STEVE SYKES

Originally from Philadelphia, the son of a jazz booking agent, Steve started his career as a session guitarist.  He was member of various bands with such greats at Stanley Clarke and John Oates, to name a few. As a teenager, his blues band “Sweet Stavin’ Chain” were signed to Cotillion Records – a newly formed division of Atlantic Records.  They were one of the hottest local Philadelphia bands at the time and played up and down the east coast at venues such as the legendary Electric Factory in Philadelphia and Fillmore East in New York.  The band opened for the likes of Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, Jimi Hendrix and The Who.  They recorded their self-titled debut album for Cotillion in 1968 at Atlantic Studios in New York.

In 1970, he moved to Colorado, did jingle work, and continued playing live with a band that included Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn, who went on to become part of “Earth Wind & Fire”.  After a stint of sessions at the legendary Caribou Ranch Studios, he headed out west to L.A.

Within a year he was one of the top session players working on albums for Dusty Springfield, Nick Gilder, Manfred Mann, Bernie Taupin, producer Phil Spector and even a stint as a player for the TV soap “Days of Our Lives”.  Steve credits producer Mike Chapman (Blondie, The Knack, Suzie Quatro, Lita Ford etc.) for sparking his interest in what was going on, on the other side of the glass, in the control room. Mike was only too happy to encourage Steve’s budding engineering talents.  After a year or so of wearing both hats as engineer and session player, Steve took the plunge and became a full-time engineer and mixer working with The Isley Brothers, Angela Winbush, Stanley Clarke and Brenda Russell.  He mixed various movies and TV including a couple of seasons of “Miami Vice”.

More recently, Steve has recorded and/or mixed for such diverse artists asDavid Benoit, DJ Cassidy, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Keiko Matsui, David Garfield and John JR Robinson.

“My approach to engineering and mixing is that it is truly an art form of creating spaces and environments. I’m always trying to present the song in the most complimentary sound stage. – the song I’m working on always dictates how I approach my work on it.”