Phil Ramone

section In 1959, Ramone co-founded an independent New York City recording studio, A & R Recording, with business partner Jack Arnold. In the studio he quickly gained a reputation as a good sound engineer and music producer, in particular for his use of innovative technology. Among the performers whose music Ramone produced are Burt Bacharach, the Band, Bono, Laura Branigan, Ray Charles, Karen Carpenter, Chicago, Peter Cincotti, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Sheena Easton, Melissa Errico, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Debbie Gibson, Clay Aiken, the Guess Who, Heatwave, Billie Hughes, Billy Joel, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Patricia Kaas, B.B. King, Lazarus, Julian Lennon, Shelby Lynne, Madonna, Barry Manilow, Richard Marx, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Sinéad O'Connor, Fito Páez, Luciano Pavarotti (including the Pavarotti and Friends Charity Concerts in Modena, Italy), Peter, Paul and Mary, June Pointer, André Previn, Jennifer Rush, Diane Schuur, Jon Secada, Michael Sembello, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Phoebe Snow, Dusty Springfield, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Frankie Valli, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Nikki Yanofsky. He also is credited with having recorded Marilyn Monroe's version of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. In 1972, management of A & R included Robert Gerics (general manager and studio manager), Nick Diminno (studio manager), and Irving Joel (chief engineer). The studios were located at 799 7th Avenue and 322 West 48th Street. Ramone's early work in producing and engineering was with jazz artists, working on John Coltrane records and acting as engineer for the Getz/Gilberto album in 1963, for which he won his first Grammy. He transitioned during the 1960s to working with folk-rock, pop-rock, and R&B acts such as Peter, Paul and Mary, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan, first primarily as an engineer, and later as a producer. He won his first production Grammy for his work on 1975's Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon. He produced Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger and began a fruitful collaboration with Joel producing a string of hit albums throughout the rest of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1993, he produced Duets, Frank Sinatra's comeback album, a commercial hit that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Album Chart. During the rest of the 1990s, Ramone moved from production work to his primary role as an industry executive, serving as chairman of The Recording Academy, though he would still be involved in some studio work including several Broadway cast recordings, as well as helping produce, with Quincy Jones, the televised A Tribute to Brian Wilson in 2001.

• Grammy Award Ramone was nominated for 34 Grammy Awards, winning 14 including a Technical Grammy Award in 2005 for a lifetime of innovative contributions to the recording industry. • 1965 – Best Engineered Recording (non classical), for Getz/Gilberto • 1970 – Best Musical Show Album for producing Promises, Promises • 1976 – Album of the Year for producing Still Crazy After All These Years • 1979 – Record of the Year for producing "Just the Way You Are" • 1980 – Album of the Year for producing 52nd Street • 1981 – Producer of the Year (non classical) • 1984 – Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special, for Flashdance • 1995 – Best Musical Show Album for producing Passion • 2003 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, for producing "Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues" • 2005 – Album of the Year and Best Surround Sound Album for producing Genius Loves Company • 2006 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for producing The Art of Romance • 2007 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for producing Duets: An American Classic • 2012 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for producing Duets II • Other awards • Ramone also won an Emmy Award in 1973 as the sound mixer for "Duke Ellington...We Love You Madly", a tribute to Duke Ellington broadcast on CBS. • 1997 – American Eagle Award, National Music Council • Ramone was awarded a Fellowship by the Audio Engineering Society in 2007. • Honorary degrees and collegiate appointments Ramone was awarded honorary degrees by: • Five Towns College • Berklee College of Music • Skidmore College Ramone was a member of Berklee's board of trustees.