Mike Stone | |
|---|---|
 Stone, 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1951 |
| Died | 2002 (aged 50–51) |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
Michael Richard Seth Stone[1] (1951 – May 2002)[2] was an English recording engineer and record producer. He worked with Queen (multiple albums), Foreigner (multiple albums), Journey (multiple albums),[3] Toby Beau, Asia (multiple albums), Whitesnake, April Wine (multiple albums), and others.[1]
Stone began his career as an assistant recording engineer at Abbey Road Studios in England. While still a teenager, Stone worked on some sessions for The Beatles' Beatles For Sale[4] (1964). Later, he became a runner at Trident Studios, then worked his way up to tape operator and assistant engineer. In 1974, Stone began a long relationship with Queen when he worked with Queen's then producer, Roy Thomas Baker, to engineer the unique vocal layering for "Bohemian Rhapsody".[5] Following Baker's departure as Queen's producer, the band hired Stone as their engineer for his expertise in over-dubbing vocals.[6] By the early eighties, Stone had produced popular top-selling albums for both Asia and Journey.[7]
Stone was scheduled to oversee the re-mastering of the Queen catalogue when he died in 2002. Queen's Brian May wrote of Stone in a eulogy: "Mike's production style of big chorus building and hitting hard, the ability to treat vocals uniquely, and find space in a recording have influenced a generation of young producers."
Stone's work productivity was limited in later years by an alcohol problem, and he died of complications from it.[7]
