Growing up, Tom Young's parents listened to a lot of music around the house, including a fair bit of the music of the two iconic artists he would later come to know and work with, Sinatra and Bennett. Originally a guitar player, Young got into the business of sound reinforcement, as many musicians do. He continued to play throughout college as a business major at Penn State, but he never really embraced school. All he wanted was to be involved in music, either as a player, or behind the scenes. After Penn State, he got his wish, embarking on his career in audio engineering and production. Sound engineers play a vital role in the music industry. Anyone who ever has been to a concert and was impressed with the clarity of the overall quality of the music can thank a talented engineer controlling that sound. Sound engineers, also known as audio engineers, mix, reproduce, and manipulate the equalization and electronic effects of sound, but they don't have to work strictly in music. Young has worked on system design projects worldwide and consulted on numerous sound installations. He recently consulted on a redesign of the sound system at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the St. George Theater in Staten Island, Jones Hall in Houston, and the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. He spent over 12 years as the front-of-house engineer for Frank Sinatra and for 26 years had the distinction of mixing for all live concerts and recording projects for Tony Bennett. Young even won a Grammy Award in 2002 for his work with Tony Bennett's "Playing with My Friends." Young, however, doesn't measure success by hardware; rather, it's about building relationships and having the right attitude. Never take anything for granted. Never forget where you came from. And approach each day trying to do it a little bit better.
Purpose: Hear stories and music from the "man behind the audio board" for Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra
Facilitator: Tom Young |
