The Albert Brothers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron and Howard Albert, known as the Albert Brothers, are an American record production duo best known for their work in audio engineering and as record producers, working first at Criteria Studios, and later Audio Vision Studios, both in Miami, Florida. Their immense and respected body of work spanning nearly seven decades includes influential albums such as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos, Eat a Peach and Idlewild South by The Allman Brothers Band, Young, Gifted and Black by Aretha Franklin, The History of Eric Clapton by Eric Clapton, Manassas, and numerous works with Crosby Stills and Nash such as CSN, Stephen Stills 2. Ron's first RIAA certified gold record was Brook Benton's Rainy Night In Georgia in 1969 and Howard's first RIAA certified gold record was Jackie Moore's "Precious, Precious", in 1970. Howard Albert has said "I think we have 40 gold records to our name and about 30 or so platinum."[1] Their work has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide and they were inducted into the Florida Music Hall of Fame in 2013 for their lasting impact and influence on the music industry and popular culture.[1]
In 1967, with his brother Howard having been drafted to serve in the United States Army to fight in the Vietnam War, 14-year-old Ron Albert pursued a job at the only major recording studio in Miami at that time, Criteria Studios, where he was hired as a typist for the studio's tape library. A short time after Albert was hired, the studio's owner and chief engineer, Mack Emerman, became sick, and Ron Albert filled in as an engineer, eventually becoming the studio's primary engineer upon Emerman's retirement. In 1969, Ron's brother Howard was discharged from the Army and, upon returning to Miami, began working alongside his brother at Criteria Studios as an engineer in 1970.[2]
The Albert Brothers became known as "Fat Albert Productions." Along with Atlantic Records president, Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic producers Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, Atlantic co-owner Jerry Wexler, and MCI recording equipment president, Jeep Harned, the brothers helped Criteria become a heavily sought-after international recording studio, particularly during the 1970's. Eventually, the brothers became Criteria Studios business partners and were named as Co-Vice Presidents. In 1983, the brothers had planned on retiring, so they sold their shares in the company.
Then in 1987, the Albert Brothers abandoned their retirement plans and partnered with the former co-owner of TK Records, Steve Alaimo, to form two new companies: Vision Records and Audio Vision Studios. Originally intended to house long-time collaborating artists from the Criteria and TK Records days, Audio Vision Studios became a popular hub for Miami's up and coming Hip Hop, Rap, Latin Pop, and Freestyle scenes with Vision Records serving as the label for these artists.
In 2022, the Albert Brothers and Alaimo sold Audio Vision Studios after captaining the studio to over 20 gold records and 41 platinum records. [3] They subsequently licensed out their library of Vision Record masters. With hip-hop being the current most popular type of music in Miami, new technology such as digital Pro Tools is used for a majority of the music production at Audio Vision Studios today.
Now retired, Howard lives in upstate Florida while Ron resides in South Florida.
