Bill Szymczyk

William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and recording engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though—aside from continuing to work with Joe Walsh—he retired from the music business in 1990. He re-emerged in the late 2000s, taking on select projects including the 2007 Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden and the 2008 eponymous debut of Brian Vander Ark.

Unlike many music producers, Szymczyk has no background as a musician. He was originally a sonar operator for the U.S. Navy and took some audio production classes as part of his Navy training. Besides his work with the Eagles, he has produced hit songs and albums for such diverse artists as B.B. King, the Who, Joe Walsh, the James Gang, and Elvin Bishop.

Early life Bill Szymczyk was born in Muskegon, Michigan on February 13, 1943. His mother worked as a nurse, and his father held several jobs, including factory worker and maintenance at a school.

He joined the United States Navy in 1960, where he worked as a sonar technician. While in the Navy he took his first course in radio and television production. Upon leaving in 1964, and without much of an idea of what to do for a post-military career, he enrolled at New York University's Media Arts School. His first work as the primary producer on an album came for a Harvey Brooks solo record. He dropped out of NYU to work full-time in the music industry.

His long relationship with the Eagles began with their 1974 album On the Border, an album he took over from London-based producer Glyn Johns. He would be the sole producer for the next three Eagles studio albums, including 1976's Hotel California, the first to feature Joe Walsh. Szymczyk was instrumental in giving the Eagles a more "rock sound" and helping them to move away from their country rock roots. He worked in the studio for the Edgar Winter Group's biggest hit, the Rick Derringer-produced "Frankenstein", and later produced Derringer's best known solo album All American Boy and its hit single, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo". the Who's "You Better You Bet", the Eagles' "Hotel California",

Production style Szymczyk's has frequently been noted as the sort of producer who pushes bands to expand their musical horizons; he has been brought in with the specific intent of changing a band's sound. He himself has credited this tendency to his lack of musical knowledge, stating: "I'm a professional listener. I listen and I react. I never was a musician, so I don't bring any preconceived prejudices to the table; I don't favour the guitar over the keyboard, and so forth. I just listen and try to figure out if I have anything I can bring to a song." Such a pattern was repeated throughout his career. The Eagles brought him in to refine and improve their "rock" sound,

Selected discography

All credits as producer unless otherwise noted.

B. B. King Live & Well (1969) Completely Well (1969) Indianola Mississippi Seeds (1970) Live in Cook County Jail (1971)

Silk/Michael Stanley/Michael Stanley Band Smooth as Raw Silk (1969) Michael Stanley (1972) Friends and Legends (1973) You Break It... You Bought It (1975) Ladies Choice (1976) Stagepass (1977)

The James Gang Yer' Album (1969) James Gang Rides Again (1970) Thirds (1971) James Gang Live in Concert (1971)

Joe Walsh Barnstorm (1972) The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) So What (1974) But Seriously, Folks... (1978) You Bought It – You Name It (1983) Ordinary Average Guy (as engineer) (1991) Songs for a Dying Planet (1992) A Future to This Life: Robocop – The Series Soundtrack (1995) Joe Walsh's Greatest Hits – Little Did He Know... (remastering) (1997)

Eagles On the Border (1974) One of These Nights (1975) Hotel California (1976) The Long Run (1979) Eagles Live (1980) Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

The J. Geils Band The Morning After (1971) Bloodshot (1973) Ladies Invited (1973) Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle (1974) Hotline (1975) Blow Your Face Out (live, 1976)

Jo Jo Gunne/Jay Ferguson

Bite Down Hard (1973) Jumpin' the Gunne (1973) All Alone in the End Zone (1976) Thunder Island (1978) Real Life Ain't This Way (1979)

Others Ford Theatre - Time Changes (1969) Danny Holien - Danny Holien (as producer and engineer) (1971) Pharoah Sanders - Thembi (1971) Edgar Winter Group - They Only Come Out at Night (as technical director) (1972) Johnny Winter - Still Alive and Well (as technical director) (1973) Rick Derringer - All American Boy (1973) Wishbone Ash - There's the Rub (1974) Johnny Winter - Saints & Sinners (as engineer) (1974) Elvin Bishop - Struttin' My Stuff (1975) Rick Derringer - Spring Fever (1975) REO Speedwagon - This Time We Mean It (as executive producer) (1975) Elvin Bishop - Hometown Boy Makes Good! (1976) Outlaws - Hurry Sundown (1977) Outlaws - Bring It Back Alive (live, 1978) Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against the Wind (1980) The Who - Face Dances (1981) Santana - Shango (1982) Melvin James - "The Passenger" (1987) Dishwalla - Dishwalla (2005) Brian Vander Ark - Brian Vander Ark (2008) Brian Vander Ark - Magazine (2011) Tide Brothers - “High Water Mark” (2016) Kona - "Mondays In April - Live at The Bootleg Theater" (as mixer) (2022) Meredith Parks - "Trying To Find My Way" (2025)