Walter David "Dave" Hassinger (March 31, 1927 – August 15, 2007) was an American
Grammy award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-winning
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
and
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
.
Biography
Early years
Born in
Los Angeles, California
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 wo ...
, he joined the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
aged 17, and was one of the first divers on the
USS Oklahoma
''Oklahoma'' was the name of one ship of the United States Navy and will be the name of a future submarine.
* , a launched in 1914 and sunk by Japanese bombers in the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941.
* , a planned ''Virginia''-class nucl ...
at
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...
. He became a
radio engineer
Broadcast engineering is the field of electrical engineering, and now to some extent computer engineering and information technology, which deals with radio and television broadcasting. Audio engineering and RF engineering are also essential p ...
in the Navy, before leaving due to illness and moving to
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
, where he helped set up radio stations in
Seward and
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...
.
[
]
Career
In recording
After a few years he returned to 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 ...
, and began working as a sound engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
at RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
in Los Angeles.[ "Walter David Hassinger: Obituary", ''The Desert Sun'', September 1, 2007]
Retrieved 29 June 2015 During 1964 he served as "audio consultant" for the landmark concert film ''The T.A.M.I. Show
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
''. He won a Grammy in 1964 for Best Engineered Recording - Special Or Novel Effects, for his work on ''The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits
''The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits'' is a tribute album of Alvin and the Chipmunks singing the hits of the Beatles. It was originally released in 1964 by Liberty Records on vinyl record, and consists of Chipmunk renditions of early Beatles hi ...
''.
From November 1964 until August 1966 he was often the chief engineer for the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
, primarily on the dates when they recorded at the RCA studios in Los Angeles, working on several albums and singles with the band during that period. Hassinger discovered, signed and managed the Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." Th ...
, owning the rights to the band's name and engineering all of their recordings from their second single and first hit until their breakup in the early 1970s. Other musicians with whom he worked included Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ach ...
, the Mamas and the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...
, the Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, an ...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, Frank Sinatra, the Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
, Liverpool Five
The Liverpool Five were a beat group that was part of the British Invasion-era of the 1960s. The group played throughout Europe and Asia before achieving the peak of their success in the United States between 1965 and 1967.
Career
Formed in En ...
, Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
, The Collectors, Crosby Stills Nash and Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...
, the Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...
, Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including par ...
, Seals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl" ...
, the Blackbyrds
The Blackbyrds are an American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group, formed in Washington, D.C., in 1973 and reformed in 2012 by Keith Killgo.
History
The group was inspired by trumpeter Donald Byrd and featured some of his Howard Unive ...
, Sweetwater, and George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited fo ...
. The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
' producer Paul Rothchild
Paul may refer to:
* Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...
described Hassinger as "a perfect example of a great engineer in a bad studio.... one of the great engineers in the world today... at Hassinger was able to go as far as he did with that studio CAis a mark of his excellence as an engineer."Paul Williams (ed.), ''The Crawdaddy! Book: Writings (and Images) from the Magazine of Rock'', Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002, p.201
/ref>
In 1969, Hassinger purchased the Moonglow Records
Moonglow Records was a small record label in the 1960s. They were famous for signing The Righteous Brothers before they were signed by Phil Spector for his Philles Records. The label was initially independently distributed, but they became an At ...
building in Hollywood and renamed it the Sound Factory
The Sound Factory (also known as Sunset Sound Factory) is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California.
The Sound Factory was built in the 1960s on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. At the time, it served as the home of Moonglow Records and the Moon ...
. The Sound Factory went on to become one of the most popular recording studios in Hollywood. He later worked for KPSI-FM
KPSI-FM is a commercial radio station located in Palm Springs, California, broadcasting on 100.5 FM. KPSI-FM airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Mix 100.5". It is owned by Alpha Media, through Alpha Media Licensee LLC.
History ...
radio in Palm Springs
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...
.[
]
As a producer
*Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." T ...
:
**''Underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground ( ...
'' (1967)
**''Mass in F Minor
''Mass in F Minor'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Electric Prunes, released in 1968. It consists of a musical setting of the mass sung in Latin and Greek and arranged in the psychedelic style of the band, and was written a ...
'' (1968)
**'' Release of an Oath'' (1968)
*Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
:
**''The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, an ...
'' (1967)
**''Anthem of the Sun
''Anthem of the Sun'' is the second album by rock music, rock band the Grateful Dead, released in 1968 on Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Warner Bros/Seven Arts. It is the first album to feature second drummer Mickey Hart. The band was also joined by To ...
'' (1968)
* The Collectors:
**'' The Collectors'' (1968)
**''Grass & Wild Strawberries
''Grass and Wild Strawberries'', released in 1969, is an album by the Canadian rock band The Collectors. The songs were written as part of prominent Canadian playwright George Ryga's stage play ''Grass and Wild Strawberries''. The distinctly ...
'' (1969)
Death
He died at a nursing home in Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 Unit ...
in 2007, aged 80.[
]
References
External links
Artistdirect
biography.
on Hassinger's work with the Stones.
with James Lowe of the Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." Th ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassinger, David
American audio engineers
Record producers from California
1927 births
2007 deaths
Engineers from California
20th-century American engineers