Dave Cobb (born July 9, 1974) is an American record producer based in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, best known for producing the work of

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, t ...

Brandi Carlile Brandi Marie Carlile ( ; born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. , Carlile has released seven studio albums. She has ...

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

, Sturgill Simpson,

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...

, The Highwomen and Rival Sons . Cobb is also a contributor to the six million-selling 2018 ''A Star Is Born'' soundtrack and produced " Always Remember Us This Way" for

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Early life

Cobb was born in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, to Mary Cobb (née Floyd) and David Cobb, Sr. He went to

The Cottage School The Cottage School, often referred to as TCS or Cottage, is a special education school located in Roswell, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a s ...

in Roswell, Georgia. Cobb said his family was very religious and was active in the

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. He joined the band The Tender Idols, featuring Ian Webber (vocals), Danny Howes (guitar), Guy Strauss (drums) and Joe Jones (bass). They released three LPs, the second of which Dave Cobb co-produced. They signed with Emagine Records based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Cobb played guitar and bass and was in this band for seven years. He was involved in the recording process, which got him interested in being in the studio, and led to him recording and producing other bands he was friends with. The record contract was very restrictive and took a long time to get out of. Cobb moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

after he left his band. He lived there from 2004 to 2011, eventually moving to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

in 2011. Cobb considers

Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenn ...

family. The two have worked together for a long time, since they met in California via Cobb's manager, Andrew Brightman. In 2005, Cobb and Jennings made the record '' Put the "O" Back in Country,'' together as their first collaborative work. In 2009, thanks to his professional connection to Jennings, Cobb produced the

Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...

' record '' The Boys Are Back,'' encouraging the band to record outside their standard catalog. The group then went on to cover songs by

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

and

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often in ...

. Cobb and Sturgill Simpson originally first met at a

Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor. Biography Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...

concert. They then went on to complete Sturgill's record '' Metamodern Sounds in Country Music'' in only four days. Cobb has said he used many different vintage recording techniques, avoiding any electronic recording approaches for this particular album. Cobb's approach of studio recording for

's ''

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

'' was an effort to chronicle an acoustic sound similar to what is found on

Simon And Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

's '' Bridge over Troubled Water,'' where a non-traditional recording environment was captured to provide an organic, live and "warm" sound. Cobb met singer-songwriter

Anderson East Michael Cameron Anderson (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Anderson East, is an American musician from Athens, Alabama, who currently is based in Nashville, Tennessee. East's sound is notable for combining R&B, soul, and roots roc ...

at Nashville's legendary

Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

. The two ended up making East's record, ''

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...

,'' which was recorded at legendary

FAME Studios FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the ...

in North Alabama's Muscle Shoals. Rodney Hall from FAME allowed the pair into the archives—in the vault they found George Jackson's song, "Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em," which is now a track on ''Delilah.'' The video for "Find 'Em" is shot at FAME. In 2013, Cobb began work producing ''Early Morning Shakes'', the third studio album from Whiskey Myers, a Country Southern rock band from

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, ma ...

. The record was released on February 4, 2014. Cobb's professional career is managed by Brightman Music. Cobb also runs

Low Country Sound Low Country Sound is a record label imprint of Elektra Records based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 2015 by music producer Dave Cobb who also runs it. Among the artists currently signed to Low Country Sound, some notable acts are And ...

an imprint of Elektra that has a distribution deal with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

. The debut project for Low Country Sound was the 2015 record ''

,'' by

, who is currently signed with the label. In 2016, Cobb produced and curated the collaborative album ''Southern Family''. Cobb has said he was inspired by the album ''

White Mansions ''White Mansions'' is a 1978 concept album written by English singer-songwriter Paul Kennerley which imagines the lives of American Southerners in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs were performed by country singers, each portray ...

''. It was released on his Low Country Sound imprint. The record, which is characterized as a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

, is focused on themes centered on family values and the artist's experiences growing up in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. It contains song contributions by

Zac Brown Zachry Alexander Brown (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and co-founder and lead singer of the country–rock Zac Brown Band, as well as electronic dance music group Sir Rosevelt. In 2019, Brown released a pop s ...

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped fro ...

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

, Morgane and

among others. It was officially released on March 18, 2016. In July 2016, Cobb began a long-term residency at RCA Studio A on Nashville's

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

. The studio is adjacent to the famed

RCA Studio B RCA Studio B was a music recording studio built in 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee by RCA Victor. Originally known simply as "RCA Studios," Studio B, along with the larger and later RCA Studio A became known in the 1960s for being an essential fa ...

which opened in 1956. The title of Chris Stapleton's 2017 release ''From A Room: Vol. 1'' refers to the album being recorded at the studio, as does The Oak Ridge Boys' 2018 release, ''17th Avenue Revival'', referring to the studio's location on 17th Avenue in Nashville. Cobb produced Gavin DeGraw's 8th album titled Face the River, coming out May 20, 2022. Also Cobb has worked with Sammy Hagar on a new Album with The Circle's New Album 'Crazy Times'.

Artistic approach

Cobb has said he focuses on the performer's voice, aiming for an end product which sounds natural. Cobb often plays guitar, and occasionally drums, on the records he produces. Cobb cites

Jimmy Miller James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of ...

(''

Sticky Fingers ''Sticky Fingers'' is the 9th British and 11th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The Stones released it on 23 April 1971 on their new, and own label Rolling Stones Records. They had been contracted by Decc ...

,'' '' Exile on Main Street'') as an important influence in his approach to producing, as well as

Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early history Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. He had three siblings, two older sisters and a younger brother, Andy ...

and Brendan O'Brien. Current influences include Gabriel Roth (

Daptone Records Daptone Records is a funk and soul independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as the home of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley, the label boasts a roster which includes Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, ...

). Cobb also is known to not have a preference over analog recordings versus digital, instead believing the spontaneous nature of creativity as well as the inspiration derived from new discovery, predominantly drives the organic quality of a song.

Personal life

Cobb lives in the Green Hills neighborhood of

. Cobb is married; he and his wife, who is from

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

, have one daughter together. One of Cobb's paternal cousins from

is the singer-songwriter Brent Cobb. Additionally, Cobb said he grew up with musician

Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...

. Cobb has talked about the long-term passion that turned into a serious hobby where he explores different types of wine, especially from

Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River approximately north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its ho ...

and other California vineyards.

Awards

* 2011:

Grammy Award for Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors in ...

(nominee) for

's ''

The Guitar Song ''The Guitar Song'' is the third studio album from American country artist Jamey Johnson. It was released in the United States on September 14, 2010 through Mercury Nashville. Background ''The Guitar Song'' is the follow-up to Johnson's critic ...

'' * 2014:

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of develo ...

, Album of the Year for

's ''

'' * 2014:

, Producer of the Year * 2014: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album (nominee) for Sturgill Simpson's '' Metamodern Sounds in Country Music'' * 2015: Grammy Award for Producer of the Year (nominee) * 2015:

for

's ''

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel * Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources * Nomad, a member of a community wit ...

'' – as producer * 2015: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for

's '' Something More Than Free'' – as producer * 2016:

, Album of the Year,

's '' Something More Than Free'' * 2016:

, Producer of the Year * 2016: Music Row awards, Producer of the Year * 2017: Country Music Awards, Chris Stapleton's '' From A Room: Volume 1'' * 2017: Country Music Awards, Producer of the Year * 2018: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album (nominee) for Brent Cobb ''Shine On Rainy Day'' * 2018: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's '' The Nashville Sound'' – as producer * 2018:

for

's '' From A Room: Vol. 1'' – as producer * 2019:

Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song is an award category at the annual Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the American Roots Music ...

for

's " The Joke" – as co-writer, producer * 2019: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for

's ''

By the Way, I Forgive You ''By the Way, I Forgive You'' is the sixth studio album by Brandi Carlile, released on February 16, 2018. " The Joke" was released as the album's lead single. The album was co-produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. The album art is an origina ...

'' – as producer * 2022:

for

's ''Starting Over -'' as producer * 2022:

Grammy Award for Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...

for

's "Cold" ''-'' as songwriter and producer

Equipment

* Console / board: HELIOS by Dick Swettenham (

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

) * Recorder: Endless Analog's CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) * Converters: Burl Audio B80 Mothership and the B32 Vancouver

Selected discography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Dave Living people American country record producers Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee American country songwriters American male songwriters American audio engineers Businesspeople from Tennessee Grammy Award winners Musicians from Savannah, Georgia Songwriters from Tennessee 1974 births Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Green Hills, Tennessee

Early life

Artistic approach

Personal life

Awards

Equipment

Selected discography

See also

References

External links