RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Phil Ramone's resume boasted some of the biggest names in pop music. He produced for Paul Simon, Carole King, Billie Joel and Aretha Franklin, just to name a few. Ramone died yesterday. NPR's Sami Yenigun reports that Ramone was a producer who understood both music and musicians.
SAMI YENIGUN, BYLINE: Phil Ramone first picked up a violin when he was three years old.
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YENIGUN: That's Ramone speaking to NPR in 2004. He was a prodigy who performed for Queen Elizabeth II when he was 10, but he became famous for his work on the other side of the studio glass.
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YENIGUN: The voices of Paul Simon, Astrud Gilberto, Billie Joel and Dusty Springfield all imbued with a piece of Phil Ramone's magic. Ramone's credits include an astounding collection of 20th century talent: Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Loggins, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Carole King - the list goes on and on. Chuck Granata is co-author of Phil Ramone's memoir, "Making Records."
CHUCK GRANATA: He had not just the engineering skill and the ears of a good engineer, he also had the musical mind. He could read music. He could edit music. He could understand the performance side of it as well. And that's really what set Phil apart.
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YENIGUN: Phil Ramone was known as a producer with a soft touch, keeping the focus on the talent rather than on his production techniques. And he was known as a producer with a human touch who always put his musicians first.
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YENIGUN: Again, Chuck Granata.
GRANATA: To take the most powerful egos and musical brilliance that the 20th century has ever known and to be able to kind of bring it all down to a common level, we're all here together to make music, is simply amazing. And Phil truly epitomized the consummate musician, the consummate recording engineer and certainly the consummate record producer.
YENIGUN: Phil Ramone once wrote: The greatest interaction in the world is the creativity involved in making music. Sami Yenigun, NPR News.
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MARTIN: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
