George Marino — 1947-2012

Congratulations to George Marino on winning a Grammy for mastering the 2011 Album of the Year “Suburbs” by Arcade Fire!

Looking through George Marino’s discography, it is no surprise that he was a legend in the mastering business. As a young man in the early 70s, he began a streak of iconic albums.

George joined Sterling Sound in the summer of 1973. Here he worked on many of the industry’s most influential albums.  These include recent Billboard chart toppers like Coldplay’s “Parachutes”, Bon Jovi’s “Lost Highway”,  and The Offspring’s “Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace.” George also worked on Three Doors Down’s eponymous release and Arctic Monkey’s “Favourite Worst Nightmare.” He worked on Billboard classics including Journey’s “Frontiers”, Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual”, eponymous releases by both Kiss and The Cars, Motley Crue’s “Dr. Feelgood” and Guns N’ Roses “Appetite for Destruction”.

George started as a musician playing rock n’ roll guitar in New York City bands. His first job in the industry was as a librarian and assistant at Capitol Studios in 1967. He then apprenticed in the mastering department, helping cut rock, pop, jazz and classical albums. When Capitol shut down its New York studio, and before heading to Sterling Sound, George joined the fledgling Record Plant, eventually becoming a partner in the recording-mastering studio. There he quickly established his reputation with projects such as Don McLean’s “American Pie” and classic albums by the Allman Brothers Band and Stevie Wonder.

As is clear in his discography, George has always been sought out for his versatility and dead-on instincts on how music should sound.