John L Sayers (died September 2021) was a New Zealand-born Australian

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 ...

, producer, and studio designer. Initially associated with

Armstrong's Studios Armstrong Studios, also known as Bill Armstrong's Studio and later renamed AAV (Armstrong Audio Video), is an Australian commercial recording studio located in Melbourne, Victoria. During the decade from 1965 to 1975, Armstrong Studios in South ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, he was later the owner of John Sayers Productions. He designed a great number of studios, both in Australia and abroad.

Early life

John L. Sayers was born in New Zealand. The "L" was included in his website name as johnsayers.com was taken, but he does not use it for works credited to him.

Career

Music production

Sayers moved to Australia in 1966, first to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. After being interviewed in Sydney by Bill Armstrong, he moved to Melbourne in 1968 to work at

. He met British-born sound engineer

Roger Savage Roger Savage is an Australian sound engineer of music and film. He engineered Australian popular music recordings in the 1960s, and worked on films from the 1980s onwards. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work on ''Moulin Rouge!'' in 2002 ...

there. Sayers became one of a number of producer-engineers associated with the Melbourne popular music scene of the 1960s and 1970s and in particular with Armstrong's Studios, where many of the most successful Australian pop/rock recordings of the period were recorded. Among his many recording credits, he recorded and mixed " The Real Thing" by

Russell Morris Russell Norman Morris (born 31 July 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who had five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) reco ...

Studio design

Sayers designed many recording studios, including Enmore Audio in Sydney as well as

Music Farm Studio Music Farm Studio is a recording studio set on a large property near Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia. It is known for having had many musicians recording their music there from the 1980s onwards, including Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-Joh ...

and Mix Artist Studio near

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Other studios in Australia designed by him include the Music School Recording Studio for

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

; the Beyond 2000 and

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain (British Army and Royal ...

facilities; Apocalypse Audio Post Studio; Hello Testing; Cloud Studios; Flying Fox Studios; Wasteland Studio for

Eskimo Joe Eskimo Joe are an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in 1997 by Stuart MacLeod, on lead guitar, Joel Quartermain, on drums and guitar, and Kavyen Temperley, on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia, Aus ...

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

, WA; Heliport Studios at

Buderim Buderim ( ) is a town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. The name "Buderim" is usually believed to be derived from a local Gubbi Gubbi people, ...

on the

Sunshine Coast, Queensland The Sunshine Coast is a peri-urbanisation, peri-urban region in South East Queensland, Australia. In 1967, it was defined as "the area contained in the

ormer Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine gastropod mollusc in the family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now contains only one genus, ''Haliotis''. Other commo ...

Shires of Shire of Landsborough, Landsborough, Shire of Maroochy, Maroochy and Shire ...

; Shockone in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

; and WEFO Studio in Melbourne. Overseas, he was responsible for the designs of Bloom Road Recording Studio at

Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city and the county seat of Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2020 census. Because of the many lakes in the area, the city is a popular vacation and retirement destination. The area contai ...

, US; Nu Faith Studios in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa; Studio al Watan in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

; Rose Lane in

Carpinteria, California Carpinteria (; , meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 United States cens ...

; and ff studio (for classical music) and Heart Music, both in Taiwan; and BlueJay Recording Studios in Mount Dora, Florida.

Other activities

Sayers created the studio acoustics forum ''Recording Studio Design''.

Personal life and death

Sayers died in September 2021.

Recording credits

Sayers' recording credits as either engineer or producer or both include:

1960s

Liv Maessen Liv Maessen is an Australian pop singer who had hits in the early 1970s with " The Love Moth", "Knock, Knock Who's There?" and " Snowbird". In 1969, Maessen had finished second in the ''New Faces'' talent show. Her prize included a recording co ...

- "Snowbird", "Knock Knock Who's There?" * Matt Flinders - "Picking up Pebbles", "Butterfly" *

John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

- "One" * Max Merritt and the Meteors - '' Western Union Man'' album : * John Williamson - "

Old Man Emu "Old Man Emu" is a song written and recorded by the Australian country singer John Williamson. In 1970, Williamson performed the song on TV talent show, ''New Faces'', winning first place. Williamson signed with Fable Records after the win. " ...

" *

- " The Real Thing", " Part Three into Paper Walls", "The Girl That I Love", "

Sweet, Sweet Love "Sweet, Sweet Love" is a song written and recorded by Australian singer Russell Morris and produced by Howard Gable. It was released as the lead single from his debut album '' Bloodstone''. It peaked at number 7 on the Australian Go-Set chart in Ju ...

", Bloodstone (album) *

The Masters Apprentices The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) are an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, in February 1967 ...

- " Turn up Your Radio", "5:10 Man" * Ross D. Wyllie - "The Star", "Funny Man" *

Lionel Rose Lionel Edmund Rose MBE (21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first Indigeno ...

- "I Thank You". *

The Groop The Groop were an Australian Folk music, folk, R&B and rock band formed in 1964 in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and had their greatest chart success with their second line-up of Max Ross on bass, Richard Wright on drums and vocals ...

- "Such a Lovely Way". *

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

- "Arkansas Grass", " A Little Ray of Sunshine". * Robin Jolley - "Marshall's Portable Music Machine". * Ronnie Burns - "

Smiley A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a Smile, smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as em ...

" *

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

- "I'll Be Gone", ''Milesago'' album *

Indelible Murtceps The Indelible Murtceps were an Australian progressive rock and dance-pop band, which formed, as a side project of Spectrum, in October 1971. Sometimes referred to as the shortened name, Murtceps, they were "a stripped-back version... hatcould pl ...

- ''Warts up your Nose'' (album) *

Ted Mulry Martin Albert Mulry (2 September 19471 September 2001), known professionally as Ted Mulry, was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, bass player and guitarist. As a solo artist, his second single, "Falling in Love Again" (February 197 ...

- "Julia" * Zoot - ''Just Zoot'' (album), "Strange Things", "1 x 2 x 3 x 4" *

Fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

- "Seasons of Change" * The Valentines - "Nick Nack Paddy Wack"

1970s

Brian Cadd Brian George Cadd AM (born 29 November 1946) is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboardist, producer and record label founder, a staple of Australian entertainment for over 50 years. As well as working internationally throughout Europe and th ...

- ''Gingerman'' (album) *

- Marcia *

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

- Towards the Blues (album) * Chain - "Grab A Snatch & Hold It" * Chain - Judgement *

Sings the Shows, Together (with Alison Durbin) * Matt Taylor - Straight as a Die (album) - I Remember when I was Young *

Wendy Saddington Wendy June Saddington (26 September 194921 June 2013), also known as Gandharvika Dasi, was an Australian blues, soul and jazz singer, and was in the bands Chain, Copperwine and the Wendy Saddington Band. She wrote for teen pop newspaper ''Go-S ...

- Looking Through a Window *

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

Speak to the Sky "Speak to the Sky" is the debut single by Rick Springfield. It reached No. 6 in Australia, No. 8 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart, No. 10 on the Canadian pop chart, No. 14 on the U.S. pop chart, and No. 16 on the U.S. Adult Contemporar ...

* Kerry Biddell - You've got a Friend (album) * Max Merritt And The Meteors - Stray Cats (Album) *

Billy Thorpe William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", "Poison Iv ...

/Warren Morgan - Thumping Pig And Puffing Billy (album) * Lobby Loyde and the Coloured Balls - Ball Power (album) * MacKenzie Theory - Out of the Blue (album) *

Jimmy Little James Oswald Little, AO (1 March 19372 April 2012) was an Australian Aboriginal musician, actor and teacher, who was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and was raised on the Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales. Little started his professi ...

- Baby Blue *

Ted Mulry Gang Martin Albert Mulry (2 September 19471 September 2001), known professionally as Ted Mulry, was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, bass player and guitarist. As a solo artist, his second single, "Falling in Love Again" (February 197 ...

- Jump in my Car (album), My Little Girl, Dark Town Strutters Ball *

Jackie Orszaczky Miklós József "Jackie" Orszáczky (8 May 1948, Budapest, Hungary 3 February 2008, Sydney, Australia) was a Hungarian-Australian musician, arranger, vocalist and record producer. His musical styles included jazz, blues, R&B, funk and progress ...

- Morning in Beramiada (album) * Sherbet - Life (album) - Child's Play *

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi *''Hush!'', a 2002 film dir ...

- Boney Moroney, Glad all Over *

Jon English Jonathan James English (26 March 1949 – 9 March 2016) was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for S ...

and Renee Geyer - Every Beat Of My Heart *

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines AM (born July 20, 1953) is an American-born Australian singer and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalen ...

- Marcia Shines (album) - Fire and Rain/You, From The Inside (album). * Chariot - (album) * Southern Cross - Southern Cross (album) * Pantha - Dway Do Dway Do (album) *

Greg Quill Gregory Raymond Quill (18 April 19475 May 2013) was an Australian-born musician, singer-songwriter and journalist. He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and was an entertainment columnist at the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper from the mid-1980s unt ...

- The Outlaws Reply (album) * Benjamin Hugg - What's Been Happening (album) *

Jeff St John Jeff St John (born Jeffrey Leo Newton; 22 April 1946 – 6 March 2018), was an Australian musician best known for several Australian hits, such as ''"Teach Me How to Fly"'' (1970), ''"Big Time Operator"'' (1967) and ''"A Fool in Love"'' (1977). ...

- So Far So Good (album) * Australia - Maiden Australia (album) * Ray Burton - Dreamers and Nightflyers (album) *

The Coolangatta Gold The Coolangatta Gold is one of the premier events in the sport of Ironman (surf lifesaving). The event is organised by Surf Life Saving Australia. The Event History In 1984, Peter Schrek was writing a movie featuring the talents of ironman ...

- film soundtrack. *

Radio Birdman Radio Birdman is an Australian punk rock band formed by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in Sydney in 1974. ''Classic Rock'' magazine describes them as "Australia’s first influential punk band". History Origins Deniz Tek and Rob Younger f ...

- Burn My Eye (EP) * Radio Birdman - Radios Appear (album) *

Mi-Sex Mi-Sex (also styled as MiSex) is a New Zealand new wave band originally active from 1978 to 1986, and led for much of its existence by Steve Gilpin as vocalist, Kevin Stanton as guitarist and songwriter, Murray Burns as keyboardist and songw ...

Space Race The Space Race (, ) was a 20th-century competition between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between t ...

(album) * Mark Gillespie - Only Human (album)

1980s

Australian Crawl Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams ( bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David ...

- ''

Phalanx The phalanx (: phalanxes or phalanges) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar polearms tightly packed together. The term is particularly used t ...

'' -

Live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

Goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus ''Monitor lizard, Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous r ...

- Oceania (album) - Common Ground * DD Smash - ''The Optimist'' * The Motivators - ''The Motivators'' (album) *

Jim Keays James Keays (9 September 194613 June 2014) was a Scottish-born Australian musician who fronted the rock band The Masters Apprentices as singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica-player from 1965 to 1972 and subsequently had a solo career. He ...

- "Lucifer Street" - ''Red on the Meter'' (album) * Mark Gillespie - ''Sweet Nothing'' (album) *

Mondo Rock Mondo Rock are an Australian rock band, formed in November 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria. Singer-songwriter Ross Wilson (musician), Ross Wilson founded the band, following the split of his previous band Daddy Cool (band), Daddy Cool. Guitarist Er ...

- "

Come Said the Boy "Come Said the Boy" is a song by Australian rock band Mondo Rock, released in November 1983 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album ''The Modern Bop'' (1984). The song became the band's highest-charting single, peaking at number ...

" - ''The Modern Bop'' (album) *

- '' Shanghaied!'' (album) - Falling In And Out, Shanghaied

1990s

* Troy Cassar Daley - Beyond The Dancing (ARIA winner) * Cam Fletcher - Kickin Up Dirt *

- Yorta Yorta Man * Jade Hurley - Life - Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids * Tracey Fogarty - Playing to Win * Kerry McInerney - Fools Game * Spot The Dog - Drunk On The Moon *

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

- Ghia * The Spencer Band - This is Now * Rough Red - Living in Australia

2000s

* Kerry Leigh & Expresso Lane * Dave Cavanagh & Cavo

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sayers, John L Year of birth missing Australian audio engineers Australian record producers 2021 deaths New Zealand emigrants to Australia