(left to right): Edgar Winter, Ross Hogarth, and Steve Lukather.
Ross Hogarth is a multi-Grammy winning producer/mixer/engineer whose credits include Keb’ Mo, Rita Coolidge, Van Halen, James McMurtry, Sick Puppies, John Mellencamp and many more. Ross produced, recorded, and mixed Edgar Winter’s Brother Johnny, a musical tribute to Edgar’s older brother Johnny Winter, one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists and pioneers in rock & roll history. The album was released in April 2022.
“Brother Johnny was three years in the making” Ross says, “and was a labor of love for Edgar and everyone involved. We cut the basic tracks at Capitol Records’ Studio B, with Gregg Bissonette on drums for most of the record and Ringo Starr on drums for one of the tracks. Most of the overdubs were done at Infinite Spin Recording in Van Nuys, and a string quartet was recorded at East West Studios in Hollywood. I mixed the record at my studio, Boogie Motel, in Woodland Hills. Throughout the entire album, all of my Royer ribbon mics were up on almost everything we recorded.”
“Johnny Winter was a legendary guitarist, and this album is a bucket list of great guitar players honoring him,” Hogarth reports. “Joe Bonamassa, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Derek Trucks, Keb’ Mo, Steve Lukather, Warren Haynes, David Grissom, among many others. This is an emotional record because it relates to the lifetime and death of a brother. All these players came to show their respect and love for Edger and Johnny.”
Asked about why he leans on ribbon microphones so much, Ross said “I’m not trying to do anything more complicated than to record music and convey the emotion and intention of the artist. Some mics sound very dry and unemotional, and they have their place. But when I put my Royers up, what I capture is richer, deeper, and somehow more emotionally connected, friendly and warm. That’s what I go for, a natural, honest sound. My ultimate goal is to deliver emotion through two speakers.”
Regarding his relationship with Royer Labs, dating back to 1998, Ross said “In many ways, I think of myself as a partner with Royer. I’ve been working closely with John Jennings and Rick Perrotta since the early days of the company, testing new products, giving feedback, and inviting them to my sessions to see their designs in action. John always sends me prototype products to get my opinion. They respect the people who use their products and they want educated opinions on how their designs work in real-world settings before anything is released. We go back a long way, and that enables us to be truthful with each other. I feel like we’re a team and that the relationship keeps growing. Ultimately, that enables me to express myself to the best of my ability sonically in the studio. Royer ribbons will remain a constant on every session I ever record.”
To learn more about Ross Hogarth, visit hoaxproductions.com/.
