Ken Scott (born 20 April 1947) is a British

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

known for being one of the five main engineers for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, as well as engineering

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...

the Jeff Beck Group The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music. Firs ...

and many more. As a producer, Scott is noted for his work with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending p ...

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American Rock music, rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark Mothersbaugh, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob) and the Casales (Gerald ...

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

the Tubes The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band. Their eponymous 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope," while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty" was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the early ...

Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie H ...

Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

Missing Persons A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, ...

, among others. Scott was also influential in the evolution of

jazz rock Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...

, pioneering a harder rock sound through his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra,

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first ja ...

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Mode ...

Dixie Dregs The Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta, Georgia. Formed in 1970, the band's performance consists entirely of instrumentals that fuse elements of diverse genres such as rock, classical music, country, jazz and bluegrass into an e ...

, Happy The Man, and Jeff Beck.

Career

Early years

Scott was born in

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sut ...

, and grew up listening to 78 rpm records of artists like

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

, Bill Haley, and

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

on a wind-up

gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

. In 1959 at the age of 12, he received a tape recorder which he used to record material from the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

'' Pick of the Pops'', but it was an episode of ''Here Come the Girls'', an

Alan Freeman Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to ...

-hosted TV show about British female pop artists in recording studios, that first focused Scott's career aspirations as a recording engineer when it featured

Carol Deene Carol Deene (born Carole Carver; 3 August 1944) is an English pop singer and radio host who achieved success in the early 1960s. Biography Early career After appearing on Joan Regan's BBC TV programme ''Be My Guest'' in 1961,Larkin C., ''Vir ...

singing in a recording session from the point of view of Studio Two at

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 ...

, where Malcolm Addey was behind the recording console.

The Abbey Road years

On Saturday, 18 January 1964, Scott wrote letters inquiring about recording engineer job openings and mailed them to several London recording studios. Three days later he was contacted by

and subsequently interviewed and offered a position the following day. Scott began working the following Monday at the age of just 16. He received the traditional Abbey Road studio training under engineers like Malcolm Addey and Norman Smith. His first job was in the tape library, and within six months he was promoted to 2nd engineer (known then as a "button pusher"), where his first session was on side two of

' album '' A Hard Days Night''. Among the other artists he worked with as a button pusher were

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...

("Do Wah Diddy Diddy" was the first English number 1 hit he worked on),

Peter and Gordon Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling single " A World Without Love". The duo had sever ...

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, and

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

. After a short time as an assistant engineer, Scott was promoted to "cutting" (known as mastering today), where he spent approximately two years cutting not only acetates for artists, but the masters for many of the hits that EMI also distributed at the time, including the American

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

catalogue. In September 1967, Scott was promoted to engineer, where his first session was with the Beatles on their song "

Your Mother Should Know "Your Mother Should Know" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 EP and LP, ''Magical Mystery Tour''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Titled after a line in the 1961 film ''A Taste ...

". His first orchestral recording session came a few days later when he recorded the strings, brass and choir for the band's song "

I Am the Walrus "I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...

". During his time with the Beatles, Scott also worked on the songs " Lady Madonna", "

Hello, Goodbye "Hello, Goodbye" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's "I Am the Walrus", it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first r ...

" and "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

", as well as ''

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

'' and '' Magical Mystery Tour'' albums. Among the notable songs from those albums that he worked on are " The Fool on the Hill", " Glass Onion", " Helter Skelter", "

Birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...

", " Back in the U.S.S.R.", "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album '' The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While ...

" and " Not Guilty", the last of which was recorded for the ''White Album'', but not included on it. As an engineer at Abbey Road, Scott also worked with numerous other artists including

the Pretty Things ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Scaffold Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely used ...

and

Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer-songwriter best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists ...

. In late 1969, shortly after completion of the

album '' A Salty Dog'', he left Abbey Road for

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry. ...

, at the suggestion of

and producer

Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, " Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US N ...

The Trident years

Scott soon found himself working with the Beatles again on their various solo projects, including

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's "

Give Peace a Chance "Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song written by John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded with the participation of a small group of friends in a performance with Yoko Ono in a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, C ...

" and "

Cold Turkey "Cold turkey" refers to the abrupt cessation of a substance dependence and the resulting unpleasant experience, as opposed to gradually easing the process through reduction over time or by using replacement medication. Sudden withdrawal from dru ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

's "

It Don't Come Easy "It Don't Come Easy" is a song by English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as a non-album single in April 1971. It was produced by Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who also helped write the song, although only Starr is ...

" and

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

's ''

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...

''. After a short time he took over the mixing of Elton John's ''

Madman Across the Water ''Madman Across the Water'' is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a p ...

'', after fellow Trident engineer Robin Geoffrey Cable suffered severe injuries in a traffic accident. That led him to work on John's ''

Honky Château ''Honky Château'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released in 1972, and was titled after the 18th century French chateau where it was recorded, Château d'Hérouville. The album reached number one in the US, t ...

'' and ''

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player ''Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player'' is the sixth studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in January 1973 by DJM Records, it was the first of two studio albums he released in 1973 (the second was ''Goodbye Yellow Brick ...

''. Also during this period he reconnected with David Bowie (he had previously worked on Bowie's '' 1969 self-titled album'' and '' The Man Who Sold the World'') on a project with Bowie protege Freddie Burretti. By this time Scott wanted to move into production, and Bowie said he was about to start a new album and didn't feel comfortable about solely producing himself, so it was agreed that they would co-produce what became ''

Hunky Dory ''Hunky Dory'' is the fourth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 17December 1971 through RCA Records. Following the release of his 1970 album, '' The Man Who Sold the World'', Bowie took time off from recording and tourin ...

''. After the album was completed, but before it was even released, work began on his next album – ''

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was co-pr ...

'' – again with Scott as co-producer. Scott went on to co-produce Bowie's ''

Aladdin Sane ''Aladdin Sane'' is the sixth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 20April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (1972), it was the fi ...

'' and '' Pin Ups'' albums, as well as the little-seen ''Midnight Special'' television program episode "

The 1980 Floor Show The 1980 Floor Show was a rock musical spectacle featuring English rock musician David Bowie as the protagonist, held at the Marquee Club in Soho, London, on October 18–20, 1973. It was broadcast in the United States by NBC on November 16, 197 ...

". During his time at

, Scott also teamed up with Supertramp for ''

Crime of the Century "Crime of the century" is an idiomatic phrase used to describe particularly sensational or notorious criminal cases. Chua-Eoan, Howard (n.d.)"Crimes of the Century: The Top 25" '' Time''. Retrieved September 10, 2021. In the United States, it is o ...

'' in what amounted to a breakthrough album nearly everywhere in the world except the United States. While most albums were routinely recorded in two weeks at the time, ''Crime of the Century'' was an exception, taking a painstaking six months, as Scott and the group sought a precision to the recording and mixing not found in much of the music recorded at the time. ''Crime of the Century'' is regularly mentioned as one of the top albums of all time, and was often used as a stereo demonstration record in music stores. The album featured two songs that still get substantial radio play today: " Dreamer" and " Bloody Well Right." The follow-up, ''

Crisis? What Crisis? ''Crisis? What Crisis?'' is the fourth album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1975. It was recorded in Los Angeles and London – Supertramp's first album to have recording done in the US. A remastered CD version of the album ...

'', attempted to reach those same sonic heights, but it was subject to the limitations of a timetable, because Supertramp had gained a measure of stardom, and a release date and tour had already been planned. The album was also recorded at other studios besides Trident, including Studio D at

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

in Hollywood, the Who's

Ramport Studios Ramport Studios was a recording studio on Thessaly Road, Battersea, south London, owned by the Who. The studio was built in an old church hall. Several major albums were recorded at Ramport, including 1974's '' Crime of the Century'' by Supertra ...

, and the now defunct Scorpio Studios. Other artists Scott worked with while at Trident included

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

and

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

, as well as the Clio-winning Coca-Cola ad " I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke".

Jazz rock

Scott also helped change the sound of the cross-pollination genre known as

or progressive jazz, adding a much harder edge rock sound (especially to the drums) to albums like Mahavishnu Orchestra's '' Birds of Fire'', '' Visions of the Emerald Beyond'' and ''

The Lost Trident Sessions ''The Lost Trident Sessions'' is a studio album by jazz fusion group the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on 21 September 1999 through Sony Music Entertainment. It was originally recorded in June 1973 at Trident Studios but was not released until 2 ...

'', Billy Cobham's ''

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

'', '' Crosswinds'', '' Total Eclipse'', and '' Shabazz'', Stanley Clarke's ''

'' and '' School Days'', and Jeff Beck's '' There and Back''. Although not strictly jazz nor progressive rock, he also worked with the southern fusion band

(''What If'' and ''Night of the Living Dregs'') and the symphonic progressive band Happy the Man (''Happy the Man and Crafty Hands'').

Los Angeles

After spending three months in Hollywood recording Supertramp on the A&M lot, and receiving more production work from the company as a result of the success of Supertramp, Scott decided to permanently move his family to Los Angeles in 1976, just by chance renting a house across the street from

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

. Subsequent to that move he produced albums with

David Batteau David Hurst Batteau (born June 25, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter. Batteau is the son of Blanca Batteau and Dr. Dwight Wayne Batteau, of Harvard University and Tufts University. He is the brother of singer-songwriter Robin Batteau. H ...

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

and others. At the behest of Zappa's wife Gail, Scott was asked to check out a demo featuring ex-members of Frank's band,

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Perso ...

and

Warren Cuccurullo Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, restaurant owner and former body builder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s ...

, along with Bozzio's wife Dale, who had formed a band eventually to be named

. With Scott at the helm, and thanks to massive airplay from the fledgling rock radio station KROQ, the band went on to record one of the biggest selling EPs ever, which eventually led to a deal with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, which then released their first album, entitled '' Spring Session M''. When the group was not able to find a suitable manager, Scott also assumed that role. After "artistic differences" caused a split, he went on to produce and manage other acts including Christine in the Attic and

Cock Robin "Who Killed Cock Robin" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 494. Lyrics The earliest record of the rhyme is in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', published in 1744, which noted only the first four verses. The ...

, although neither went on to achieve the level of success of Missing Persons. Scott's previous relationship with Warren Cuccurullo, who went on to join

, led to his mixing an ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' episode, as well as doing engineering work on the ''Thank You'' and ''Pop Trash'' albums. In 2000, Scott reunited with former Beatle George Harrison to work on the reissue of his catalogue, included the huge hit ''

''. He was also responsible for the organization of Harrison's entire tape library during that period.

Current work

Scott continues to be active in the studio and gives talks around the world. In 2012, he released a memoir entitled ''Abbey Road To Ziggy Stardust'', co-written with Bobby Owsinski and published by Alfred Music Publishing. Scott is currently a Senior Professor at

Leeds Beckett University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...

's School of Film, Music and Performing Arts.

Personal life

Originally from

, Scott resided in Los Angeles from 1976 to 2013, then relocated 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 th ...

. In 2016, Scott and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Hampsthwaite near

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa ...

, North Yorkshire, in the UK.

Awards and recognition

* 2010 – Fellowship Award from the

Association of Professional Recording Services The Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS) is a trade association for the audio industry in the United Kingdom. Overview The APRS has a strong presence within the industry and lobby on behalf of their members for the best enviro ...

* 1973 – Clio award – Best Music and Lyrics (for " I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" recorded at Trident Studios for Coca-Cola) * 1974 –

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination – Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical – ''

'' (album) * 1972 –

nomination – Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical – ''

'' * 1972 –

nomination – Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical – ''

Son of Schmilsson ''Son of Schmilsson'' is the eighth album by American singer Harry Nilsson. Background Nilsson was being pressured to produce a follow-up album similar to his 1971 breakthrough, ''Nilsson Schmilsson'', but instead, he created a more eccentric wo ...

Engineering and production credits

Selected engineering and production credits: * 1964:

– '' A Hard Day’s Night'' (Assistant Engineer) * 1964:

– '' Beatles for Sale'' (Assistant Engineer) * 1965:

– ''

Rubber Soul ''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single " Day Tripper" / " We Can ...

'' (Assistant Engineer) * 1965:

– ''

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...

'' (Assistant Engineer) * 1967:

– ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

'' (Assistant Engineer) * 1967:

– '' Magical Mystery Tour'' (Engineer) * 1968:

– '' Wonderwall Music'' (Engineer) * 1968:

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

– ''

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belief ...

'' (Engineer, Audio Engineer) * 1968:

– ''

'' (Engineer, Original Engineering) * 1969:

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre Principal Edwards Magic Theatre was an English performance art collective in the United Kingdom made up of about 14 musicians, poets, dancers, and sound and lighting technicians. It existed between 1968 and 1971, after which core members forme ...

– ''Soundtrack'' (Engineer) * 1969:

– ''

Post Card A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

'' (Engineer, Mixing) * 1969:

Jackie Lomax John Richard Lomax (10 May 1944 – 15 September 2013) was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1 ...

– '' Is This What You Want?'' (Engineer) * 1969:

– ''

Space Oddity "Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album '' David Bowie''. After the commercial ...

'' (Engineer, Audio Engineer) * 1969:

– ''

Beck-Ola ''Beck-Ola'' is the second studio album by English guitarist Jeff Beck, and the first credited to the Jeff Beck Group, released in 1969 in the United Kingdom on Columbia Records and in the United States on Epic Records. It peaked at No. 15 ...

'' (Engineer, Audio Engineer) * 1969:

Third Ear Band Third Ear Band were a British musical group formed in London during the mid-1960s. Their line-up initially consisted of violin, cello, oboe and percussion. Most of their performances were instrumental and partly improvised. Their records for th ...

– ''

Alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim wo ...

'' (Engineer) * 1969:

– '' A Salty Dog'' (Engineer) * 1970: Warhorse – '' Warhorse'' (Engineer) * 1970:

– '' The Man Who Sold the World'' (Engineer, Audio Engineer) * 1970:

– ''Dada'' (Engineer) * 1970:

– ''

'' (Engineer) * 1971: Radha Krsna Temple (London) – '' The Radha Krsna Temple'' (Engineer, Balance Engineer) * 1971: Van der Graaf Generator – '' Pawn Hearts'' (Engineer) * 1971:

The New Seekers The New Seekers are a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would have ...

– '' New Colours'' (Engineer) * 1971:

– ''

'' (Engineer, Remixing) * 1971:

– ''

'' (Producer, Engineer, Remixing, Spoken Word, Synthesizer, Vocals) * 1971:

– ''Earth Song/Ocean Song'' (Mixing) * 1972:

– ''

Transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

'' (Engineer, Mixing) * 1972:

– ''

'' (Producer, Audio Production, Original Album Producer) * 1972:

– ''

'' (Engineer, Balance Engineer) * 1972:

– ''

'' (Engineer, Audio Engineer) * 1972:

– ''

'' (Engineer) * 1973:

– ''

'' (Engineer, Remixing) * 1973:

– ''

'' (Engineer) * 1973:

– '' Birds of Fire'' (Engineer) * 1973:

– ''

'' (Producer, Engineer, Mixing) * 1973:

– '' Total Eclipse'' (Producer, Engineer, Mixing) * 1974:

– ''

'' (Engineer) * 1974:

– '' Crosswinds'' (Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Recording) * 1974:

– ''

'' (Producer, Engineer, Mastering) * 1975:

– '' Visions of the Emerald Beyond'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1975:

– '' Journey to Love'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1975:

– ''

'' (Producer) * 1976:

- ''

Don't Go Breaking My Heart "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectiona ...

'' (Engineer) * 1976:

The Tubes The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band. Their eponymous 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope," while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty" was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the early ...

– '' Young and Rich'' (Producer) * 1976:

– '' School Days'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1977: The Don Harrison Band – ''Not Far from Free'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1978:

– ''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1978: Happy the Man – ''

Crafty Hands ''Crafty Hands'' is an album by the progressive rock band Happy the Man, released in 1978. Only one track, "Wind Up Doll Day Wind," contains vocals. Reception Mike McLatchey of Exposé Online stated that the album displays "some of the best, most ...

'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1978:

– '' Night of the Living Dregs'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1979:

Gamma Gamma (uppercase , lowercase ; ''gámma'') is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter r ...

– ''

Gamma 1 ''Gamma 1'', released in 1979, is Gamma's debut album. It reached No. 131 on the Billboard Album charts, totalling seventeen weeks on the survey. "I'm Alive" reached No. 60 on the Billboard singles charts. "I'm Alive" is a cover of The Hollies so ...

'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1979:

– ''

Duty Now for the Future ''Duty Now for the Future'' is the second studio album by American rock band Devo, released in July 1979 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ken Scott, the album was recorded between September 1978 and early 1979 at Chateau Recorders in Hol ...

'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1980:

– '' There & Back'' (Producer) * 1982:

– '' Vinyl Confessions'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1982:

– '' Spring Session M'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1985:

– ''

World Machine ''World Machine'' is the sixth studio album by British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It was the band's breakthrough album internationally and features one of their most successful singles, " Something About You". Composition This releas ...

'' (Producer) * 1985: Rubber Rodeo – ''Heartbreak Highway'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1992:

dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

– ''

Puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzl ...

'' (Producer, Engineer, Mixing) * 1995:

– ''

Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...

'' (Engineer) * 1995: Whiteheart – '' Inside'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1998: Missing Persons – ''

Late Nights Early Days ''Late Nights Early Days'' is a live album by American new wave band Missing Persons, released in 1997. Identified as an "important document of '80s pop" by AllMusic reviewer Tom Schulte, the album features a 1981 live concert, as well as a prev ...

'' (Producer, Engineer) * 1999:

– ''

'' (Engineer) * 2000:

– '' Pop Trash'' (Engineer, Mixing) * 2006:

– ''

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

'' (Engineer) * 2012:

The Moog The Moog were a Hungarian indie rock band based in Budapest, Hungary formed in 2004. The group is noted for being the first in the region to be signed to an American record label. The band consists of members Tamás Szabó (vocals, keyboard), ...

– '' Seasons in the Underground'' (Producer, Engineer, Mixing)

Bibliography

References

External links

Ken Scott on Discogs

"Ken Scott: Abbey Road Vet Contemplates Career of Groundbreaking Gigs", by Rick Clark, MIX, 1 Oct. 2004

Ken Scott – Interview on The Marquee Club

Sonic Reality page for EpiK Drums

Video Interview with Ken Scott at Alfred Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Ken 1947 births Living people Musicians from London English record producers English audio engineers English expatriates in the United States Academics of Leeds Beckett University