Larry Levine
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Larry Levine (May 8, 1928 – May 8, 2008) was an American audio engineer, known for his collaboration with
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
on the
Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
recording technique.


Biography

Levine left the U.S. military in 1952. When he got back, he would often hang out at
Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. In its entire history, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded by David S. Gold ...
because his cousin Stan Ross and friend Dave Gold both worked there. He was able to get training as a
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 ...
at no cost to the studio through the
G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...
. Levine was responsible for getting the "Wall of Sound" sound for Phil Spector while working with the Wrecking Crew at legendary Goldstar Studios in Hollywood, CA. Included on Spector's hits were, "Be My Baby" "Then He Kissed Me", "River Deep, Mountain High" "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector" and many other hits. Levine was also credited with engineering and getting a new sound from Eddie Cochran also done at Goldstar Studios that pioneered a new era of Rock & Roll that hadn't been heard before. Levine engineered so many iconic records such as "Pet Sounds" from the Beach Boys. This was also a new sound that hadn't been done before. Levine engineered "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" from the Righteous Brothers that turned out to be the most played song in the history of American Radio to this day. Levine received the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical, for the recording of " A Taste of Honey" performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. The recording also won the
Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
in 1966. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss asked Levine to leave Goldstar to become Chief Engineer at A&M Records in 1967. They just purchased the Charlie Chaplain lot and Levine was the driving force in building A&M Records by hiring the engineers and getting the equipment needed. Among his other known recording engineering contributions is
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
' influential 1966 album ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...
''. Levine died of
emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...
in Encino, California on his 80th birthday.


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Larry 1928 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American engineers American audio engineers Record producers from New York (state) Deaths from emphysema Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery