Rodney Mills

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Rodney Mills is an American mastering engineer in Atlanta, GA.

He has been involved in the music industry for over 40 years and has earned over 40 gold and platinum records for engineering, producing, and mastering.

[edit] Biography

A native Georgian, Rodney began his music career in 1962 playing bass for The Bushmen. During his seven years with the group, Rodney became intrigued with recording music and actively started pursuing a career as an engineer in 1967.

In 1968, Rodney became chief engineer at Lefevre Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. During his three years there, he engineered records for several local and national acts ranging from gospel, country, R&B, rock, and everything in between. Some of the artists he worked with there included Joe South, Billy Joe Royal, Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, The Meters, The Stamps Quartet, James Brown, The Winstons, Mylon LeFevre, and scores of other projects.

In 1970, Rodney was approached by Buddy Buie to build a studio for him and become the chief engineer there. He co-designed and oversaw the construction of the famous Studio One in a suburb of Atlanta, Doraville, Georgia. For the next sixteen years, Rodney worked almost exclusively in this studio on countless projects for different artists and clients.

During his tenure at Studio One, Rodney worked with numerous artists as engineer and later as producer/engineer. The list includes: B.J. Thomas, The Atlanta Rhythm Section (8 albums), Lynyrd Skynyrd (4 albums), 38 Special (7 albums), The Outlaws, Journey, Eric Martin, Helix, and countless other albums and projects.

In 1986, Rodney left Studio One to continue his career as a producer independent of any studio. Since then, he has produced records for 38 Special (2 albums), Gregg Allman (2 albums), Cruzados (2 albums), The Radiators (2 albums), The Doobie Brothers (2 albums) and several other projects. In 1989, Rodney produced Billboard Magazine's number one Adult Contemporary Song of the Year with 38 Special's "Second Chance".

In 1994, Rodney saw a need for a mastering service in Atlanta and formed "Rodney Mills' Masterhouse". This service was a natural step for Rodney to take as a result of his experience in participating in the mastering process countless times as a client with industry pioneers such as Bob Ludwig. With his previous experience working with some of the leading mastering engineers in the world, he knew he could provide a similar service in Atlanta and the south. The idea was received enthusiastically in the recording community and continues to be a major leader in the mastering field. Since then, he has mastered thousands of projects for national & regional acts including Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, The Wallflowers, Collective Soul, Kentucky Headhunters, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lil John and the Eastside Boyz, Bonecrusher, and many many more.

[edit] Awards and Recognition

1996 was a special year for Rodney, as he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The annual black tie event held at the Georgia World Congress Center honors Georgians in the music business. Along with the acceptance of this most prestigious award, he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame building in Macon, GA. among other notable inductees including Ray Charles, Lena Horne, James Brown, Bill Lowery, Buddy Buie, Little Richard, Gladys Knight, Joe South, TLC, REM and many others.

[edit] Affiliations

Rodney has also served on the Board of Governors for NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Science), and has served on several committees and panels for their Music In The Schools program. This organization is responsible for the nomination and voting of the Grammy Awards, one of the highest honors awarded for excellence in music.