Bob Rock

Bob Rock is one of the most famous record producers, sound engineers and mixers in the music industry. In his illustrious recording career, Bob's most notable clients have been Metallica and Motley Crue. He has also produced records for bands such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, The Cult, Skid Row and most recently, The Offspring and 311.

Born in Manitoba, Canada in 1954, Bob grew up ensconced in music. His first gig with music was in British Columbia, playing guitar with friends William Alexander and Paul Hyde. At that time, it was the late '70s / early '80s and BC was known for having a brief era of punk rock music flowing through the hottest venues and clubs. However, Bob Rock's first band wouldn't be in the punk genre. Instead, Rock left BC and became the co-founder of The Payola$, who became well known for their 1983 hit, "Eyes of a Stranger." The song earned them a Juno Award for Single of the Year.

In the late '80's, Bob Rock decided to produce albums full time. He had experience producing/mixing material from The Payola$ and throughly enjoyed the process of creating music from behind the glass window of a studio. The rest is history.

To sum his style up perfectly, Bob Rock is known to make sonic records that radio stations love to play. Two prime examples are Metallica's "The Black Album" and Motley Crue's "Dr.Feelgood." Bob's style of producing gave these albums an elaborate sound and record production.

In my discography collection, it is correct to say the most common producer, by coincidence, is Bob Rock. Every record producer has their own method of recording and writing music. That's the nature of the business, it's why artists choose to work with different producers. Bob's main focus is on the song writing. Normally, bands come into the studio with material, demos and songs ready to be recorded. With Bob, he takes his clients into the studio and guides them through the song writing process. Recording albums with Bob usually tends to take quite a while, simply because of those details.

Also, critics and artists have commented on the fact that Bob can make any album sound very, very mainstream. That can be a bad thing...sometimes. An example of that is "Gravity" by Our Lady Peace. Don't get me wrong, it's one of my favourite albums of all time, but it's a radical departure from OLP's trademark sound. It's a fact and Raine Maida has even admitted it. However, that is just how Bob Rock works. His intention is to bring out the best of an artist or band. Can you really blame him for that?

In some cases, YES YOU CAN. Oh my, "St. Anger"...enough said. A petition that over 20,000 fans signed was posted online. The petition called for Metallica to dump Rock as producer, claiming he had too much influence on the band's sound and musical format. It's true. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to the Metallica albums he's produced, but they were different then their albums from the '80s. You can't please everybody!

In 2007, Bob Rock was recognized at the 2007 Juno Award Ceremony for his lifetime contribution to popular music. Rock was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). "Bob is a musical craftsman whose wide range of talents show no signs of slowing," said Melanie Berry, CARAS President. "He has helped to define rock as we know it today, and we are very proud to recognize him in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame." Rock confirmed his acceptance of the award: "It is an honour to join great producers like Bob Ezrin, Bruce Fairbairn, Daniel Lanois, Jack Richardson, and David Foster in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame" says Rock. "They are all giants of the industry, and to be recognized, means that I had to have worked with truly great artists. I thank them for their confidence and inspiration."

Bob Rock has been nominated for Juno Awards 17 times in various categories ranging from Producer of the Year, Recording Engineer of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year.

Bob Rock is my favourite producer. Why? I DON'T EVEN KNOW. For the most part, he produces great albums. However, sometimes I wonder why he works the way he does. He takes FOREVER to produce albums! It took the Offspring from November 2006 to April 2008 to finish their latest album. WOW!!!! Although, I will give him his dues. His methods and teachings have actually inspired to one day become a record producer. Well done, Bob. Keep making great records!