JAMES STROUD You’Re a Great Singer, and One of the Things Record
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MARCH/APRIL 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM PRODUCER How did you learn to produce? than life. And the music had to reflect the I had become a pretty popular session attitude in his lyrics. drummer and got calls to record for some truly great producers. I would watch how How did you choose songs? they made records and translate how they Toby’s a great writer, so I knew we wouldn’t did their work into what I wanted to do. I was have to go to outside songwriters for blessed to have the opportunity to play on anything. We sat down night after night, hits produced by people like Tom Collins, listened to his material and chose songs Jerry Crutchfield and Jimmy Bowen. At that that had strong lyrics that resonated with point, my problem was, how do I find an artist him. And we chose a few we thought could who would trust me to produce? After all, I be great singles. He would sometimes play was known as a drummer, not a producer. a few songs for me in the studio that I’d never heard before. Off the top of my head, Who was that first artist? With Margaret Durante I would come up with arrangements and give I found this kid named Clint Black. (laughs) those to the musicians. The idea was to bring That was really the first production gig that see where the artist is going to be three or spontaneity—and the experiment worked. His got a platinum record under my belt [Killin’ four years down the road and if I can help song “I Love This Bar” [2003] was recorded Time, 1989]. My idea with Clint was not step up the quality or creativity, that’s what that way, and it was a No. 1 record. It might to hire session players, but to work with I’ll do. If I’ll just be making another record for seem a little risky working that way, but I the band he had in Texas and have them that artist, I’ll stay away. I’ve always prided knew his music and we’d already arranged myself on having the knack to take what the some of his songs, so I knew the direction artist is, what he or she wants to express live, we were going for. We worked quickly and and put that on tape—not just hire a bunch didn’t second-guess ourselves. of session players, record a bunch of songs and release something that sounds like every How do you approach vocals? other record out there. Usually I’ll let them sing anything they want, however they want, and record several takes. How was working with Toby Keith? Then I compile those down to a single track, When Toby and I spoke about working let the artist listen and if the artist is happy, Capitol Studios together, he’d already had some big hits, so great. If the artist feels like there’s a phrase I studied everything he’d done beforehand. that needs repair, we’ll go back and look at And that helped me answer the question: what they have on the other tracks and see Thomas Newton Thomas “Can I make a record that enhances his if there’s a suitable replacement. And if not, With Clint Black artistry?” When we met, I told him, “I know we’ll just go back and punch in the line. JAMES STROUD you’re a great singer, and one of the things record. Clint’s guys were on the road with I can help you with is your vocal sound.” Which artists score in a single take? Bringing a session player’s perspective to Nashville hitmaking him and knew more about him musically than His vocal abilities are amazing, but to make Lorrie Morgan. I’ve used a lot of her one- session players would. I still use touring band his vocal sound more powerful the tracks track vocals. She’s perfect—she’s so aware By Michael Gallant members to augment recording sessions, had to be tougher, with fewer instruments of what she can and cannot do as a singer to fill in the blanks left by session players. and more sound and space per instrument. that she makes it easy. It’s the same with IF YOU’VE LISTENED TO A COUNTRY RADIO STATION really wanted to do was produce,” he says. “To make records, I always have to make sure that the record His vocals had to be out there and bigger [newcomer] Margaret Durante. She’s anytime in the last 20 years, chances are you’ve experienced the not just to play on them.” truly belongs to the artist—not me, and not craftsmanship of studio drummer-turned-producer James Stroud. Stroud relocated permanently to Nashville in 1981. “It was the session players. One of Nashville’s most prolifi c and successful hitmakers, Stroud has quite a transition learning to play country, but I loved it,” he says. produced multiplatinum albums for country giants like Tim McGraw, “It was a great time in my life.” He proved a quick study of Music What is the Nashville session-player Toby Keith and Clint Black, and over the last two years has overseen City’s unique way of making records—relying on top-shelf session system like? a string of chart-toppers for rising star Chris Young. musicians like himself to lay down tracks quickly and therefore keep There are unbelievable musicians in Nashville A Louisiana native, Stroud learned to read music and play costs down. But when he began focusing on production in the late who always have the best equipment, learn rudiments as a concert drummer in grade school. By the time he 1980s, Stroud also learned that there are times to subvert that new material very quickly and are acclimated graduated high school he was playing professionally throughout system by using an artist’s touring musicians—a rarity in mainstream to what we do in the studio. The key is to get the South. “I played a lot of Delta blues and R&B, a lot of Stax country. “It’s a great combination,” he says. “Because what you these players to specifically play the artist’s records,” recalls Stroud, whose drum work can be heard on classics end up with is more of who the artist is and what the music is music, and not just what they do every night. like Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff,” King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and like on their live gigs, which is really where the rubber meets the When I was coming up as a producer, I found Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.” As his studio credits grew to include road.” Today Stroud splits his time between recording and running my background as a studio drummer helped famous names like Isaac Hayes, Bob Seger, Paul Simon and Gladys his own startup label, Stroudavarious Records. We caught up me translate to the musicians what the artist Knight, Stroud began paying careful attention to what was with him between sessions at his Nashville studio to discuss his needed for his or her music. happening on the other side of the glass. “I realized that what I philosophy of production. How do you pick artists to work with? I’ve turned down a lot of artists because ‘I’ve always prided myself on having the knack to take I didn’t think I could make a better record than what they were already doing. I try to With Willie Nelson who the artist is and put that on tape.’ and Toby Keith 5252 53 M mag 10.indd 52 4/17/11 7:56:08 PM M mag 10.indd 53 4/17/11 7:55:38 PM MARCH/APRIL 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM PRODUCER BOOTSY COLLINS AVRIL LAVIGNE STEVE EARLE NIKKI SIXX JOE BONAMASSA Burnin’ with blues ALISON KRAUSS With Tim McGraw Goes home and Faith Hill that the chorus speeds up a few clicks. It’s like how your heart speeds up when you R.E.M. get excited. When I produced Toby’s record In the now With Chris Young “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” I directed the tempo. The record speeds up and slows down fi ve or ‘I never want a song to be done. six times. I did that intentionally because I wanted to get the emotion of the song I keep tinkering, fi xing things, conveyed through the tempo as well as the other elements of the recording. overdubbing.’ Did drumming teach you that? Isaac Hayes is a perfect example. When I got a lot of range and is very well educated the time the artist is done recording, we have was playing with him in the early ’70s, there musically, so she did exactly what I needed the fi nal take 90 percent there. were certain places where he wanted to her to do at the mic. push the tempo because of the intensity or Do you use pitch correction? the emotion. You want to play solid time as a How do you compile vocal tracks? Sometimes, but I’ll let a note go by. If it’s a drummer, but you also want to be mindful of I use Pro Tools to edit, but nine times out of little blue or pitchy but it feels great, I’ll use it.