Engineer/producer and L.A. native Bruce Botnick's illustrious list of credits is a testament to just how influential Los Angeles has been in shaping popular music in this past half-century. In a career that began in the mid-'60s, Botnick has had his hand in some of rock's finest hours, including the Pet Sounds album, the Doors 1971 masterpiece L.A. Woman, and Love's Forever Changes.

After landing a gig at L.A.'s sunset sound in 1963, Botnick found himself engineering at a time when the West Coast was exploding onto the national consciousness. During that fertile period he worked with California groups such as Buffalo Springfield, Tim Buckley, the Turtles, and the Beach Boys, as well engineering and mixing the work of Motown acts like Marvin Gaye. At the ripe old age of 22, and after having already paid his dues for several years in the L.A. studio system, Botnick got his first chance to display a creative side when he teamed up the psychedelic band Love with the sounds of Mariachi horns. The result, Forever Changes, is considered a rock masterpiece for its inventive arranging and production. A few years later in 1971, Botnick began the project that he has become most noted for, the Doors L.A. Woman. After longtime Doors producer Paul Rothchild walked away from the project in frustration, Botnick seized the chance to turn the alcohol-riddled band into a tight working unit again. Stripping away the strings that had hampered their last few efforts, Botnick helmed a stripped-down rock masterpiece that remains the band's greatest effort aside from their debut. After L.A. Woman made Botnick a credible producer, he spent the rest of the '70s and '80s behind the board for many Top 40 rock acts such as Eddie Money and Steve Perry. He has also teamed in recent years with film composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. ~ Steve Kurutz, Rovi