Mack Emerman, Founder of Criteria Recording Studios, Dies at 89

[al mcguire]

Mack Emerman, a jazz lover whose hobby recording bands at nightclubs led him to found Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, where dozens of celebrated pop and rock records were made, died on May 17 in Miami Beach. He was 89.

The cause was pneumonia, his daughter Bebe said.

Some of the most well-known albums of the 1970s were recorded at Criteria, either entirely or in part, among them “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” by Eric Clapton’s band Derek and the Dominos, “Eat a Peach” by the Allman Brothers, “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac and the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever,” featuring the Bee Gees.

Criteria was a quixotic enterprise when it opened in 1958; most recording studios were in New York and Los Angeles at the time. But as Criteria established a reputation for up-to-date technology and quality engineering, it became a recording option for musicians on tour and those on the East Coast who simply preferred warm weather.

By 1965 the studio had its first gold record, James Brown’s funky hit

Emerman went on to build a second studio capacious enough to accommodate a big band or even an orchestra; early on, it was used to record music for “The Jackie Gleason Show.” More state-of-the-art studios were added in the 1970s.

A key to Criteria’s success was Mr. Emerman’s friendship with Tom Dowd, a producer and engineer for Atlantic Records. In addition to “Layla” and “Eat a Peach,” recordings made at Criteria in the 1970s for Atlantic and its affiliated labels included 

Mr. Clapton’s “461 Ocean Boulevard.”

Hired by other labels, Criteria was also used by the Count Basie Orchestra, Jimmy Buffett, Wilson Pickett, KC and the Sunshine Band, Abba, Aerosmith, Delaney and Bonnie, John Cougar Mellencamp, the Eagles, and Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

For a time Criteria became a Miami oasis for celebrity rockers.

“Between 1967 and 1975 you couldn’t get into Criteria with a shoehorn,” Mr. Dowd, who died in 2002, said in a 1998 interview with Miami New Times. Mr. Dowd said he called the studio one day to arrange a half-hour of remixing and was told that every room was booked, but he went in anyway.

“When I drove up,” he said, “there was Crosby, Stills and Nash and their crew, the Bee Gees, Bob Seger and his band, and they’re all playing half-court basketball” in the studio parking lot.

Maxwell Louis Emerman was born on Oct. 14, 1923, in Erie, Pa., where his father, Harvey, owned small businesses. Young Mack went to Duke University, where he played trumpet in the Duke Ambassadors, a big band. As a skinny young man he gorged on bananas and peanut butter to gain weight so he would qualify for the armed forces, his daughter Bebe said. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II.

Mr. Emerman was living in Florida in the early 1950s making deliveries for a candy company his father ran and, at night, recording music at clubs, using the same station wagon to haul around his equipment. He briefly had his own label, taping local bands in clubs and occasionally in his own living room, before scraping together the money to buy his first studio.

Mr. Emerman was married and divorced twice. In addition to his daughter Bebe, he is survived by another daughter, Julie Goldman; two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

After living a high-income rock ’n’ roll life in the 1970s, Mr. Emerman saw his fortunes decline precipitously. The record business as a whole winnowed during the 1980s, and, as Bebe Emerman acknowledged, he made a number of missteps. “My father was a gear head, a tech guy and not a good businessman at all,” she said.

He sold Criteria in the late 1980s (it is now owned by the Hit Factory) and, after being treated for a number of ailments, worked for a while at a recording studio in the Miami area run by two former protégés.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/arts/music/mack-emerman-recording-studio-founder-dies-at-89.html?hpw

[Jeff Wexler]

Wow, Mack's Criteria Studio has had an amazing history! Sorry to hear he's gone. Great picture with the console (I'm sure Al McGuire probably knows what it is...  I don't).

[old school]

I read his Obit this morning. One of the originals, He took a lot of knowledge and war stories to the grave. RIP Mr Emerman.

CrewC

[al mcguire]

MCI 500 Series built up the road in Ft Lauderdale by Jeep Harned

MCI started as a Stereo and Record Store that started building custom consoles  and grew with multi track audio recording industry.

Eventually MCI was bought by Sony.

MCI = Music Center Incorporated though we thought it mean Munchy, Crunchy and Intermittent.

here is the wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Center_Incorporated

 

Mac was avery sweet man who always had time for youngsters showing up wanting to see the studio's.

[al mcguire]

From Gear Slutz _ Incomplete list Gold Records Recorded at Criteria Miami

 

Gold Singles

Bee Gees - Tragedy *
Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven *
Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love
Bee Gees - Jive Talkin
Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing *
Bee Gees - Love So Right *
Bee Gees - Staying Alive *
Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever *
Eagles - One Of These Nights 
Eagles - Lyin Eyes 
Eagles - New Kid In Town
Eagles - Hotel California
Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff
Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love
Andy Gibb - I Just Want To Be Your Every Thing
Andy Gibb - Lover is ( Thicker Than Water )
Andy Gibb - An Everlasting Love
Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing
Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain way
Samantha Sang - Emotion
Andy Gibb - Our Love (Don’t Throw It All Away)
Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band
Rod Stewart - Do You Think I’m Sexy *
Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville 

Gold Albums

Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever *
Bee Gees - Children Of The World *
Bee Gees - Here At Last – Bee Gees Live *
Bee Gees - Main Course *
Andy Gibb - Flowing Rivers *
Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing *
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard *
Eric Clapton - History Of Eric Clapton
Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band 
Eagles - One Of These Nights *
Eagles - Greatest Hits *
Eagles - Hotel California *
Joe Walsh The Smoker - You Drink The Player You Get 
Average White Band - AWB
Average White Band - Cut The Cake
Marshall Tucker Band - Together Forever
Soundtrack - Grease *
Crosby, Stills, Nash - CSN
Stills, Young Band - Long May You Run

[mastermixaudiomedia]

That was one of the early "it" studios for me... RIP.

 

Nice site about MCI history

 

And a pic from that site of Mr. Emerman and Lutz Meyer:

 

[Scott Smith]

Man, this is the week for sad news...

 

Had the opportunity to work with Mack on a few projects back in the Seventies, when I was still involved with as my day job. Very talented mixer, and extremely knowlegable (sadly, his talents didn't include business management though). Not many like him that had the same sole-minded dedication to making great records, and was willing to share the knowledge.

 

RIP Mack.

 

--Scott