Russ Terrana is an American

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 sound mixer who worked at

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

for 18 years, serving as the label's chief engineer.

Early life and education

Terrana developed an interest in music at a young age, forming a band with his twin brother, Ralph, and a friend when he was ten years old. Terrana later received a degree in electronic engineering, which provided him with a technical foundation for his career in music production.

Career

At age 23, Motown hired Terrana on the spot after his interview in 1966, and he began to develop his audio engineering skills. He quickly gained the trust of

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), also known as Berry Gordy Jr., is an American retired record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record label and i ...

, the founder of Motown, and rose to become the label's chief recording engineer. During his 18 years at Motown, Terrana recorded numerous artists, including

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. In 1983, he was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Outstanding Film Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or a Special for his work on ''The Eddie Rabbitt Special''. In 1985, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Limited Series or Special for his work on ''Motown Returns to the Apollo''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terrana, Russ Living people American audio engineers Emmy Award winners Motown people Year of birth missing (living people)