Matt Ross-Spang
Matt Ross-Spang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 14, 1987 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Occupations | |
| Website | Official website |
Matt Ross-Spang is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. His credits include such artists as Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine and Elvis Presley.
Life and career
Matt Ross-Spang, born in Memphis, Tennessee, began working at the Legendary Sun Studio when he was just 16, working his way from an intern to the Chief Engineer. Wanting to capture what made Sun Studio great, Ross-Spang championed hard to find, install, and use the same period equipment that Sam Phillips engineered with from the 1950s.[1] His 11 years of dedication to Sun, and its signature sound, garnered national attention when it was featured by Lester Holt on NBC's Nightly News[2] and the Today Show, as well as NPR's All Things Considered.[3]
In 2015, Ross-Spang left Sun Studio to venture out on his own as an engineer and producer. His first project post-Sun was to engineer and mix Jason Isbell's "Something More Than Free" for acclaimed Producer Dave Cobb.[4] This record earned him his first Grammy Award.[5] The record broke several records debuting at #1 on the Country, Rock, Folk, and Indie Charts. It also broke Americana Radio chart records, staying #1 for over 25 weeks. The record won Grammys for Best Americana Album and Best Americana Song for (24 Frames).
Ross-Spang has continued engineering for Dave Cobb on records by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chris Isaak, The Rival Sons, Corb Lund, Lori Mckenna, Brett Dennen and the album "Southern Family."
Other recent releases include the latest Sheepdogs record, "Future Nostalgia,"[6] and the debut album by Margo Price. Price's album, entitled "Midwest Farmer's Daughter", it was recorded in 2014 at Sun Studio [7] and released on Third Man records. Engineered, mixed and co-produced by Ross-Spang,[8] the record debuted this year in the top 10 Billboard country charts to critical acclaim.
In 2016, Ross-Spang was hired by Sony Records to mix 18 previously unreleased songs by Elvis Presley from his historic 1976 sessions from the Jungle Room at Graceland.[9]
Later that year, Ross-Spang mixed and engineered the Lori McKenna album, The Bird and the Rifle, which later went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Album and Best American Roots Song by the Recording Academy.
2017 has seen the release of Sean Rowe's new album, Lore, which Ross-Spang produced and engineered. American Songwriter magazine gave the record 4 out of 5 stars.[10]
In September 2018, Ross-Spang participated in Amazon Music's first 'Produced By' series, which asks producers to develop music exclusively for Amazon customers. His contributions include tracks from Al Green, Margo Price, John Prine, Erin Rae, and William Bell. [11]
Awards and recognition
Matt Ross-Spang worked as the engineer on The Fluffy Jackets' debut album "Fighting Demons" featuring producer/ guitarist Manny Charlton (Nazareth) and bassist Neil Murray (Whitesnake). The album won the Best Studio Album of the Year Award for 2014, voted by listeners of The Blues Hour show in UK and France.
One year later, Ross-Spang won a Grammy Award for Jason Isbell's, "Something More Than Free" in 2015.
The City of Memphis named him one of its "30 under 30" Memphians in 2015[12]
In 2016, Ross-Spang was awarded the Key to the City of Memphis.[13]
He was featured on the Working Class Audio podcast with Matt Boudreau.[14]
For their January/February 2017 issue, Tape Op magazine interviewed Ross-Spang about his past and the future of music production.[15]
At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Ross-Spang received a Grammy for his work on Jason Isbell and the 400 unit's album, The Nashville Sound. The album received a Grammy Awards for Best Americana Album. Additionally, "If We Were Vampires" won the Grammy for Best American Roots Song.
At the 2018 UK Americana Awards, Emily Barker's album, Sweet Kind of Blue, was nominated for Best Album of the Year.[16]
Selected discography
| Year | Album | Artist | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Getting into Knives | The Mountain Goats | Production, engineering, mixing |
| 2020 | The Unraveling | Drive-By Truckers | Mixing, Recording |
| 2020 | Bone Structure | Ron Pope | Mixing |
| 2020 | Josh Ritter & The Milk Carton Kids | Josh Ritter, The Milk Carton Kids | Mixing |
| 2019 | Down To The River | The Allman Betts Band | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2019 | 99 Cent Dreams | Eli "Paperboy" Reed | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2019 | The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, August 23, 1969 | Elvis Presley | Mixing |
| 2019 | Call Me Lucky | Dale Watson | Mixing |
| 2019 | Front Porch | Joy Williams | Engineer |
| 2019 | The Flood In Color | Joe Pug | Engineer |
| 2019 | The Dream And The Dreamer | Jeremy Ivey | Mixing |
| 2019 | Years To Burn | Calexico, Iron & Wine | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2019 | In League with Dragons | The Mountain Goats | Engineer |
| 2018 | The Tree of Forgiveness | John Prine | Engineer |
| 2018 | Lonesome as a Shadow | Charley Crockett | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2018 | Don't Let The Devil Ride | Paul Thorn | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2018 | Ancient Noise | Patrick Sweany | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2018 | To Rise You Gotta Fall | Nicki Bluhm | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2018 | Elvis Presley: The Searcher (Original Soundtrack) | Elvis Presley | Mastering, Mixing |
| 2018 | Encore | Anderson East | Engineer |
| 2018 | Among The Ghosts | Lucero | Engineer, Co-Producer, Mixing |
| 2018 | To The Sunset | Amanda Shires | Engineer |
| 2018 | Once In A Blue Moon | McKenna Bray | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2018 | Elvis Was A Love Affair | Dale Watson | Mixing, Recording |
| 2018 | Produced By: Matt Ross-Spang | Erin Rae, Margo Price, John Prine, Al Green, William Bell | Producer |
| 2017 | The Nashville Sound | Jason Isbell | Engineer |
| 2017 | All American Made | Margo Price | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2017 | New Lore | Sean Rowe | Producer, Engineer |
| 2017 | Walk into a Storm | The Lone Bellow | Engineer |
| 2017 | Sweet Kind of Blue | Emily Barker | Producer, Mixing |
| 2017 | Love Light Orchestra | Love Light Orchestra | Producer |
| 2017 | 639 Madison | Susan Marshall | Producer |
| 2017 | Weakness | Margo Price | Producer |
| 2017 | This Son Is A Stranger To You | Rich Minus | Producer, Tracking |
| 2017 | Paper Cowboy | Margo Price | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2017 | West Coast Town | Chris Shiflett | Mixing, Recording |
| 2017 | Eli Paper Boy Reed Meets High & Mighty Brass Band | Eli Paper Boy Reed | Producer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 2016 | The Bird and the Rifle | Lori McKenna | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2016 | American Band | Drive By Truckers | Engineer |
| 2016 | Hollow Bones | Rival Sons | Engineer |
| 2016 | Midwest Farmer's Daughter | Margo Price | Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Wah Wah Guitar |
| 2016 | Por Favor | Brett Dennen | Engineer, Mixing, Recording |
| 2016 | Southern Family | Various Artists | Engineer, Mixing, Recording, Stomping |
| 2016 | Way Down in the Jungle Room | Elvis Presley | Mixing |
| 2016 | Memphis Ukulele Band | Memphis Ukulele Band | Producer, Mixing, Ukulele [Baritone], Mellotron, Percussion |
| 2016 | My Piece Of Land | Amanda Shires | Engineer |
| 2016 | Ain't Who I Was | Bonnie Bishop | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2016 | Shine On Rainy Day | Brent Cobb | Mixing, Recording |
| 2016 | The Things That We Are Made Of | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Mixing, Recording |
| 2015 | Future Nostalgia | The Sheepdogs | Engineer |
| 2015 | Things That Can't Be Undone | Corb Lund | Engineer |
| 2015 | Something More Than Free | Jason Isbell | Engineer |
| 2015 | Decorations Of Red | Susan Marshall | Producer, Engineer |
| 2015 | Trinity My Dear | Mark Edgar Stuart | Engineer |
| 2015 | First Comes The Night | Chris Isaak | Engineer |
| 2014 | Fighting Demons (Sun Studio Session) | The Fluffy Jackets | Engineer |
| 2014 | Hillbillies and Holy Rollers | Jason D. Williams | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2014 | Scaredy Cat | Grace Askew | Engineer |
| 2014 | If You.... | Dale Watson & Hillbilly Casino | Engineer |
| 2013 | The Sun Studio Session | The Howlin' Brothers | Engineer |
| 2013 | Grey Goose: A Tribute To Leadbelly | Daniel Eriksen, Sting Sjøstrøm | Engineer |
| 2013 | Let It Rock: The Chuck Berry Tribute | The Refreshments | Engineer |
| 2012 | Live From The Legendary Sun Studio | Grace Potter & The Nocturnals | Engineer, Mixing |
| 2012 | Monsters | Onward, Soldiers | Mixing |
| 2012 | The Sun Session | Grand Marquis | Engineer |
| 2012 | Neptune City | Nicole Atkins | Engineer |
| 2011 | The Sun Sessions | The Texas Two/Dale Watson | Engineer |
| 2011 | Shiloh | Sean Martin | Engineer, mixing [17] |
| 2011 | Beyond The Sun | Chris Isaak | Assistant Engineer |
| 2011 | The Sun Session | The Border Blasters | Recording, Engineer [18] |
| Ain't Who I Was | Bonnie Bishop | Engineer, Mixing | |
| Black Crow | Brent Cobb | Mixing | |
| Cassidy | Brett Dennen | Mixing, Recording | |
| Get 'Em Next Time | Star & Micey | Engineer | |
| Grandma's Garden | Zac Brown | Recording | |
| Rooted in the Bone | The Memphis Dawls | Engineer | |
| Shedlight | Jed Zimmerman | Assistant Engineer | |
| Stand Up for It | Brett Dennen | Mixing, Recording | |
| The Sun Session | Grand Marquis | Engineer | |
| Trinity My Dear | Mark Edgar Stuart | Engineer | |
| What's the Secret? | Brett Dennen | Mixing, Recording | |
| Working Without a Net | Delta Joe Sanders | Second Engineer | |
| 2009 | Glass Half Full | David Brookings | Producer |
| 2007 | Obsessed | David Brookings | Assistant Engineer |
| 2007 | EP | The Splints | Engineer |
| 2005 | Chorus Verses The Bridge | David Brookings | Engineer |
References
- ^ Boone, Joe. "Sun Studio Makes a Comeback". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "See Where Elvis Presley Recorded His First Hit". NBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Blank, Christopher. "Sun Studio's Matt Ross-Spang Rediscovers a Vintage Sound". Wknofm.org. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Something More Than Free - Jason Isbell - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Memphians Mitchell, Ross-Spang enjoyed Grammy triumphs in different styles". Commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Hudgin, Derek (11 April 2016). "Album Review – Margo Price's 'Midwest Farmer's Daughter'". Country Perspective.
- ^ "Artist To Watch: Margo Price". Stereogum.com. 19 January 2016.
- ^ "Way Down in the Jungle Room - Elvis Presley - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Sean Rowe: New Lore « American Songwriter". Americansongwriter.com. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Produced-By-Matt-Ross-Spang/dp/B081JLWYVY
- ^ Alley, Richard. "20 < 30". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Instagram photo by Matt Ross-Spang • Jul 6, 2016 at 5:16pm UTC". Instagram.com.
- ^ "WCA #097 with Matt Ross-Spang » Working Class Audio". Workingclassaudio.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Matt Ross-Spang: Eyeing the Future Through the Past". Tapeop.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "YouTube". Youtube.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Bandcamp". bandcamp.com. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Matt Ross-Spang - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Matt Ross-Spang". Discogs.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.