Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Parker Adams.
Hi Craig Parker, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I actually have my own term for my or one’s life’s story or journey and that is, Vistahle Buel , ( Vis- tah-le ( think trolly or ollie ) Buel ( sounds like fuel ) Vistahle Buel. See! Rolls right off the tongue. Ha! I don’t think that I was originally brewed in love but I was certainly raised in it but I also grew up under the gauntlet of older siblings that like to antagonize and that creates certain dynamics as it relates to self preservation. (insert smile here) This is where the notes and the dreaming and the striving all showed up & began to set. My childhood was consumed with music and some pretty wild life experiences and dramas just by proximity. I moved to California upon completing high school and began playing in a band and would eventually drift into the art of recording and starting a recording studio business in Hollywood. Since that time which is now about 29 years ago I still make records to this day for clients but luckily I eventually learned how to manage time for me & my musical releases and that really is what my story has & is all about.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest I would say is when I am on the back burner of my Life with my music. Getting worn down because of constantly working on other people’s music to where I have nothing left for me was the main issue for a solid twenty years. I know now that all of that was a necessary part of expanding my overall skill set but it could be taxing on my spirit and eventually I had to start taking time out for me and my personal projects because I began busting from the inside out.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an independent artist – multi instrumentalist musician that organically expanded into the art of recording and producing by the authentic time tested approach of just doing. Although I am “self taught“ my incredible first hand education was literally provided by working side by side with some of the world’s most unique, successful and recognizable artists and engineers.
I am the founder of Winslow Ct Studio which has been operating in Los Angeles for the last 25 years. In that time I’ve worked on and contributed to 8 Grammy nominated projects with 2 wins either by producing or engineering in the Blues, Folk, Americana & Latin Pop genres and have also received a personal nomination for Best Engineer. I’ve also contributed to project nominations by the Blues Music Awards as well as multiple #1 records on Billboard’s Hot 100 Blues Charts.
I learned songwriting techniques by recording over 300 titles and 2 full records with the Hall of Fame songwriter, Jack Tempchin (writer of the classic Eagles hits, Peaceful Easy Feeling & Already Gone – as well as Swayin’ To The Music (Slow Dancing) for Johnny Rivers and You Belong To The City and The Smugglers Blues for Glenn Fry) and the list goes on.
I learned my initial production skills working together on many projects over several years from Hall of Fame instrumentalist, Greg Leisz who has worked with artists such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Keith Richards and so many more. Other important artist – producers that have been paramount in my production experiences were with Grammy winning artists Dave Alvin, Dweezil Zappa, Gaby Moreno and the global field recording troubadour producer Ian Brennan. And another wealth of talent to mention is the elegant and versatile British Punk Rock pioneer Mick Rossi who has also played a pivotal roll in my production and overall song writing skill set.
I learned my engineering skills by jumping in as well working side by side with multiple great legacy engineers most notably Hall of Fame and Diamond Award recipient producer engineer, Geoff Emerick known for his work with The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Supertramp, America and others like multiple Grammy winner, Mark Linnet known for his work with The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Ricky Lee Jones, Eric Clapton etc…
Another noteworthy thing to mention is that I’ve been the lead engineer for the Hall of Fame legacy artist Frank Zappa’s catalog beginning for the family back in 2010 up through to now for the Universal Music Group. Since 2010 I’ve worked on every era of Frank’s career totaling around 75 records worth of audio released so far on various box sets and if you include my work with, Dweezil and his, Zappa Plays Zappa band I’ve mixed the equivalent of over 150 records of Frank’s music to date.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a teenage mother & unknown father and was immediately placed in foster care & put up for adoption. Not long after, I scored the best parents in the world along with an older brother & sister and so from then on I basically grew up playing hockey, baseball & tennis in a rich musically diverse environment. My parents were both singers, my father in a Barbershop quartet & my mother in the Sweet Adelines Chorus and according to my mom, I started asking for a guitar beginning around the age of 2 or 3 and it ended up that the first REAL guitar showed up when I was around 5 when my parents bought a Yamaha nylon string guitar for my older brother. I was told that it was not a toy and that I was not to touch it and so… Here we are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://craigparkeradams.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craigparkeradams/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craig.p.adams
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CraigParkerAdams
- Other: https://winslowctstudio.com/
