Dave Cobb (born July 9, 1974) is an American record producer based in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, best known for producing the work of

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...

Brandi Carlile Brandi Marie Carlile ( ; born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. , Carlile has released seven studio albums. She has ...

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Sturgill Simpson John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...

The Highwomen The Highwomen is an American country music supergroup composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires, formed in 2019. The group's self-titled debut album was released on September 6, 2019, by Elektra Records and ...

and

Rival Sons Rival Sons is an American rock band formed in Long Beach, California, in 2009. The band consists of Jay Buchanan (lead vocals), Scott Holiday (guitar), Dave Beste (bass guitar) and Michael Miley (drums). They are joined by keyboard player To ...

. Cobb is also a contributor to the six million-selling 2018 ''A Star Is Born'' soundtrack and produced "

Always Remember Us This Way "Always Remember Us This Way" is a song from the 2018 film ''A Star Is Born (2018 film), A Star Is Born'' and its A Star Is Born (2018 soundtrack), soundtrack of the same name, performed by the film's star Lady Gaga. It was released as soundtrack' ...

" for

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Early life

Cobb was born in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, to Mary Cobb (née Floyd) and David Cobb, Sr. He went to The Cottage School in Roswell, Georgia. Cobb said his family was very religious and was active in the

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

faith (his maternal grandmother was a minister). Cobb started out playing drums and taking guitar lessons at church when he was four years old.

Career

When Cobb was first starting in music, he worked as a session player in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He joined the band The Tender Idols, featuring Ian Webber (vocals), Danny Howes (guitar), Guy Strauss (drums) and Joe Jones (bass). They released three LPs, the second of which Dave Cobb co-produced. They signed with Emagine Records based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Cobb played guitar and bass and was in this band for seven years. He was involved in the recording process, which got him interested in being in the studio, and led to him recording and producing other bands he was friends with. The record contract was very restrictive and took a long time to get out of. Cobb moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

after he left his band. He lived there from 2004 to 2011, eventually moving to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in 2011. Cobb considers

Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenn ...

family. The two have worked together for a long time, since they met in California via Cobb's manager, Andrew Brightman. In 2005, Cobb and Jennings made the record '' Put the "O" Back in Country,'' together as their first collaborative work. In 2009, thanks to his professional connection to Jennings, Cobb produced the Oak Ridge Boys' record '' The Boys Are Back,'' encouraging the band to record outside their standard catalog. The group then went on to cover songs by

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

and John Lee Hooker. Cobb and

originally first met at a

Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor. Biography Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...

concert. They then went on to complete Sturgill's record '' Metamodern Sounds in Country Music'' in only four days. Cobb has said he used many different vintage recording techniques, avoiding any electronic recording approaches for this particular album. Cobb's approach of studio recording for

's ''

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

'' was an effort to chronicle an acoustic sound similar to what is found on

Simon And Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

's '' Bridge over Troubled Water,'' where a non-traditional recording environment was captured to provide an organic, live and "warm" sound. Cobb met singer-songwriter

Anderson East Michael Cameron Anderson (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Anderson East, is an American musician from Athens, Alabama, who currently is based in Nashville, Tennessee. East's sound is notable for combining R&B, soul, and roots rock ...

at Nashville's legendary

Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

. The two ended up making East's record, ''

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...

,'' which was recorded at legendary FAME Studios in North Alabama's

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

. Rodney Hall from FAME allowed the pair into the archives—in the vault they found George Jackson's song, "Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em," which is now a track on ''Delilah.'' The video for "Find 'Em" is shot at FAME. In 2013, Cobb began work producing ''Early Morning Shakes'', the third studio album from

Whiskey Myers Whiskey Myers is an American Southern rock/country group from Palestine, Texas composed of Cody Cannon (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), John Jeffers (lead guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals), Cody Tate (lead and rhythm guitar, voca ...

, a Country Southern rock band from

Palestine, Texas Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...

. The record was released on February 4, 2014. Cobb's professional career is managed by Brightman Music. Cobb also runs

Low Country Sound Low Country Sound is a record label imprint of Elektra Records based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 2015 by music producer Dave Cobb who also runs it. Among the artists currently signed to Low Country Sound, some notable acts are An ...

an imprint of Elektra that has a distribution deal with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The debut project for Low Country Sound was the 2015 record ''

,'' by

, who is currently signed with the label. In 2016, Cobb produced and curated the collaborative album ''Southern Family''. Cobb has said he was inspired by the album '' White Mansions''. It was released on his Low Country Sound imprint. The record, which is characterized as a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, is focused on themes centered on family values and the artist's experiences growing up in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. It contains song contributions by

Zac Brown Zachry Alexander Brown (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and co-founder and lead singer of the country–rock Zac Brown Band, as well as electronic dance music group Sir Rosevelt. In 2019, Brown released a pop su ...

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped from ...

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

, Morgane and

among others. It was officially released on March 18, 2016. In July 2016, Cobb began a long-term residency at

RCA Studio A RCA Studio A is a music recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee built and founded in 1964 by Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Harold Bradley. Originally known simply by the name " RCA Victor Nashville Sound Studios" (or “RCA Studios” for short ...

on Nashville's

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

. The studio is adjacent to the famed

RCA Studio B RCA Studio B was a music recording studio built in 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee by RCA Victor. Originally known simply as "RCA Studios," Studio B, along with the larger and later RCA Studio A became known in the 1960s for being an essential fa ...

which opened in 1956. The title of Chris Stapleton's 2017 release ''From A Room: Vol. 1'' refers to the album being recorded at the studio, as does The Oak Ridge Boys' 2018 release, ''17th Avenue Revival'', referring to the studio's location on 17th Avenue in Nashville. Cobb produced Gavin DeGraw's 8th album titled Face the River, coming out May 20, 2022. Also Cobb has worked with Sammy Hagar on a new Album with The Circle's New Album 'Crazy Times'.

Artistic approach

Cobb has said he focuses on the performer's voice, aiming for an end product which sounds natural. Cobb often plays guitar, and occasionally drums, on the records he produces. Cobb cites

Jimmy Miller James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of ...

(''

Sticky Fingers ''Sticky Fingers'' is the 9th British and 11th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The Stones released it on 23 April 1971 on their new, and own label Rolling Stones Records. They had been contracted by Decc ...

,'' ''

Exile on Main Street ''Exile on Main St.'' is the 10th British and 12th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 12 May 1972 by Rolling Stones Records. Recording began in 1969 in England during sessions for '' Sticky Fingers'' ...

'') as an important influence in his approach to producing, as well as

Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English musician, recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early history Johns was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. He had three siblings, two older sisters and a younger brother, Andy ...

and

Brendan O'Brien Brendan O'Brien may refer to: *Brendan O'Brien (bishop) (born 1943), Roman Catholic archbishop of Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Brendan O'Brien (cricketer) (born 1942), Irish former cricketer *Brendan O'Brien (journalist), senior Irish journalist on R ...

. Current influences include Gabriel Roth ( Daptone Records). Cobb also is known to not have a preference over analog recordings versus digital, instead believing the spontaneous nature of creativity as well as the inspiration derived from new discovery, predominantly drives the organic quality of a song.

Personal life

Cobb lives in the Green Hills neighborhood of

. Cobb is married; he and his wife, who is from

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, have one daughter together. One of Cobb's paternal cousins from

is the singer-songwriter

Brent Cobb Brent Cobb (born August 1, 1986) is an American country music singer-songwriter and artist. Cobb has released four studio albums and one EP. His most recent album, ''Keep ‘Em on They Toes'', was released on September 28, 2020. "Providence Can ...

. Additionally, Cobb said he grew up with musician

Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...

. Cobb has talked about the long-term passion that turned into a serious hobby where he explores different types of wine, especially from

Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River approximately north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot ...

and other California vineyards.

Awards

* 2011:

Grammy Award for Best Country Album The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors in ...

(nominee) for

's '' The Guitar Song'' * 2014: Americana Music Association, Album of the Year for

's ''

'' * 2014: Americana Music Association, Producer of the Year * 2014:

Grammy Award for Best Americana Album The Grammy Award for Best Americana Album is an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Americana music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors ...

(nominee) for

's '' Metamodern Sounds in Country Music'' * 2015: Grammy Award for Producer of the Year (nominee) * 2015:

for

's '' Traveller'' – as producer * 2015:

for

's ''

Something More Than Free ''Something More Than Free'' is the fifth studio album by Jason Isbell, released on July 17, 2015. It was produced by Dave Cobb, who had produced Isbell's previous record, ''Southeastern'' (2013). At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won t ...

'' – as producer * 2016: Americana Music Association, Album of the Year,

's ''

'' * 2016: Americana Music Association, Producer of the Year * 2016: Music Row awards, Producer of the Year * 2017: Country Music Awards, Chris Stapleton's '' From A Room: Volume 1'' * 2017: Country Music Awards, Producer of the Year * 2018:

(nominee) for

''Shine On Rainy Day'' * 2018:

for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's ''

The Nashville Sound ''The Nashville Sound'' is the sixth studio album by Jason Isbell, and the third credited to "Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit" (the first since '' Here We Rest'' in 2011). It was released on June 16, 2017. The album was produced by Dave Cobb, who ha ...

'' – as producer * 2018:

for

's '' From A Room: Vol. 1'' – as producer * 2019:

Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song is an award category at the annual Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the American Roots Music ...

for

's " The Joke" – as co-writer, producer * 2019:

for

's ''

By the Way, I Forgive You ''By the Way, I Forgive You'' is the sixth studio album by Brandi Carlile, released on February 16, 2018. " The Joke" was released as the album's lead single. The album was co-produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. The album art is an origin ...

'' – as producer * 2022:

for

's ''Starting Over -'' as producer * 2022:

Grammy Award for Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...

for

's "Cold" ''-'' as songwriter and producer

Equipment

* Console / board: HELIOS by Dick Swettenham (

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

) * Recorder: Endless Analog's CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) * Converters: Burl Audio B80 Mothership and the B32 Vancouver

Selected discography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Dave Living people American country record producers Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee American country songwriters American male songwriters American audio engineers Businesspeople from Tennessee Grammy Award winners Musicians from Savannah, Georgia Songwriters from Tennessee 1974 births Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Green Hills, Tennessee

Early life

Career

Artistic approach

Personal life

Awards

Equipment

Selected discography

See also

References

External links