Val Garay (born May 9, 1942) is an American recording engineer and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

who has worked with

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. A veteran writer of many of her own hits, as well as those for numerous other artists, she began her career in 1966 as ...

The Motels The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles " Only the Lonely" and " Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. ...

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and others. Garay also co-founded Los Angeles recording studio

Record One Record One is a recording studio complex in the Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally founded in 1979, the studio has been the site of numerous commercially successful and award-winning record ...

Career

Garay, the son of well-known Latin singer Joaquin Garay and grandson Joaquin Garay III grew up in Burlingame, California, where he graduated from Burlingame High School. A songwriter and guitarist, Garay left behind studies at Stanford University School of Medicine to pursue a career as a professional musician. In the mid-1970s, Garay's manager, Michael J. Gruber, introduced him to engineer and producer David Hassinger, founder of The Sound Factory recording studio in Hollywood. Garay was soon engineering recording sessions at The Sound Factory and working with Peter Asher, on albums like Linda Ronstadt's '' Heart Like a Wheel'', James Taylor's '' JT'', and

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

's '' The Glow''. In January 1980, Garay opened his own studio,

, in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, producing Kim Carnes album '' Mistaken Identity'' and its Grammy Award-winning song, "Bette Davis Eyes." Garay engineered James Taylor's ''

Dad Loves His Work ''Dad Loves His Work'' is the tenth studio album by James Taylor, released in 1981. The album includes the duet with JD Souther titled " Her Town Too", which peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Adul ...

'' in 1981, and produced

the Motels The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles " Only the Lonely" and " Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. ...

' hit album ''

All Four One ''All Four One'' is the third studio album by new wave band the Motels, released in 1982. It features the Top 10 hit " Only the Lonely", and the follow-up hit " Take the L". Both songs were assisted by popular MTV music videos. The album was r ...

'' in 1982. Garay has also worked with

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, Mr. Big,

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Queensrÿche Queensrÿche () is an American progressive metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one Extended play, EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record ...

, Dramarama, EZO,

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, Reel Big Fish, Joan Armatrading, Katrina, and others. In 1989, Garay sold Record One to Allen Sides, who added Record One to the Ocean Way Recording Group. In November 2010, he partnered with attorney George Woolverton to form Red Red Records, and he works with up-and-coming new artists as well as produces/engineers scores for motion picture and television projects.

Awards and recognition

In 1982, Garay shared a

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 ...

with Kim Carnes, for "Bette Davis Eyes". He has received numerous entertainment industry awards and additional Grammy nominations, including Best Engineered Recording for his work on the James Taylor album '' JT'' and Linda Ronstadt's '' Simple Dreams'', a nomination for Album of the Year for Kim Carnes' ''Mistaken Identity'', and a nomination for Producer of the Year. He received an Emmy nomination for Best Engineered Recording of a TV Special for Neil Diamond's '' I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight'', as well as dozens of gold and platinum records.

Personal life

Garay is married to Nicole Dunn, CEO of Dunn Pellier Media, a Los Angeles-based public relations firm for celebrity health and wellness talent.

References

External links

* http://www.valgaray.com official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garay, Val Song recordings produced by Val Garay 1942 births Living people Grammy Award winners American audio engineers Record producers from California