Heider’s LA - mid 70’s
Posted on 01.27.06 by hemiking @ 17:46:19

I can remember my first visit to Heider’s LA. It was the early 70’s…watching Joe E. Covington laying down tracks for his Fat Fandango album in Studio 3. Peter Granet was at the board. As a young teen and an aspring drummer…it was a huge thrill to sit behind Joe’s drums and help them get their sound. My uncle was the production coordinator for Grunt Records at the time. That availed me to many visits to Heider’s LA and San Francisco.

A couple of years later, I began working at Heider’s LA answering telephones and helping in the studios whenever I could. Within a few short months, I began assisting on sessions with the likes of Rod Stewart, Angel, Loggins and Messina, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, The Crusaders, Rare Earth, Tony Orlando and Dawn…just to name a few.
(more…)


Filed under: Firsthand Stories
Comments: 1 Comment

An Interview With Wally, 1978
Posted on 01.09.06 by admin @ 21:53:37

Reprinted from MIX magazine February 1978
Special Thanks to Heather Johnson for finding the article and
Tom Fine for proofreading and correction.

The Story of
Wally Heider Recording

by Wally Heider With Terry Stark

When the words independent recording studios are used, the first name that comes to mind ’ is Wally Heider. Phrases like “institution”, “a legend in his own time”, “the grand old man of recording” invariably follow. Wally is still very active in the recording industry, both as an independent producer-engineer and as consultant to Filmways/Heider Recording, the company he sold to Filmways some nine years ago.

The following are some excerpts from a rap session held in Terry Stark’s office. Terry is the president of Filmways/Heider Recording and started in the recording industry with Wally some eight years ago.

Terry: How did you get started in this business, Wally?

Wally: Well, I was practicing law up in Oregon, but I really didn’t like what I was doing. I came down here to talk to Bill Putnam at United Recording Studios; Bill said he wouldn’t hire anybody from out of town because he was afraid that he’d be responsible for their moving down here and then things wouldn’t work out, but he said that if I wanted to come down he’d be more than happy to talk to me. So I moved my family down here and we rented a house.

I went to work for Bill at United as a part-time apprentice. I had some tapes that I had recorded of Terry Gibb’s band, live. Bill played them back in the studio and when he heard them he said “I’ve got myself a part time apprentice.”

(more…)


Filed under: Firsthand Stories
Comments: None

I think most people in the music business would agree that Wally Heider was a major influence in the history of recording on the west coast, and helped launch hundreds of careers in the music business, including my own.

This is a place where we can share our experiences with Wally, his friends and associates at Wally Heider Recording, the equipment, the remotes and anyone else who had contact with the man or his studios, whether as an employee or a client.

No login is required to view the articles, but if you have some stories, please register and post an article.
Due to an incredible number of bots, spammers and trollers (mostly from Russia*) that want to do nothing but attempt to post spam and make things difficult for me, I can't automatically authorize users right away any more, but I'm notified of new registrations immediately and can add legitimate posters. Once again, if you have a story or wish to leave a comment to a story, please register and post your story, but don't bother to register if you're not going to contribute . All articles are publicly viewable. Also photos of Wally are desperately needed. Anyone?

*I don't know why people waste their time doing this; they certainly waste my time.

Stephen Barncard

START HERE
  • Site Links


  • Main Menu
    Home
    New Dispatches
    Firsthand Stories
    Other Recording Stories
    Dale Manquen
    Announcements
    In Memoriam

    Search
    Syndication
    RSS 2.0
    Comments RSS 2.0
    WordPress

    Credits and Copyright
    Proudly powered by WordPress. All content © 2004-2005 Author
    Theme by Theron Parlin

    Archives
    September 2008
    April 2008
    February 2008
    January 2008
    December 2007
    November 2007
    October 2007
    September 2007
    August 2007
    March 2007
    February 2007
    December 2006
    October 2006
    May 2006
    April 2006
    January 2006
    December 2005
    October 2005
    May 2005
    April 2005
    March 2005

    Recent Entries
    Wally's 2:00 AM Phone Call
    Wally's 5 seconds on film
    Thanks Wally, you saved my life
    Any one from the old days?
    The Night I met Wally
    Great Photo of RUSS GARY in studio C added to the Gallery
    My memory of Wally - Larry Sem
    Ray Thompson's Grandson
    Swingtime Video
    PHOTO GALLERY UPGRADED
    Happy Birthday
    Wally Heider
    When Vinyl Ruled
    Wikipedia article on Wally
    the future of hyde street studios