We recently connected with Mark Needham and have shared our conversation below.
Mark , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My path was different than a lot of people in my profession. I did not start out working as an assistant in a studio or have a mentor to work with. I borrowed a microphone , a 4 channel tube pre amp , a 2 track tape recorder and set up a studio in an available closet at the music school where I was working. There is a book titled ‘Audio Cyclopedia’ (by Howard M. Tremaine) that I read from front to back, several times and just recorded as the book taught me. Along the way I found a partner who was great at building electronic devices and we went on to build our own console and 24 track tape recorder. I recorded my first major label record with that (studio) set up in the early 1970s with blues legend Taj Mahal (tajblues.com) for Warner Brothers Records. This is not a path I would recommend for everyone however, it helped me create my own path forward.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I moved from a small town in Northern California called Fairhaven to San Francisco in 1970, at the age of 16 to pursue a music business career. It started with a music school my guitar teacher had started in San Francisco ( where I found the closet I would start my first studio) and I went on to have several studios in the Bay Area , Los Angeles and now in Nashville Tennessee as well. My company provides mixing and production services for musicians, and also finds new artists and helps launch their careers. As a mixer / producer / artist development company, our goal is to help artists bring the vision they have for their music to life. I have a fairly diverse discography in different genres of music (Jazz, Pop, Rock, Latin, Country, Electronic etc.) that range gives me a large palette to work from in helping to find something unique for an artists song.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For better or for worse , my career in music really defines who I am as a person . It makes every day feel like another major step forward or backward in my life, but is almost always fun and rewarding ( or soul crushing ! ).
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I did have a few years early on where things were tough (living in my car or not having the money on Christmas to get dinner), however I try to just work harder when things are not going well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.markneedham.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark.a.needham/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.needham
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/markneedhamusic
Image Credits
Color studio photo by: @markvlord (markvlordphotography.com)