Butcher Bros.

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The Butcher Bros. are an American production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of bands, including Urge Overkill, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Amy Grant, Cypress Hill, Nine Inch Nails, Dog Eat Dog and Luscious Jackson

The brothers began their music careers as teenagers, fixing speakers and rewiring amplifiers at a local drive-in movie theater. After earning a B.S. in Science from Temple University, Phil returned to Philadelphia and the brothers founded the Studio 4 recording studio. Using the name "Butcher Bros.", a reference to their father's trade, they quickly established themselves in many genres of music production. Sometimes they would work together and other times, individually.

Phil Nicolo's early credits include the Hooters, Nighthawks and Willie Nile. While working with those bands, he was also working with Kris Kross, Teddy Pendergrass and Taj Mahal. He completed mixes of Billy Joel's "River of Dreams", the Rolling Stones' "Love Is Strong", Aerosmith's "Falling In Love" and James Taylor's "A Little More Time" and co-produced and mixed Sting's "When We Danced.".

In 1989, the Butcher Bros. and Studio 4 business partner Chris Schwartz, founded Ruffhouse Records. Over the next decade, the label sold over 100 million units through Sony distribution. The label would release albums from Lauryn Hill, the Fugees, Cypress Hill, Kris Kross and Wyclef Jean and accounted for 12 of Columbia Records' 39 Grammy nominations in 1990. To accommodate a busy production schedule, the brothers renovated a warehouse in Conshohocken, PA and converted it into studios, digital editing rooms and offices. In 1993, Phil founded MasterVoice, a mastering lab.