Ken Rich

Ken Rich (born 1967) is an American recording studio owner, producer, engineer, composer and musician. Rich has worked with artists such as Tracy Bonham, Angus & Julia Stone, Big Yuki, Ingrid Michaelson, Dar Williams, Joseph Arthur, Morley, Valerie June, Sophie B. Hawkins, Toshi Reagon, Lizz Wright, Brian Blade, and Cory Henry. In 2008, he received the Ovation Award for Intimate Theater and the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Sound Design.

Early life and education Rich was born in Seattle, Washington, United States and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he began playing violin at age five. He took up tuba at nine and electric bass at fifteen, the instrument that would define his professional career. At Oberlin College, where he majored in philosophy and minored in religion, he played in the big band jazz ensemble under Wendell Logan and later Donald Byrd, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989.

Career After college, Rich returned to Boston, where he studied with Bruce Bartlett and Ed Friedland and played gigs with Bob Moses, Peter Calo, Stan Strickland, and Myanna, among others.

He moved to New York City in late 1990 and quickly established himself in the session and live music scene, playing regular blues gigs at Mondo Cane and Mondo Perso as well as with rock bands Blue Leaves (1994), Pull My Daisy (1995), Julia Darling and Miami Relatives (2001), performing regularly at CBGB, The Mercury Lounge, Arlene's Grocery, and The Bitter End. Rich served as bassist and musical director of Babatunde Olatunji's New York-based band from 1994 until Olatunji's death in 2004.

His early session work in NYC included David Byrne's "It Goes Back," "Offbeat: a Red Hot Soundtrip," Shabba Ranks' Grammy Award-winning album X-tra Naked (1993), and Laurie Anderson's "In Our Sleep" with Lou Reed. Those sessions inspired Rich to build a home recording studio in his Upper East Side railroad apartment, where he began composing for the NBA, WNBA, HBO, and VH1, while producing independent artists.

In 1998 he moved to the East Village, and in 2001 to Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, where he produced Joseph Arthur’s album Our Shadows Will Remain— voted Entertainment Weekly'''s Album of the Year and Chris Rubin's (Rolling Stone) number one album of 2004. He also co-produced Arthur's "You're so True,"which appeared on the Shrek 2 soundtrack. During this period Rich also produced Tracy Bonham's "Blink The Brightest"(Zoe Records), Rene Lopez's "One Man's Year", and Morley's "Days Like These" (Universal France), and co-produced and recorded Julia Darling's self-titled album.

In 2004, Rich moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in 2006 opened Grand Street Recording.

Awards Rich's score and sound design for Alex Lyras's play The Common Air received three honors in 2008: a Back Stage Garland Awards nomination, the Ovation Award for Intimate Theater, 2024 Merrick Brannigan The Breeze|producer, engineer, mixing 2024 Roderick Hohl Back Home|engineer 2024 Jamie McLean Band One Step Forward|engineer, mixing 2024 Gregg Belisle-Chi Hum|engineer, mixing, mastering 2024 Chris Cheek Live in Hamburg|mixing 2024 Valerie June Friendship (Feat. Carla Thomas)|engineer 2024 Valerie June Gifts, Presents, and Treats|engineer, mixing 2024 Theo Kandel Honeydew Moon|engineer 2023 Allison Miller River In Our Veins|engineer 2023 The Bruces & Friends Story of the Sky|mixing, mastering 2023 The Healers The Healers (ft. Peter Hutchison) engineer, mixing 2023 Weird Fiction Cracking Up engineer, mixing 2023 Alec Berlin Space Punk & Other Junk|engineer 2023 Luca Benedetti Ride Awhile|engineer, mixing 2023 Jared Saltiel Dream Song|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2023 Aarons Finland & Rose Introducing|engineer, mixing 2023 Towne & Stevens Towne & Stevens|engineer, bass 2023 Sophie B. Hawkins Free Myself|producer, bass, engineer, mixing 2022 Joy Askew Everything is Different|engineer, mixing 2022 John Putnam Homegrown|mixing, mastering 2022 Harvey Mandel Who's Calling|engineer 2022 The Pine Cats Bedouin Breakfast|engineer, mixing, mastering 2022 Zoar Winter Wind|bass 2021 Loudboy The Late Heavy Bombardment|producer, engineer, mixing, programming, celeste, Marxophone 2021 C. Gibbs Tales From the Terramar|engineer, mixing 2021 Jenny Marie McAdams 2021 Heartache, I'm Fine|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2021 Chris Eminizer Dialogues and Distant Signals|mixing 2021 Eric Finland Organ Quartet The Trick Bag|engineer 2020 Morley Thousand Miles|producer, engineer, mixing 2020 Morley Borderless Lullabies|engineer, mixing 2020 C. Gibbs Armageddon|engineer, mixing, tambourine 2019 Rene Lopez Johnny Wants to Be a Matador|engineer, mixing 2019 Deborah Berg New Road Home|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2019 Chad Yarborough Whistle in the Mast producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2019 C. Gibbs Ladybird|mixing, shaker, tambourine 2018 Ingrid Michaelson Songs for the Season|engineer 2018 A Great Big World Younger|engineer 2018 Amanda Brown Dirty Water|producer, engineer, mixing 2018 Toshi Reagon "Let Me Remember" engineer 2018 Chad Yarborough & The Unloveable Monsters Wild Heart producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2018 Greg Wieczorek Telescope mixing 2018 Jared Saltiel Out Of Clay|engineer, mixing 2018 Jared Saltiel One More Revelation|engineer, mixing 2018 C. Gibbs He Arrived By Helicopter|mixing 2017 Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout Boog at Sunny's|engineer, mixing 2017 BigYuki Reaching for Chiron|engineer, mixing 2017 Julia Darling The Great White|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2017 Joy Askew Queen Victoria|engineer, mixing 2017 Joe Brack A Good Life|engineer, mixing 2016 Ingrid Michaelson It Doesn't Have to Make Sense|engineer 2016 Bill Sims Jr. Bill on Bob|producer, engineer, mixing 2016 Jonatha Brooke Love is a Battlefield|engineer, mixing 2016 Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart's Cowboy Classics Sampler|engineer, mixing 2015 Marcus Miller Afrodeezia|engineer 2015 Chad Yarborough & The Unloveable Monsters My Best Goodbyes producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2015 Shareef Clayton North & South|engineer, mixing 2015 Sunny Ozell Take It With Me|engineer, mixing 2015 C. Gibbs Sings Motherwell Johnston|engineer, mixing 2014 Noe Venable Cascadia|engineer, mixing 2014 Ingrid Michaelson Lights Out|engineer 2014 Angus & Julia Stone Angus & Julia Stone|engineer 2014 Mike Doughty Live at Ken's House|engineer 2014 Secret Someones Secret Someones|engineer 2014 Brady Rymer Just Say Hi!|engineer 2014 Rene Lopez Love Has No Mercy|engineer, mixing 2014 Rene Lopez Paint the Moon Gold|engineer, mixing 2014 Thompson Family|engineer 2013 Allison Miller's Boom Tick Boom No Morphine No Lilies|engineer 2013 Chad Yarborough & The Unloveable Monsters Science Fiction Love Songs producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2013 Chad Yarborough & The Unloveable Monsters Chad Yarborough & The Unloveable Monsters producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2013 Jared Saltiel The Light Within|engineer, mixing 2013 C. Gibbs Sleep the Machines|engineer 2012 Jonah Smith Little Known Cure|engineer 2012 John Putnam The Way I See It|engineer, mixing 2012 Deborah Berg No Rush|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2012 Morley Yoga Release|engineer, mixing, mastering 2012 Morley Undivided|engineer, mixing 2012 Morley Sea of Oms|mixing, mastering 2011 The Compulsions Beat The Devil|producer, engineer, mixing 2011 Julia Darling Everything That Has Happened SInce Then|producer, engineer, mixing 2011 David Mead Dudes|engineer, mixing 2011 Emilie Cardinaux Slow Down|mixing 2011 The Madison Square Gardeners Teeth of Champions|engineer 2011 Keith Paine Speakeasy engineer, mixing 2011 C. Gibbs Medicine Bag|engineer, mixing 2011 Mike Errico Wander Away|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2010 Lucinda Black Bear Knives|mixing 2010 Tracy Bonham Masts of Manhatta|engineer, tuba 2010 Dave Eggar Kingston Morning|engineer, mixing 2010 The Droves Out of Herself|engineer 2010 Teddy Goldstein Alright Is the New Fantastic|producer, engineer, mixing, mastering, bass, drum programming, keyboards, Melotron 2009 The Compulsions Been Through Hell|producer, engineer, mixing 2009 Matt Beck Anything Which Gives You Pleasure|engineer, mixing 2009 Daru Oda We Can Start Raging|producer, engineer, mixing 2008 The Compulsions Demon Love|producer, engineer, mixing 2008 Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout The Knickerbocker 7"|engineer, mixing 2008 Ani DiFranco Red Letter Year|engineer 2008 Morley Seen|producer, engineer, mixing 2008 Teddy Goldstein Backseat|producer, engineer, mixing 2008 The Gutter Twins Saturnalia|engineer 2008 Brady Rymer That Friday Feeling|producer, engineer, mixing 2007 Noe Venable The Summer Storm Journals|engineer, mixing 2007 Lucinda Black Bear Capo My Heart and Other Bear Songs|engineer, mixing, percussion 2007 William Hart Strecker Smoke + Clouds|producer, engineer, mixing, baritone guitar, percussion, bass 2007 Greg Tannen Rocket|engineer, mixing 2007 James Katz Into The Bright White Light|bass 2006 Brooklyn Boogaloo Blowout Who Burnt the Bacon?|engineer, mixing 2005 Tracy Bonham Blink the Brightest|producer, engineer 2005 Morley Days Like These|producer, engineer, mixing, Fender, Rhodes, Glockenspiel, shaker, drum programming 2005 Rene Lopez One Man's Year|producer, engineer, mixing, vibraphone, programming, bass, moogbass 2004 John McDowell Speaking the Mama Tongue|bass 2004 The Compulsions Laughter From Below|producer, engineer, mixing 2004 William Hart Strecker All This Dreaming|producer, engineer, bass 2004 Miami Relatives EP|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 2004 Joseph Arthur Our Shadows Will Remain|producer, engineer, mixing 2004 Joseph Arthur And the Thieves Are Gone|producer, engineer 2003 Julia Darling Julia Darling|producer, engineer, guitar (12 string), percussion, programming, string arrangement 2003 Jake Stigers Comin Back Again|bass 2002 Miami Relatives Miami Relatives|producer, engineer, mixing, bass 1999 Vince Converse One Step Ahead|composer, bass 1999 Dean Friedman Songs for Grownups|bass, engineer 1998 Ivy Markaity Silhouette|producer, keyboards, drum programming, bass 1998 Ivy Markaity World's Not Big Enough|bass 1998 Larry Coryell "Deck The Halls," A Jazz Christmas|producer, mastering 1996 David Byrne "It Goes Back," Offbeat - A Red Hot Sound Trip|bass 1995 Laurie Anderson In Our Sleep|bass 1993 Shabba Ranks X-Tra Naked|bass Grammy winner, Best Reggae Album, 1993 1991 Myanna Myanna'' bass Film, Television & Podcasts

Theater