Michael Shipley (7 October 1956 – 25 July 2013) was an Australian mixing engineer, audio engineer, and record producer. He mostly worked in Los Angeles during his career of more than 30 years. At the Grammy Awards of 2012 he won the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for working on Paper Airplane (April 2011) by Alison Krauss and Union Station. Shipley died in July 2013, aged 56, of an apparent suicide.

Career

Michael Shipley was born on 7 October 1956, in Sydney. As a teenager he moved with his family to London. He became interested in a recording career while at school in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Note: to access further information, user may have to click on a tab, e.g 'Credits' or 'Awards' He later recalled, "One of my teachers at grammar school there was a musician who asked me to come down and sing on a record he was making. I walked into this thing called the recording studio, and it just blew my mind. It was, 'This is home,' and I knew instantly and from that point on that all I wanted to do was to work there."

Shipley returned to Australia and completed secondary education at Camberwell Grammar School (class of '74) in Melbourne. He then went back to London, where he started as an assistant at Wessex Sound Studios and worked with the Sex Pistols and Queen. His first engineering sessions were during the punk rock explosion of the late 1970s and early 1980s and included recordings with the Damned. He worked alongside Robert John "Mutt" Lange for decades. Shipley's contemporaries at Wessex include producers Roy Thomas Baker and Chris Thomas, and engineers Tim Friese-Greene and Bill Price. Shipley also produced Def Leppard albums, High 'n' Dry (July 1981), Pyromania (January 1983), Hysteria (August 1987) and Adrenalize (March 1992).

Asked to work with the Cars, Shipley moved to Los Angeles in 1984. He then went to Hawaii for a sabbatical, but returned to Los Angeles to work for Def Leppard, Shania Twain, The Corrs, Anberlin, Aerosmith, Maroon 5, Faith Hill, India.Arie, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Nickelback, and Alison Krauss.

Death

Shipley died on 25 July 2013. The cause of death, as stated on 9 August 2013 at the memorial service, was an apparent suicide.

Discography Recorded work credited to Shipley:

1970s

Year Artist Title Contribution1978Hawklords25 Years On Engineer1979MatchboxMatchbox Engineer1979The DamnedMachine Gun Etiquette Engineer

1980s

Year Artist Title Contribution1980Planet 10Night Engineer1980NightLong Distance Engineer1980City BoyHeads Are Rolling Engineer, audio engineer1980Desmond DekkerBlack and Dekker Engineer1981City BoyIt's Personal Engineer1981Def LeppardHigh 'n' Dry Engineer1982Sniff 'n' the TearsRide Blue Divide Producer, engineer, mixing engineer1982A Flock of SeagullsA Flock of Seagulls Engineer1983Q-FeelQ-Feel Engineer1983Def LeppardPyromania Engineer1983Diamond HeadCanterbury Producer, engineer, audio engineer1984Thomas DolbyThe Flat Earth Mixing engineer1984DevoShout Mixing engineer1984BerlinLove Life Mixing engineer1984The CarsHeartbeat City Mixing engineer1985Prefab SproutSteve McQueen Audio engineer, mixing engineer1985Joni MitchellDog Eat Dog Producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer1985Kim CarnesBarking at Airplanes Mixing engineer1986Benjamin OrrThe Lace Producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer1986Lone JusticeShelter Mixing engineer1986BerlinCount Three & Pray Mixing engineer1987Alison MoyetRaindancing Mixing engineer, associate producer1987Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersLet Me Up (I've Had Enough) Mixing engineer1987Def LeppardHysteria Mixing engineer1988ScorpionsSavage Amusement Mixing engineer1988Prefab SproutFrom Langley Park to Memphis Mixing engineer1988Joni MitchellChalk Mark in a Rain Storm Audio engineer, mixing engineer1989StrangewaysWalk in the Fire Mixing engineer

1990s Year Artist Title1990VixenRev It Up1990RattDetonator1990Cheap TrickBusted1991YesUnion1991Joni MitchellNight Ride Home1992Shawn ColvinFat City1992Def LeppardAdrenalize1993WingerPull1993HeartDesire Walks On1994Richard MarxPaid Vacation1995John WaiteTemple Bar1995Meat LoafWelcome to the Neighbourhood1995Rodney CrowellJewel of the South1996X JapanDahlia1997Down by LawLast of the Sharpshooters1997GusterGoldfly1997Shania TwainCome On Over1997WhitesnakeRestless Heart1998Kevin SharpLove Is1999David MeadThe Luxury of Time1999Chris BottiSlowing Down the World1999RattRatt1999BlondieNo Exit1999SplenderHalfway Down the Sky1999Enrique IglesiasEnrique1999Kip WingerDown Incognito1999Faith HillBreathe1999Jimmy BarnesLove and Fear

2000s Year Artist Title2000Catherine WheelWishville2000Green DayWarning2000Ronan KeatingRonan2000The CorrsIn Blue2000Alecia ElliottI'm Diggin' It2000HokuHoku2000PoeHaunted2000Evan and JaronEvan and Jaron2001Jessica AndrewsWho I Am2001Tim McGrawSet This Circus Down2001AerosmithJust Push Play2001Andrew W.K.I Get Wet2001The Go-Go'sGod Bless The Go-Go's2001Trace AdkinsChrome2001India ArieAcoustic Soul2001Breaking PointComing of Age2002Shania TwainUp!2002SplenderTo Whom It May Concern2002Tim McGrawTim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors2002Dana GloverTestimony2002Maroon 5Songs About Jane2002Shannon McNallyJukebox Sparrows2002TaxirideGarage Mahal2002Laura PausiniFrom the Inside2002Lisa LoebCake and Pie2002Phil VassarAmerican Child2003MarcelYou, Me and the Windshield2003Boyd TinsleyTrue Reflections2003Kelly ClarksonThankful2003Terri ClarkPain to Kill2003Jessica AndrewsNow2003GusterKeep It Together2003The FormatInterventions + Lullabies2003Rodney AtkinsHonesty2003Barenaked LadiesEverything to Everyone2003Josh GrobanCloser2004Pat McGee BandSave Me2005Jack's MannequinEverything in Transit2005BaumerCome On, Feel It2005NickelbackAll the Right Reasons2006Rock Star SupernovaRock Star Supernova2006DamoneOut Here All Night2006Rock Kills KidAre You Nervous?2006Clay AikenA Thousand Different Ways2007The Click FiveModern Minds and Pastimes2007LillixInside the Hollow2007AnberlinCities2007FuelAngels & Devils2007Motel172008Blessed by a Broken HeartPedal to the Metal2008CandleboxInto the Sun2008NickelbackDark Horse2009Thirty Seconds to MarsThis Is War2009Papa RoachMetamorphosis

2010s Year Artist Title2010Maroon 5Hands All Over2010Planet of the StereosHow To Make A Telescope2010Sing It LoudEverything Collide2011Runner RunnerRunner Runner2011Alison Krauss and Union StationPaper Airplane2011Thomas DolbyA Map of the Floating City201212 StonesBeneath the Scars2013Keith UrbanFuse

References

External links

An Evening with Mike Shipley