Tom Dowd
October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002
Tom Dowd was an innovative record producer and engineer who helped develop the Atlantic Records sound thanks to hundreds of popular albums he collaborated on. A master of physics, Dowd worked on the Manhattan Project while in the Army prior to his days at Atlantic. The Manhattan Project was the code name for the development of the first atom bomb. After his time in the service, Dowd got a job in the studio at Atlantic Records where he produced or engineered albums by the likes of Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Derek & the Dominos, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, the Allman Brothers, and many many more. Dowd was far from a silent producer behind the board. He has been credited numerous times for helping develop and shape the sound of the artist into what ultimately made them famous. He was also instrumental in the growth of stereo and eight-track recording in the industry. Dowd continued to work right up until the time of his death, October 27, 2002. He died of emphysema a week after his 77th birthday.
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