1. Albert Harry Schmitt was an American recording engineer and record producer.
24 Facts About Al Schmitt
1. 2.
Al Schmitt won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and others.
3.
Al Schmitt won 2 Latin Grammys, and a Trustees Grammy for Lifetime Achievement.
4.
Al Schmitt grew up in New York City and lived in Brooklyn until the late 1940s.
5.
Al Schmitt had a younger sister, Doris, and two younger brothers, Richie and Russell, both of whom became audio engineers.
6.
Al Schmitt's family was poor so some Saturdays he worked at a shop doing shoe repairs.
7.
Al Schmitt considers Smith one of his mentors for recording along with Tom Dowd.
8.
Al Schmitt got the job based on a recommendation from his uncle.
9.
Al Schmitt's job was primarily assisting on engineer Tom Dowd's recording sessions.
10.
Al Schmitt was the only one at the studio and couldn't get the owner or engineer Tom Dowd on the phone so he did the session in person.
11.
Al Schmitt said he told Ellington many times, "Mr Ellington, I'm not qualified to do this".
12.
Al Schmitt worked at Apex for two years until it closed.
13.
In 1958, Al Schmitt moved to Los Angeles and became a staff engineer at Radio Recorders on Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood.
14.
Al Schmitt did a lot of motion picture scoring work for Alex North and Elmer Bernstein.
15.
In 1966, Al Schmitt left RCA and became an independent producer.
16.
Al Schmitt produced albums for Jefferson Airplane, Eddie Fisher, Glenn Yarborough, Jackson Browne and Neil Young.
17.
In 2014, Al Schmitt worked on Bob Dylan's album, Shadows in the Night, which was released on January 30,2015.
18.
Al Schmitt appeared on the online internet television series "Pensado's Place", hosted by Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick.
19.
Al Schmitt died in Bell Canyon, California, on April 26,2021, aged 91.
20.
Al Schmitt won more Grammy Awards than any other engineer or mixer.
21.
Al Schmitt was the first person to win both the Grammy and Latin Grammy for Album of the Year.
22.
Al Schmitt was awarded two Latin Grammy Awards in 2000 including Album of the Year.
23.
In 2014, Al Schmitt was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
24.
Al Schmitt was inducted into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame in 1997.