Phil Ramone: 1934-2013

Phil Ramone 1934-2013

Overview: Nicknamed “The Pope of Pop,” producer Phil Ramone won 14 Grammys, including three for Album of the Year. He was born on January 5, 1934, in South Africa, but grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He was a child prodigy who started playing violin at age 3 and performed for Princess Elizabeth at age 10. He trained as a classical violinist at Juilliard in the late ‘40s. He opened his own recording studio before the age of 20 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1953. He is considered a CD pioneer, as he was the producer for Billy Joel’s 52nd Street, the first album made available on compact disc. He has also produced concerts (Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park), film (A Star Is Born, Flashdance), Broadway (Chicago, Seussical), and television productions. As a record engineer and producer, he is most associated with Billy Joel, but also worked with Burt Bacharach, The Band, Ray Charles, Chicago, Bob Dylan, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Madonna, Barry Manilow, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Olivia Newton-John, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder. He had a long chart history, first hitting Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1963 as an engineer on Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” all the way through to 2011’s “Body and Soul” by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse. Ramone died on March 30, 2013, in Manhattan of a brain aneurysm. He was 79. He was married to Karen Ichiuji-Ramone. They had three sons. Here is a select discography of some of the most-celebrated work (and some of their most noted awards) in which he had a hand: Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Phil Ramone Songwriters Hall of Fame bio Wikipedia

Awards:

Lesley Gore “It’s My Party” (1963) Quincy Jones produced this #1 hit with Ramone serving as an engineer. The song makes the RIAA’s 365 Songs of the Century list.

Stan Getz & João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto (1963) Ramone served as engineer on the album, which won Grammys for Best Engineered Recording and Album of the Year. The DMDB ranks it as one of the top 1000 albums of all time and top 50 jazz albums of all time. It is also in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more on the DMDB page for this album. “The Girl from Ipanema” The album featured the song “The Girl from Ipanena” which won the Grammy for Record of the Year, is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the National Recording Registry, and ranks in the DMDB’s top 1% songs of all time list as well as the RIAA’s 365 Songs of the Century list.

Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967) This song is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era and appears in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of songs that shaped rock. The song is also in the Grammy Hall of Fame and is one of the world’s all-time best-selling songs. Read more on the DMDB page for this song.

B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (1969): This Hal David and Burt Bacharach-penned tune was used as the theme for the Robert Redford/Paul Newman film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The song ranks as one of DMDB’s top 1% songs of all time and shows up on the RIAA’s 365 Songs of the Century list. According to Billboard, this is the top-ranked song associated with Ramone. Read more on the DMDB page about this song.

Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) The first of Ramone’s three wins for producing a Grammy winner for Album of the Year is another Grammy Hall of Fame entry. Read more on the DMDB page about this album. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” The #1 album also spawned the #1 hit “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” which the DMDB ranks as one of the top 100 singer/songwriter songs.

Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975) Ramone served as the session engineer on Blood on the Tracks, which is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more on the DMDB page about this album. “Tangled Up in Blue” The album features “Tangled Up in Blue” which ranks as one of DMDB’s top 1% songs of all time and appears in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of songs that shaped rock.

Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976): This won the Grammy for Song of the Year and the Oscar for Best Song. The American Film Institute ranks it as one of the top 100 movie songs of all time. The soundtrack for A Star Is Born ranks as one of the DMDB’s top 100 soundtracks of all time.

Billy Joel The Stranger (1977) The Stranger was the first Billy Joel album produced by Ramone. It is another Grammy Hall of Fame album and ranks in the DMDB’s list of the top 1000 albums of all time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also named the album to its list of definitive albums. Read more on the DMDB page about this album. “Just the Way You Are” The album spawned the hit song, “Just the Way You Are,” which won the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. It has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and ranks as one of DMDB’s top 1% songs of all time. Read more on the DMDB page about this song.

Billy Joel 52nd Street (1978) The second of Ramone’s three wins for producing a Grammy winner for Album of the Year. It was also named Billboard magazine’s Album of the Year. It is the top-ranked album associated with Ramone, according to Billboard. Read more on the DMDB page about this album.

Various Artists Flashdance soundtrack (1983) Ramone served as the music supervisor for the 1983 Flashdance movie and was one of the producers for the soundtrack. It won a Grammy for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and ranks as one of the DMDB’s top 100 soundtracks of all time. It is also one of the top 100 All-Time World’s Bestsellers, fueled by the #1 hits “Flashdance…What a Feelin’” by Irene Cara and “Maniac” by Michael Sembello. Read more on the DMDB page about this album.

Frank Sinatra Duets (1993) The album was notable for giving Sinatra a late-career boost. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard album chart and is the only Sinatra album to achieve triple platinum status. The album, which paired Sinatra with a host of guest stars, marked the first use of a fiber optics system to record tracks in real time from different locations.

Ray Charles Genius Loves Company (2004) The third of Ramone’s three wins for producing a Grammy winner for Album of the Year. It also took home the Grammy for Pop Vocal Album of the Year and is yet another of the DMDB’s top 1000 albums of all time. The song “Here We Go Again,” which paired Charles with Norah Jones, won the Grammy for Record of the Year. Read more on the DMDB page about this album.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Phil Ramone Dave’s Music Database: Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists Billboard.com (3/31/2013). “Phil Ramone’s Top 50 Billboard Hot 100 Hits…” by Gary Trust and Fred Bronson Billboard.com (4/1/2013). “Phil Ramone’s Top 50 Billboard Albums: From ‘52nd Street’ to ‘Album 1700’” by Fred Bronson MyYouChoose.com: The Selected Phil Ramone Discography by Dave Philip PhilRamone.com: Phil Ramone – Additional Career Highlights Wikipedia.org: Phil Ramone First posted 3/30/2013; last updated 1/5/2024.