums, Concerts
- Woody Herman
- The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Monterey Pop - Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Monterey Pop - CSNY's Deja Vu
- Jefferson AirplaneJefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
- Hot TunaHot TunaHot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
- Doobie Brothers
- Starship
- Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
- Don Kirshner's Rock ConcertDon Kirshner's Rock ConcertDon Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Engineers worked with
- ohn (Jack) Crymes Jr. (recording engineer, Senior Electrical Engineer) Remote Recording, Heiders LA Studios
- tephen Jarvis (recording engineer) Heiders SF '70-'75
- David Fraser (Automatt)
- Russ Gary ('68-'69 helped prep SF studios for opening) (Hyde '69-'71)
- Stephen BarncardStephen BarncardStephen Quinn Barncard is an American record producer and sound engineer. He is best known for his work producing rock albums of the 1970s, including the Grateful Dead's American Beauty and David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name.-References:***...
- Ellen Burke (245 Hyde)
- Lesley Barncard (1975 Cahuenga)
- Leslie Ann JonesLeslie Ann JonesLeslie Ann Jones is a multiple Grammy Award-winning recording engineer working as Director of Music Recording and Scoring at Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm, Ltd. company. She is a past Chair of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Board of Trustees, the organization that awards Grammys...
(Automatt) - Maureen Droney (Automatt)
- Michael Rosen (Automatt)
- John Nowl (Automatt)
- Fred CateroFred CateroFred Catero is an American record producer and engineer. Originally from New York, where he worked for CBS Records/Columbia, in the mid-1960s Catero moved to San Francisco to work for Columbia Records there. In San Francisco Catero worked on many albums by top artists, including Bob Dylan and...
(Automatt) - Jeffrey Cohen (Automatt)
- Tom Scott (1966)
- Gray Odell (1966)
- Ben Gardner
- Michael Patterson (recording engineer)Michael Patterson
- Ken CaillatKen CaillatKenneth Douglas "Ken" Caillat is an American record producer. He is best known for producing the Fleetwood Mac albums Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, Live, and The Chain Box Set....
- Dan Agostino (Heiders L.A. '74-'76)
- Richard DashutRichard DashutRichard Charles Dashut is a record producer who produced several Fleetwood Mac albums including their popular Rumours and Tusk, and later an album by Matthew Sweet, Altered Beast. Dashut also co-wrote several songs with Lindsey Buckingham during his time with Fleetwood Mac...
- Chris Morris (for Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
- Ken Kessey (Automatt)
- Steve Mantoani
- Jim Simon (Filmways/Heiders '78-'83)
- Mel Tanner
- Harry Sitam
- Frank DeMedio
- George FernandezGeorge FernandezGeorge Fernandez is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. He coached in both the Continental Indoor Soccer League and NPSL and was the 1994 CISL Coach of the Year.-Youth:Born in San Francisco,...
(first session, Hyde st. '69) - Jerry Martin (Hyde '69)
- Dave LaBarre
- Bill Halverson (1966 Monterey crew)
- Grover Helsley (1966 Monterey crew)
- Ken Hopkins (Hyde '70)
- Dave Mancini
- Steve Malcolm
- Biff Dawes (Woody Herman, Live at Monterey) Cahuenga 1971-1982
- Gabby Garcia (recording engineer) Cahuenga 1971 - 1979