Julian King

Julian King is an American recording engineer, mix engineer, record producer and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. King earned a Grammy as the recording engineer of Faith Hill's multi-million-selling, pop-crossover album Breathe.

In one capacity or another, he has been involved with records that have sold more than 100 million units (see listing below). King has worked with some of the most notable artists in country music, such as George Jones, George Strait, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers and Merle Haggard. Other artists he has worked with include Tim McGraw, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams, Jr., Clint Black, Martina McBride, Randy Travis, Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Alabama and The Judds. His credits also extend to some of the hottest young acts in country music today, such as Sugarland, Chris Young, Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina and Casey James.

History

Raised by school principal parents in Charlottesville, Virginia, King attended nearby James Madison University as a music major, with a plan to become a session trumpet player, but his true calling was tied to using technology to reproduce music. In 1987, during his junior year at college, he landed an internship working as "an assistant to the assistant" engineer at recording sessions for producer Jimmy Bowen. King learned quickly and was told a job would be there for him when he graduated the following year. Working under producer Bowen, King was instantly in sessions with such country superstars as George Strait. While working on an album with Charlie Daniels, King was teased by the star for being a trumpeter. Eventually, Daniels not only asked King to play trumpet on the record, he paid for King to join the American Federation of Musicians union.

In time, King became a favorite of top producers James Stroud and Byron Gallimore. Some of the earliest Number One hits King engineered were the career-launching singles by Tracy Lawrence and Clay Walker. One of his favorite projects from those early years is the 1992 John Anderson CD Seminole Wind. In 1993, he was tapped to engineer the disc debut of the then-unknown Tim McGraw. King has engineered every Tim McGraw album since that time. He also helped create the sound that kick-started Toby Keith's career.

King was behind the board for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, an album that won the CMA Award as Album of the Year for 1994. Stroud brought him on board as a co-producer in 1998, and King delivered "I'm Yours" as a hit for Grammy-winning singer Linda Davis. In the following year came Faith Hill's Breathe, which earned King his own Grammy Award. Noting his increasing prominence, Mix magazine profiled Julian King in 2001.

Since then, King has produced "I Should Be Sleeping" and "Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)" as 2001–2002 hits for Emerson Drive. In 2007, King reunited with Tracy Lawrence and co-produced the star's CMA Award-winning hit "Find Out Who Your Friends Are". He has also continued to work constantly as an engineer, notably on Lee Ann Womack's 2005 CMA Album of the Year There's More Where That Came From and on the multi-million selling discs of two-time CMA Group of the Year, Sugarland. King engineered the two most recent albums by Chris Young which produced a string of five consecutive #1 hits, as well as albums by Kix Brooks (formerly of Brooks & Dunn) and American Idol finalists Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina and Casey James.

Most recently, King has been involved in producing Tyler Farr's debut album for Sony/BNA.

Awards 1999 – Grammy Award – Best Country Album for Faith Hill's Breathe 2007 – CMA Award – Musical Event of the Year for Tracy Lawrence's Find Out Who Your Friends Are, with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney

Credits

Production Year Album/"Single" Artist 1998 I'm Yours Linda Davis 1998 "From the Inside Out" Linda Davis 2001 Hits Perfect Stranger 2001 A Little Bit More of Your Love Perfect Stranger 2002 Emerson Drive Emerson Drive 2002 "I Should Be Sleeping" Emerson Drive 2002 "Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)" Emerson Drive 2006 All Gone Fishin' Various Artists 2007 All Wrapped Up in Christmas Tracy Lawrence 2007 For the Love Tracy Lawrence 2007 "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" Tracy Lawrence 2007 "Til I Was a Daddy Too" Tracy Lawrence 2008 "You Can't Hide Redneck" Tracy Lawrence 2013 Redneck Crazy Tyler Farr 2013 "Whiskey in My Water" Tyler Farr 2013 "Redneck Crazy" Tyler Farr 2015 Suffer in Peace Tyler Farr 2015 "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" Tyler Farr 2016 "Our Town" Tyler Farr

Engineering/Mixing Year Album Artist Awards/Certification 1989 Beyond the Blue Neon George Strait Platinum 1989 When I Call Your Name Vince Gill CMA Award, 2× Platinum 1989 Simple Man Charlie Daniels Band Platinum 1990 Country Club Travis Tritt 2× Platinum 1990 Finest Moments Sandi Patti Gold 1990 Livin' It Up George Strait Platinum 1990 On Down the Line Patty Loveless Gold 1990 Put Yourself in My Shoes Clint Black 3× Platinum 1991 Soft Talk Shelby Lynne — 1992 Life's a Dance John Michael Montgomery 3× Platinum 1992 Seminole Wind John Anderson 2× Platinum 1992 Where Forever Begins Neal McCoy — 1993 Alibis Tracy Lawrence 2× Platinum 1993 Clay Walker Clay Walker Platinum 1993 If Only My Heart Had a Voice Kenny Rogers — 1993 Letters From a Paper Ship Billy Falcon — 1993 More Love Doug Stone Gold 1993 Out of Left Field Hank Williams Jr. — 1993 Solid Ground John Anderson Gold 1993 Tim McGraw Tim McGraw — 1993 Written in the Stars Rhonda Vincent — 1994 1994 Merle Haggard — 1994 Common Thread Songs of the Eagles Various Artists CMA Award, 3× Platinum 1994 Country 'Til I Die John Anderson — 1994 I See it Now Tracy Lawrence Platinum 1994 If I Could Make a Living Clay Walker Platinum 1994 Not a Moment Too Soon Tim McGraw 6× Platinum 1994 One Emotion Clint Black Platinum 1995 All I Want Tim McGraw 3× Platinum 1996 Greater Need Lorrie Morgan Gold 1996 Hindsight 20/20 Carlene Carter — 1996 Jo Dee Messina Jo Dee Messina Gold 1996 Paradise John Anderson — 1996 Trouble Free Rhonda Vincent — 1996 My Relations The Neville Brothers — 1997 Everywhere Tim McGraw CMA Award, 4× Platinum 1997 Evolution Martina McBride 3× Platinum 1997 Nothin' But the Taillights Clint Black Platinum 1997 Rumour Has It Clay Walker Platinum 1997 Shakin' Things Up Lorrie Morgan Gold 1997 Somebody's Comin' Terry McMillan — 1998 Burnin' the Roadhouse Down Steve Wariner Gold 1998 Faith Faith Hill 6× Platinum 1998 I'm Alright Jo Dee Messina 2× Platinum 1998 Prince of Egypt (Nashville) Various Artists Gold 1998 You and You Alone Randy Travis — 1999 Breathe Faith Hill Grammy Award, 8× Platinum 1999 How Do You Like Me Now? Toby Keith Platinum 1999 Man Ain't Made of Stone Randy Travis — 1999 Tight Rope Brooks & Dunn Gold 1999 D'Lectrified Clint Black Gold 1999 A Place in the Sun Tim McGraw CMA Award, 3× Platinum 2000 Burn Jo Dee Messina Platinum 2000 Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Faith Hill — 2000 Hard Rain Don't Last Darryl Worley — 2000 Judds Reunion Live The Judds — 2000 New Day Dawning Wynonna Judd — 2000 Songs from Dawson's Creek Television Soundtrack — 2001 Set This Circus Down Tim McGraw 3× Platinum 2001 Ten Rounds Tracy Byrd — 2001 Thunder and Roses Pam Tillis — 2001 Who I Am Jessica Andrews Gold 2002 Can You Hear Me Now Sawyer Brown — 2002 Cry Faith Hill 2× Platinum 2002 I Miss My Friend Darryl Worley — 2002 Tim McGraw & The Dancehall Drs. Tim McGraw 3× Platinum 2002 Unleashed Toby Keith 4× Platinum 2003 Have You Forgotten? Darryl Worley Gold 2003 Jimmy Wayne Jimmy Wayne — 2003 Willie Nelson & Friends Live Willie Nelson — 2003 Shockin' Y'All Toby Keith 4× Platinum 2004 Greatest Hits Lee Ann Womack — 2004 It Will Always Be Willie Nelson — 2004 Letters From Home John Michael Montgomery — 2004 Live Like You Were Dying Tim McGraw CMA Award, 4× Platinum 2004 Strong Tracy Lawrence — 2004 You Do Your Thing Montgomery Gentry Platinum 2005 Chicago Wind Merle Haggard — 2005 Fireflies Faith Hill 2× Platinum 2005 III Joe Nichols Gold 2005 Honkytonk University Toby Keith Platinum 2005 There's More Where That Came From Lee Ann Womack CMA Award, Gold 2006 Broken Bridges Movie Soundtrack — 2006 Enjoy the Ride Sugarland 2× Platinum 2006 Men & Mascara Julie Roberts — 2006 If You're Going Through Hell Rodney Atkins Platinum 2007 Greatest Hits Clay Walker Gold 2007 Let It Go Tim McGraw Platinum 2007 Unglamorous Lori McKenna — 2008 Kellie Pickler Kellie Pickler — 2008 Love on the Inside Sugarland 2× Platinum 2008 Let Me Be Your Side Track: The Influence of Jimmy Rogers Various Artists — 2008 Let It Go / Set This Circus Down (Compilation) Tim McGraw — 2008 Kellie Pickler Kellie Pickler — 2008 I'm Alright / Jo Dee Messina (Compilation) Jo Dee Messina — 2008 Goddess Shawna Russell — 2008 Christmas & Hits Duos Toby Keith — 2008 All I Want / Not Moment Too Soon Tim McGraw — 2009 The Man I Want to Be Chris Young — 2009 Southern Voice Tim McGraw — 2009 Gold and Green Sugarland — 2009 Bigger Hands John Anderson — 2010 Cowboy's Back in Town Trace Adkins — 2010 Country Strong (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Patty Loveless... — 2010 Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn and Various Artists — 2010 Classics Jon Secada — 2011 Wildflower Lauren Alaina — 2011 Town Line Aaron Lewis — 2011 Remember Me, Vol. 1 Willie Nelson — 2011 Proud to Be Here Trace Adkins — 2011 Neon Chris Young Gold 2011 Looking for America Mark Wills — 2011 It's About Time / Ten Rounds (Compilation) Tracy Byrd — 2012 Seminole Wind/ Solid Ground (Compilation) John Anderson — 2012 New to This Town Kix Brooks — 2012 Emotional Traffic Tim McGraw — 2012 Casey James Casey James — 2012 5 Classic Albums George Strait — 2012 Two Lanes of Freedom Tim McGraw — 2013 Sowin' Love/ Heroes Paul Overstreet — 2013 Off the Beaten Path Justin Moore — 2013 Love Will... Trace Adkins — 2013 Headlights, Taillights, and Radios Tracy Lawrence — 2013 Cut to Impress Maggie Rose — 2013 Bring You Back Brett Eldredge Gold 2013 A.M. Chris Young — 2014 The Hard Way/ No Time to Kill (Compilation) Clint Back — 2014 Sundown Heaven Town Tim McGraw — 2014 Southbound The Doobie Brothers — 2014 Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe Various Artists — 2014 4 Album Collection Tim McGraw — 2015 On Purpose Clint Black — 2015 Love Somebody Reba McEntire — 2015 Damn Country Music Tim McGraw — 2015 Buy Me a Boat Chris Janson — 2016 Turnin Up a Sundown Tristan Horncastle — 2016 Kinda Don't Care Justin Moore — 2016 Deep Tracks Faith Hill — 2016 A Whole Lot More to Me Craig Morgan — 2016 All Over the Map Steve Wariner (Feat. Duane Eddy, Eric Johnson, Ricky Skaggs...) —