Influential Producers


I've always found it interesting how much a producer can influence the sound of an artist. The right synergy between the two can make a good artist great and really shape the creative process. A few influential producers come to mind: John Levanthal (Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn), Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams), Tommy Lipuma (Diana Krall). Sometimes I shop recordings by looking for producers who have worked with some of my favorite artists--it doesn't always guarantee a great recording but it helps narrow things down as the producers mark is usually evident no matter which artist is involved. Anyone else look at the credits and see patterns?
dodgealum
Rick Rubin comes to mind. His work with Johnny Cash was very good in my opinion.
Interesting about Rick Rubin. I recently purchased Neil Diamonds last CD, it had two CDs, one was the "demos" as Neil wrote them, the other was the released record after production by Rubin. Nearly no difference! Not the type of producer most think of when they think of producer. He seems to be someone who simply asks for a little more from an artist, very different than my view of Lanois, for example, who I think is one of the very best ever.
Have never heard a Phil Ramone production that didn't sound great. If one likes a very very slick and overly organized signature sound, Quincy Jones.
Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, Pretenders) and Roy Thomas Baker (Cars) come to mind as producers that maximized the potential of artists that they produced