{{Short description|Canadian record producer (born 1960)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Use Canadian English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Garth Richardson | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|63|2023|5|4}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | other_names = {{hlist|GGGarth||GGGarthatron}} | occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|sound engineer|composer}} | years_active = 1979–present | father = Jack Richardson | website = {{url|gggarth.com}} }}
'''Garth Richardson''' (born {{circa|1960}}),<ref name=NIMBUS>{{cite news |last=Grochowski |first=Sarah |date=May 4, 2023 |title=Vancouver's Nimbus School of Recording Arts closing |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2809805317/ |work=Vancouver Sun |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|2809805317}} |url-access=subscription |quote=One of the only schools in Vancouver where post-graduates can receive hands-on training and mentorship from recording professionals in the music industry has filed for bankruptcy. . . "It was a perfect storm of COVID-19, student visa trouble and increased property taxes that forced us to close," said Garth Richardson, 63, who co-founded the institute alongside fellow Canadian and Juno Award-winning producer Bob Ezrin, 74... For 14 years, Nimbus offered diploma programs in audio engineering, live sound mixing and recording and advanced studio production, providing students with the connections and know-how to break into the music industry.}}</ref> known professionally as '''GGGarth''', is a Canadian record producer and sound engineer. He is the son of music producer Jack Richardson.
He has worked with such musical acts as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mötley Crüe, Nickelback, Rage Against the Machine, L7, Mudvayne, Melvins, Biffy Clyro, Kittie, Shihad, 54-40, Hedley, Rise Against, and Spineshank.
He co-founded the Nimbus School of Recording Arts in Vancouver with producer Bob Ezrin and established his personal recording studio, the Farm, in Gibsons, British Columbia. He and five partners opened Fader Mountain Sound, a sound studio and rehearsal space that took over the space formerly occupied by the famed Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. Richardson also created the Bandwagon, a portable recording studio used for music therapy by patients at British Columbia Children's Hospital and other facilities in the Lower Mainland of BC that cater to teens and adults.
He has been nominated for a Grammy, a Mercury Prize, and three Juno Awards, winning the Juno Award for Producer of the Year in 1997.
==Early life== Richardson was born in Toronto and is the son of Jack Richardson, a prominent music producer who worked with notable acts including Alice Cooper, the Guess Who, and Bob Seger in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name=PROSOUND1>{{cite magazine |last=Bliss |first=Karen |date=August 2007 |title=Garth "GGGarth" Richardson |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/229514489/ |magazine=Professional Sound |volume=18 |issue=4 |page=21 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|229514489}} |url-access=subscription |quote=Born in Toronto, with two brothers and two sisters, his father Jack Richardson produced all the classic hits for the Guess Who, seminal albums for Alice Cooper, Bob Seger's Night Moves and countless others. ... He was an athletic kid — hockey, football, skiing — but lived to watch his dad make records at his studio, Nimbus 9. At George Vanier secondary School, he struggled to stay awake in class because he worked as the nighttime janitor at Nimbus 9 from 7 p.m. to midnight, and then stuck around until 5 a.m. observing. ... After attending the recording program at London, ON's Fanshawe College, he left short of the diploma to get more experience at Nimbus 9 with his dad. ... In the '80s, Richardson landed a job as Second Engineer at Phase One Studios. ... In his third year, Producer Michael Wagner (Extreme, Skid Row, White Lion) came up to do Canadian band Brighton Rock. "Michael told me he was going to bring me down to La La Land [Los Angeles] and I went, 'Great, Michael, sure, great,' and then he called me about two months later and I went down for six weeks and it turned into 12 years." ... It was the Chili Peppers which credited him in the liner notes as "GGGarthatron." When he next worked with a band called The Power Trio From Hell, he wanted to use the same name, but according to Richardson, "the bass player said it would be bad luck, so we came up with 'GGGarth' and it added up to the number seven. ... While living in L.A., he went to Montreal for six weeks to work with The Dead Brain Cells and met his first wife there. They would have two daughters together, Lauren (now 14) and Samantha (12). But straight out of a scene from Michael Moore's Sicko, Richardson was forced to return to Canada when his medical insurance kept denying coverage for Samantha, who was born with a shunt in her brain and had a stroke... "She was stable at about a year old and we moved back up here to Vancouver," he says. ... "I didn't really want to go back to Toronto. I felt that the actual record business for making records was out here. ... He also got married for the second time earlier this year to Diane Lamb.}}</ref>
From the age of five, Richardson would visit his father at his Toronto studio, Nimbus 9, and was inspired to follow in his footsteps.<ref name=SOUNDGOOD>{{cite news |last=Bouw |first=Brenda |date=January 9, 2001 |title=Garth, make me sound good |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/514008078/ |work=National Post |page=B3 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Garth remembers deciding to be in the music business at age five, while watching his father -- then a music director for an advertising firm -- produce a television commercial for Coca-Cola with 1960s pop star Bobby Curtola. "Way back then I said to myself, 'This is what I want to do.'" ... He is best known in the industry as GGGarth... Richardson also says he stuck with the lengthened name because it symbolizes his stutter — a speech problem he has had since he was a boy.}}</ref> He started working as the studio's janitor at the age of 14.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Maebe |first=Wes |date=August 2014 |title=Canadian Cred: Garth Richardson & Mike Fraser |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1553158885/ |magazine=Mix |volume=38 |issue=8 |page=58-59 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|1553158885}} |url-access=subscription |quote=At age 14, I became the janitor at Nimbus 9 Studios. I would sleep at school all day, go and clean up the pee and puke in the bathrooms, and then sit in on sessions all night long.}}</ref> At 15 years of age, he worked as a second engineer on Seger's "Night Moves", which was produced by his father.<ref name=PROSOUND3>{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Kevin |date=April 2016 |title=Music Grows Here: The Lay of the Land at the Farm Studios |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1832798986/ |magazine=Professional Sound |volume=27 |issue=2 |page= |pages=26–29 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|1832798986}} |url-access=subscription |quote=His first album credit — at age 15 — was as second engineer on Bob Seger's Night Moves.}}</ref>
Richardson was athletic as a child, participating in hockey, football, and skiing.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> He attended Georges Vanier Secondary School and would work at Nimbus 9 at night.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> He later enrolled in Fanshawe College's Music Industry Arts program but chose to leave before completing his diploma, preferring the hands-on experience at his father's studio.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> His first production credit came in 1979 with ''Ad Up'', an album by Numbers, a short-lived Toronto-based band.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goddard |first=Peter |date=January 3, 1980 |title=Numbers: Add Up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/949265511/ |work=Toronto Star |page=17 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |author-link=Peter Goddard (journalist) |quote=Produced by Garth Richardson, at Soundstage, his father Jack's recording studio...}}</ref>
==Career== ===Production work=== In the 1980s Richardson landed a job at Phase One Studios in Toronto.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> Three years in, he was invited by producer Michael Wagener to work with him in Los Angeles for six months.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> Richardson left for LA in 1984 and stayed there for 12 years.<ref name=PROSOUND1/>
Richardson was an assistant engineer on the 1987 White Lion album, ''Pride'', produced by Wagener.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> His first big break was engineering the Red Hot Chili Peppers' ''Mother's Milk'' (1989). He was credited as "GGGarthatron" on the album and initially planned to use the name for his next project with a band called the Power Trio from Hell.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> However, the band believed it would bring bad luck and instead opted for "GGGarth", a name they considered to be lucky due to its seven-letter composition.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> Richardson adopted the moniker, in reference to his stutter, and continued to use "GGGarth" as his professional credit on several subsequent projects.<ref name=SOUNDGOOD/>
He produced Rage Against the Machine's 1992 self-titled debut studio album, which earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards.<ref name=GRAMMY>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/gg-garth/10276 |title=G.G. Garth Grammy Award wins and nominations |website=grammy.com |publisher=Recording Academy |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
He mixed and produced several tracks on the Melvins' 1993 album, ''Houdini'', co-produced their 1994 release ''Stoner Witch'', and served as engineer and mixer on tracks from their 1996 album, ''Stag''. Richardson also produced the 1996 album ''Shot'' by the Jesus Lizard, and the following year, he was awarded the Juno Award for Producer of the Year for his work on the singles "Bar-X-the Rocking M" from ''Stag'' and "Mailman" from ''Shot''.<ref name=JUNO97&03>{{cite web |url=https://junoawards.ca/artist-profile/garth-richardson/ |title=Garth Richardson June Award nominations and wins |website=junoawards.ca |publisher=Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
The band L7 chose Richardson to co-produce their 1994 album, ''Hungry for Stink'', because of his work with the guitar sound on albums by Melvins and Rage Against the Machine.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gaar |first=Gillian G. |date=August 24, 1994 |title=L7 and the Rock 'n' Roll Damnation of Choice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/999999792/ |work=The Rocket |page=20-22 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=When it was time for the band to work on their next record, they chose Garth Richardson as co-producer, due to his work with the Melvins and Rage Against the Machine, in particular his handling bands' heavy guitar sound.}}</ref> He mixed the Tommy Lee single "Planet Boom" from the Mötley Crüe EP ''Quaternary'' (1994) as well as the acoustic version of Nickelback's "Leader of Men", which was appeared on their 1998 album, ''The State''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Taylor |first=Chuck |date=April 1, 2000 |title=Nickelback: Leader of Men |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/227109676/ |magazine=Billboard |volume=112 |issue=14 |page=24 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|227109676}} |url-access=subscription |quote=The Vancouver quartet Nickelback proffers the decidedly Johnny-come-lately single "Leader Of Men" as the first offering from its sophomore album, "The State."... "The State" has an attractively grainy hard rock sound thanks to indie engineer extraordinaire GGGarth Richardson.}}</ref>
Richardson produced 54-40's 1998 album, ''Since When''.<ref name=54-40>{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Mark |date=February 14, 2018 |title=Pop/rock luminaries 54-40 perform in City Feb. 15th |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/912343853 |work=Red Deer Express |page=A16 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Pop/rock luminaries 54-40 have unleashed "Keep On Walking"... Johnson said this time around, the guys opted to bring in four top-notch producers to guide the process along – Garth Richardson (see also 54-40's "Since When" from 1988), Gavin Brown, Steven Drake and veteran 54-40 accomplice Dave (Rave) Ogilvie...}}</ref> Both the album and its title track were the highest-charting album and single in the band's history.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Thom |title=Canadian alt-rock royalty on deck for two Lester Centre shows |url=https://www.terracestandard.com/entertainment/canadian-alt-rock-royalty-on-deck-for-two-lester-centre-shows-6080000 |work=Terrace Standard |date=October 11, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Todd |title=54-40 guitarist relishes in band's continued success |url=https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/03/01/54-40-guitarist-relishes-bands-success/ |work=CityNews |date=March 1, 2023 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref> ''Since When'' peaked at No. 19 on the ''RPM'' Top 100 Albums chart, and the single peaked at No. 2 on ''RPM''{{'}}s Alternative 30 chart and No. 11 on their 100 Hit Tracks chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 20, 1998 |title=RPM Weekly – Top 100 Albums/CDs |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3631&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3631.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3631 |magazine=RPM |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |volume=67 |issue=17 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 3, 1998 |title=RPM Weekly – Alternative 30 |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3642&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3642.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3642 |magazine=RPM |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |volume=67 |issue=19 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 27, 1998 |title=RPM Weekly – 100 Hit Tracks |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.7894&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.7894.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.78943 |magazine=RPM |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |volume=67 |issue=18 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref> Richardson also produced three tracks on the band's 2018 album, ''Keep On Walking''.<ref name=54-40/>
He produced Kittie's debut album, ''Spit'' (1998), and Shihad's ''The General Electric'' (1999).<ref name=SPIT>{{cite news |date=August 31, 2000 |title=They are Kittie, hear them roar |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/496374473/ |work=Vancouver Sun |page=C5 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Produced by Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ozzy Osbourne), "Spit" has made Kittie one of a handful of heavy metal girl bands bursting on to the scene to shock such pop peers as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.}}</ref><ref name=SHIHAD>{{cite news |date=May 13, 2005 |title=Perfect peace in the maelstrom |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/330680504/ |work=The Southland Times |page=15 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|330680504}} |url-access=subscription |quote=GGGarth, the dude who polished Shihad's sound into the gleaming beast that was the "General Electric" album, is back.}}</ref>
In 2000, Richardson co-produced Mudvayne's debut album, ''L.D. 50''.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 30, 2000 |title=Slipknot member helps punk's Mudvayne with its debut CD |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/708663452/ |work=The Fresno Bee |agency=The Hollywood Reporter |page=H8 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Hard-core punk band Mudvayne is set to release its debut, "L.D. 50," on Aug. 22. The album, with producer Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, L7), was executive produced by Slipknot drummer Shawn "6" Crahan.}}</ref>
In 2003, he received a Juno nomination for Producer of the Year for his work on the songs "Family System" and "The Red" from Chevelle's ''Wonder What's Next''.<ref name=JUNO97&03/> The prize had been renamed the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award in 2002 in honour of his father.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reaney |first=James |date=May 16, 2011 |title=Legendary Canadian producer helped steer The Guess Who to fame |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/735990713/ |work=The Sault Star |agency=QMI Agency |page=B6 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=The Junos and CARAS recognized his leading role in Canadian music by naming the producer of the year award The Jack Richardson Producer of the Year award in 2002.}}</ref>
Richardson produced ''Siren Song of the Counter Culture'' (2004) by Rise Against, the band's first album on a major record label.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=July 13–27, 2006 |title=Rise Against: Punk Rebels |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/220184938/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=1004/1005 |page=26,30 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|220184938}} |url-access=subscription |quote=As it turned out, the band had its own problems with its major-label debut, 2004's Siren Song for the Counter Culture. The wistful, uncharacteristic, Elliott Smith-like acoustic ballad "Swing Life Away" won the group some mainstream radio play. But the rest of the disc sounded slicker and more heavy-metalish than any of Rise Against's previous music – thanks to producer GGGarth (Mudvayne, Rage Against the Machine), who often insisted on recording the guitar and bass one measure at a time to ensure perfect tuning and timing.}}</ref>
He received his third Juno nomination for Producer of the Year in 2006, for his work on the singles "Gunnin'" and "Villain" by Hedley, from their self-titled debut album.<ref name=JUNO06>{{cite web |url=https://junoawards.ca/artist-profile/gggarth-richardson/ |title=Gggarth Richardson June Award nominations and wins |website=junoawards.ca |publisher=Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
Richardson has produced three albums by the Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro: ''Puzzle'' (2007), ''Only Revolutions'' (2009), and ''Opposites'' (2013).<ref>{{cite news |last=Smyth |first=David |date=July 8, 2016 |title=Some like it Scot |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/712239973/ |work=Evening Standard |page=A34 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Ellipsis, the new album out today and reviewed on page 36, is a new start in many ways... It was recorded with a new producer, Rich Costey, at his Los Angeles studio, following three albums on the trot with Garth Richardson.}}</ref> In 2010, he was nominated for a Mercury Prize for his work on ''Only Revolutions''.<ref name=MERCURY>{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Tom |date=August 3, 2010 |title=Richardson gets Mercury nod |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/506325460/ |work=The Province |page=44 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Producer Garth Richardson has been nominated for a Mercury Prize. It's an English award for which few Canadians ever are nominated. He gets the nod for his work on Biffy Clyro's Only Revolution. Winner is announced Sept. 7.}}</ref>
===The Farm Studios=== In 2002, Richardson began developing his own personal recording facility on a seven-acre property in Gibsons, a town situated on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, approximately 45 kilometers from Vancouver.<ref name=PROSOUND2>{{cite magazine |last=Leyenhorst |first=Andrew |date=April 2021 |title=Garth "GGGarth" Richardson |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2521129899/ |magazine=Professional Sound |volume=32 |issue=2 |page= |pages=30–33 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|2521129899}} |url-access=subscription |quote=Nestled comfortably away on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, Garth Richardson has spent years working on his state-of-the-art facility, The Farm Studios... The Dante network saves an immense amount of time and effort, especially dealing with cable runs, as Richardson mentions. However, it's the creative potential and immediacy of being able to simply plug in anywhere and go that really gives the system its appeal. "When people come here knowing they can do things outside, there's a whole new kind of excitement. Because people, to me, are so caught up on sitting on their laptops and it's like, 'Well, let's do something different. Let's go outside and let's experience something that makes you fucking feel, right?'" ... Richardson has also added a new live room to the main house with the design assistance of Ron Obvious, who also helped design major spots such as Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio as well as Armoury Studios in Vancouver. ... We've also tied [the Nimbus School of Recording Arts] to Capilano University, where you can come to Nimbus for the year, then from there you can go to Capilano and get a degree.}}</ref> He lives on the property, which also includes accommodations for artists recording on-site.<ref name=PROSOUND2/>
The recording studio was designed in collaboration with Ron Obvious, who also contributed to the design of Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio and Armoury Studios in Vancouver.<ref name=PROSOUND2/> Additionally, Richardson installed cables into the woods of his property, enabling musicians to record outdoors.<ref name=PROSOUND2/>
===Nimbus School of Recording Arts=== In 2008, Richardson co-founded the Nimbus School of Recording Arts alongside producers Bob Ezrin and Kevin Williams.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> The school was named after Nimbus 9, the Toronto studio operated by Richardson's father.<ref name=NIMBUS2>{{cite news |last=Brandt |first=Chris |date=August 24, 2009 |title=School of Rock; Nimbus School of Recording Arts teaches engineers the whole music-business package |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/243966774/ |work=Vancouver Sun |page=D4 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|243966774}} |url-access=subscription |quote=Jack Richardson mentored many of the leading Canadian recording engineers and producers, among them legendary producer Bob Ezrin, whose credits include Pink Floyd's The Wall... Even the name revives the spirit of the elder Richardson's studio, Nimbus 9, which is now owned by Burton Cummings.}}</ref> Ezrin had apprenticed under the elder Richardson during the 1970s.<ref name=PROSOUND1/>
The school provided diploma programs in audio engineering, live sound mixing and recording, and advanced studio production.<ref name=NIMBUS/> Students who completed one year of training were also eligible to apply to Capilano University to pursue a degree.<ref name=PROSOUND2/>
The school closed in 2023. Richardson told the ''Vancouver Sun'', "It was a perfect storm of COVID-19, student visa trouble and increased property taxes that forced us to close."<ref name=NIMBUS/>
===Bandwagon=== In collaboration with the Music Therapy Ride—an annual motorcycle charity event that raises funds for music therapy services in British Columbia—Richardson developed a mobile recording studio known as the Bandwagon, designed to be brought directly to a patient's hospital bedside.<ref name=BANDWAGON1>{{cite news |last=Usinger |first=Mike |title=Band Wagon rolls into BC Children's Hospital |url=https://www.straight.com/blogra/band-wagon-rolls-bc-childrens-hospital# |work=The Georgia Straight |date=July 26, 2011 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Tom |date=July 26, 2011 |title=Band Wagon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/507423648/ |work=The Province |page=C4 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Built by producer Garth Richardson of the Nimbus School Of Recording Arts, it's the first of its kind in Canada. Simply, it is a recording studio with all the necessary instruments on wheels. That way, it can be rolled to a patient in a hospital bed, who then can play and record.}}</ref> Initially conceived in 2010, the first Bandwagon was installed at BC Children's Hospital in 2012.<ref name=BANDWAGON2>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Denise |date=September 6, 2014 |title=Music therapy gets a rock 'n' roll makeover |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/497728344/ |work=Vancouver Sun |page=E1,E4 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=The first Bandwagon was installed at BC Children's Hospital in 2012, and in 2013 the Music Therapy Ride launched Bandwagon 2, which has travelled all over the Lower Mainland, to work with dementia patients, elders in long-term care, troubled teens and in hospitals.}}</ref><ref name=BANDWAGON3>{{cite news |title=Music by their bedside |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/506330775/https://www.newspapers.com/image/506330775/ |work=The Province |page=B3 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Thanks to this year's Music Therapy Ride, patients in B.C. Children's Hospital will now be able to music that will last... Part of the proceeds from the 9th annual ride will go toward building an actual recording studio at the hospital. The idea for the studio came from renowned music producer Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), a co-founder of Numbers School of Recording Arts... "Garth went through some time in Children's with his daughter and he saw firsthand how much kids were benefiting from music therapy, writing songs, singing, so he wanted to give back," said Music Therapy Ride committee member Patrick Zulinov.}}{{dead link|date=May 2025}}</ref> A second unit was created in 2013, serving multiple facilities across the Lower Mainland that support long-term care patients, individuals with dementia, and hospitalized teenagers.<ref name=BANDWAGON2/>
Richardson was inspired to create the Bandwagon after spending time with his daughter at BC Children's Hospital, where he witnessed firsthand the positive impact of the hospital's music therapy program on patients.<ref name=BANDWAGON3/> The mobile studio enables patients to record their own music with the support of on-site music therapists and is equipped with professional-grade microphones, keyboards, and guitars.<ref name=BANDWAGON1/>
===Fader Mountain Sound=== In 2012, Richardson launched Fader Mountain Sound studios in partnership with Ben Kaplan, Shawn Cole, Kevin Kowai, Daniel Byrne, and Paul Boechler.<ref name=PROSOUND4>{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Kevin |date=October 2012 |title=Fader Mountain Sound |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1265614568/ |magazine=Professional Sound |volume=23 |issue=5 |pages=30–33 |access-date=May 17, 2025 |id={{ProQuest|1265614568}} |url-access=subscription |quote=Located in Vancouver on West 7th Ave. in what was once part of iconic recording facility Little Mountain Sound, Fader Mountain Sound Inc. is very much a blend of new and old-school gear, functionality and perhaps most importantly, atmosphere... Opened in January 2012 by partners Ben Kaplan, Owner of Fh/fantastic Productions; Garth "GGGarth" Richardson, Owner of The Farm Studios; and Shawn Cole, Kevin Kowai, Daniel Byrne, and Paul Boechler. ... Kaplan formerly worked out of Richardson's home studio, the original Farm Studios in Gibsons. BC, and later out of the Nimbus School of Recording Arts on 2nd Ave. and Main St. in Vancouver.}}</ref> Kaplan previously collaborated with Richardson at both the Farm and the Nimbus School of Recording Arts.<ref name=PROSOUND4/> Fader Mountain Sound was founded in the former premises of Little Mountain Sound Studios, a legendary facility closely linked to iconic producers Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock.<ref name=PROSOUND4/>
Richardson left Fader Mountain Sound in 2016, moving his equipment back to the Farm Studios.<ref name=PROSOUND3/>
==Personal life== Richardson has two brothers and two sisters.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> While still living in Los Angeles, he met his first wife during a six-month trip to Montreal, where he was working with Dead Brain Cells.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> The couple settled in Los Angeles and had two daughters.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> They relocated to Vancouver after one of their daughters faced a serious health issue that wasn't covered by their insurance.<ref name=PROSOUND1/> Richardson chose Vancouver over Toronto, believing the city offered better opportunities in the music industry at the time.<ref name=PROSOUND1/>
Richardson remarried in 2007.<ref name=PROSOUND1/>
He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Capilano University in 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.capilanou.ca/about-capu/get-to-know-us/media-releases/title-8794016-en.php |title=Capilano University announces 2025 Honorary Degree Recipients and Faculty Emeritus honourees |date=May 13, 2025 |website=Capilano University |access-date=June 12, 2025}}</ref>
==Selected production credits== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Artist !! Album !! Notes/ref. |- | 1988 | Sword | ''Sweet Dreams'' | Co-produced with Jack Richardson |- | 1991 | The Scream | ''Man in the Moon'' | Co-produced with Eddie Kramer |- | 1992 | Rage Against the Machine | ''Rage Against the Machine'' | <ref name="Rage">{{cite web|title=Interview with Garth Richardson: Rage Against the Machine, Ozzy Osbourne |url=https://producelikeapro.com/blog/interview-with-garth-richardson-rage-against-the-machine-ozzy-osbourne/ |website=producelikeapro.com |date=November 12, 2019 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | 1993 | Melvins | ''Houdini'' | Co-produced with Melvins and Kurt Cobain |- | rowspan=3|1994 | L7 | ''Hungry for Stink'' | |- | Surgery | ''Shimmer'' | |- | Testament | ''Low'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Testament – Low |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/low-mw0000118996/credits |website=allmusic.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|1995 | Ugly Kid Joe | ''Menace to Sobriety'' | |- | Voodoo Glow Skulls | ''Firme'' | |- | rowspan=3|1996 | Melvins | ''Stag'' | Co-produced with Melvins and Joe Barresi |- | The Jesus Lizard | ''Shot'' | |- | Skunk Anansie | ''Stoosh'' | |- | rowspan=2|1997 | Kerbdog | ''On the Turn'' | |- | Sick of It All | ''Built to Last'' | |- | 1998 | The Urge | ''Master of Styles'' | |- | rowspan=3|1999 | Shihad | ''The General Electric'' | <ref name=SHIHAD/> |- | The O.C. Supertones | ''Chase the Sun'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=The O.C. Supertones – Chase the Sun |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/chase-the-sun-mw0000047145/credits |website=allmusic.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Kittie | ''Spit'' | <ref name=SPIT/> |- | rowspan=3|2000 | Project 86 | ''Drawing Black Lines'' | |- | Mudvayne | ''L.D. 50'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Mudvayne – L.D. 50 |url=https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/mudvayne/ld-50#.YCnAMs9KhWM |website=musiconvinyl.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Spineshank | ''The Height of Callousness'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Spineshank Bio |url=http://metalriot.com/bands/spineshank/ |website=metalriot.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan=3|2001 | Kittie | ''Oracle'' | |- | 40 Below Summer | ''Invitation to the Dance'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=40 Below Summer – Invitation to the Dance |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/40_below_summer-invitation_to_dance |website=exclaim.ca |date=December 1, 2001 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Puya | ''Union'' | |- | rowspan=3|2002 | Chevelle | ''Wonder What's Next'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Chevelle – Wonder What's Next |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/chevelle-wonder_whats_next |website=exclaim.ca |date=January 1, 2006 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Downthesun | ''Downthesun'' | |- | Trapt | ''Trapt'' | <ref name="Rage" /> |- | rowspan=4|2003 | Beloved | ''Failure On'' | |- | Spineshank | ''Self-Destructive Pattern'' | |- | Spoken | ''A Moment of Imperfect Clarity'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Spoken – A Moment of Imperfect Clarity |url=http://classic.toothandnail.com/releases/59/A_Moment_Of_Imperfect_Clarity/ |website=classic.toothandnail.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | From Autumn to Ashes | ''The Fiction We Live'' | |- | rowspan=2|2004 | Atreyu | ''The Curse'' | |- | Rise Against | ''Siren Song of the Counter Culture'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Rise Against – Siren Song of the Counter Culture |url=https://musicbrainz.org/release/3bf5e57a-9c0d-3a74-b030-76596ec0df32 |website=musicbrainz.org |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan=7|2005 | From Autumn to Ashes | ''Abandon Your Friends'' | |- | Shihad | ''Love Is the New Hate'' | |- | Bloodsimple | ''A Cruel World'' | |- | Still Remains | ''Of Love and Lunacy'' | |- | Haste the Day | ''When Everything Falls'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Garth Richardson |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/garth-richardson-mn0000798303/credits |website=allmusic.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Project 86 | ''...And the Rest Will Follow'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Project 86 Reunited with Gggarth Richardson for '. . . And the Rest Will Follow' album |url=https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/news/Project_86_Return/16559/p1/ |website=crossrhythmms.co.uk |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Hedley | ''Hedley'' | Co-produced with Brian Howes |- | rowspan=3|2006 | GrimSkunk | ''Fires Under the Road'' | |- | It Dies Today | ''Sirens'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=It Dies Today: New Album Title Revealed |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/it-dies-today-new-album-title-revealed/ |website=blabbermouth.net |date=May 13, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Ten Second Epic | ''Count Yourself In'' | |- | rowspan=4|2007 | Haste the Day | ''Pressure the Hinges'' | |- | Life in Your Way | ''Waking Giants'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Life in Your Way – Waking Giants |url=https://www.indievisionmusic.com/reviews/life-in-your-way-waking-giants-2/ |website=indievisionmusic.com |date=March 26, 2007 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Biffy Clyro | ''Puzzle'' | |- | Autovein | ''Bullets and Bruises'' | |- | rowspan=2|2008 | Trapt | ''Only Through the Pain'' | |- | Blessed by a Broken Heart | ''Pedal to the Metal'' | <ref>{{cite web |title=Blessed by a Broken Heart – Pedal to the Metal |url=http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/b_2/blessed_by_a_broken.htm |website=metal-temple.com |date=December 25, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122151454/http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/b_2/blessed_by_a_broken.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | rowspan=4|2009 | Ten Second Epic | ''Hometown'' | |- | Biffy Clyro | ''Only Revolutions'' | <ref name=MERCURY/> |- | Dead and Divine | ''The Machines We Are'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Dead and Divine Prepares New Album |url=https://lambgoat.com/news/12136/Dead-and-Divine-prepares-new-album |website=lambgot.com |date=January 26, 2009 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Gallows | ''Grey Britain'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Gallows Detail "Grey Britain" |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/32297/gallows-detail-grey-britain |website=punknews.org |date= February 11, 2009|access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|2011 | Japanese Voyeurs | ''Yolk'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Japanese Voyeurs – Yolk |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/yolk-mw0002176723/credits |website=allmusic.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | You Me at Six | ''Sinners Never Sleep'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=You Me at Six – Sinners Never Sleep |url=https://www.punkrocktheory.com/music_reviews/you-me-six-sinners-never-sleep |website=punkrocktheory.com |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|2012 | All the Young | ''Welcome Home'' | |- | The Washboard Union | ''The Washboard Union'' | <ref>{{cite web |title=The Washboard Union |url=https://www.countryatthecreek.ca/the-washboard-union |website=countryatthecreek.ca |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228062242/https://www.countryatthecreek.ca/the-washboard-union |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|2013 | Head of the Herd | ''By This Time Tomorrow'' | |- | Biffy Clyro | ''Opposites'' | |- | 2015 | The ReAktion | ''Selknam'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=The ReAktion Release "Synchro" Music Video from Upcoming Album "Selknam" (Out 10/21) |url=https://musicexistence.com/blog/2015/09/25/the-reaktion-release-synchro-music-video-from-upcoming-album-selknam-out-1021/ |website=musicexistence.com |date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | 2016 | The Empty Page | ''Unfolding'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=The Empty Page – Interview and Album Stream |url=https://louderthanwar.com/empty-page-interview-exclusive-album-stream/ |website=louderthanwar.com |date=October 16, 2016 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | 2017 | Big Wreck | ''Grace Street'' | |- | 2018 | GrimSkunk | ''Unreason in the Age of Madness'' | |- | rowspan=3|2019 | Danko Jones | ''A Rock Supreme'' | <ref>{{cite web|title=Danko Jones Praises Producer Garth 'GGGarth' Richardson: 'We Just Laughed Through the Whole Session' |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/danko-jones-praises-producer-garth-gggarth-richardson-we-just-laughed-through-the-whole-session/ |website=blabbermouth.net |date=February 23, 2019 |access-date=February 14, 2021}}</ref> |- | Kensington | ''Time'' | <ref>{{cite web |title=Kensington – Time |url=https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/kensington/time#.YCmTWs9KhWM |website=musiconvinyl.com |date= |access-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-date=July 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723192457/https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/kensington/time#.YCmTWs9KhWM |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | Hanggai | ''Big Brass Band'' | |- | 2022 | Devin Townsend | ''Lightwork'' | Co-produced with Devin Townsend |}
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result ! Ref |- | 1994 | Grammy Award | Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical* | ''Rage Against the Machine'' by Rage Against the Machine | {{nominated}} | <ref name=GRAMMY/> |- | 1997 | Juno Award | Producer of the Year | "Bar-X-the Rocking M" from ''Stag'' by Melvins and "Mailman" from ''Shot'' by the Jesus Lizard | {{won}} | <ref name=JUNO97&03/> |- | 2003 | Juno Award | Jack Richardson Producer of the Year | "Family Stem" and "The Red" from ''Wonder What's Next'' by Chevelle | {{nominated}} | <ref name=JUNO97&03/> |- | 2006 | Juno Award | Jack Richardson Producer of the Year | "Gunnin'", "Villain" by Hedley from ''Hedley'' | {{nominated}} | <ref name=JUNO06/> |- | 2010 | Mercury Prize | Album of the Year | ''Only Revolutions'' by Biffy Clyro | {{nominated}} | <ref name=MERCURY/> |}
{{asterisk}}Richardson was nominated for the Grammy Award along with Andy Wallace and Stan Katayama.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website|gggarth.com}} * {{URL|thefarmstudios.com|The Farm Studios}} * {{discogs artist|artist=303101-Garth-Richardson|name=Garth Richardson}} * {{discogs artist|artist=Gggarth|name=GGGarth}} * {{discogs label|label=378708-The-Farm-Studios|name=The Farm Studios}} * {{discogs label|label=746118-Fader-Mountain-Sound|name=Fader Mountain Sound}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Garth}} Category:Living people Category:1960 births Category:Canadian record producers Category:Canadian audio engineers Category:Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners