Jim Wheeler
I started out as a rock’n’roll sound engineer at Cavern Sound, Kansas City’s first 16-track recording studio (remember analog tape?). Some of the artists recorded were Danny Cox, Brewer and Shipley, James Brown and Groucho Marx. I also freelanced for the Record Plant-Sausalito 16-track truck, recording dozens of shows at the Cowtown Ballroom.
Denver Sound, Applewood Studios and Caribou Ranch were my next stops. While in Colorado, I worked with acts like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Doug Kershaw, John Hartford and Jerry Jeff Walker’s band The Lost Gonzos.
From there, I moved on to Sound Recorders in Omaha. My engineering credits in Nebraska included the Kris Kristofferson / Ali McGraw movie “Convoy” with C.W.McCall, and “Fresh Aire” with Chip Davis. Omaha saw my first exposure to ad agency work. I learned that a VO was not a whiskey-drink, and that a needledrop was not hard-core drug related.
Dick Marx studios in Chicago was my next stop, recording ad music for accounts like United Airlines, Pillsbury, Kellogg’s and Oldsmobile. I also cut demos for 17-year-old Richard Marx, Dick’s son, before his pop music career began.
I returned to Kansas City in 1980 to build and manage Sound Recorders’ new studios on State Line, in the same building where Substation K is now located. After that gig ended in the mid eighties, I started my own studio across the street, Wheeler Audio Associates. That operation continues to this day, with a new crew and new facility. Gone are the days of working in dimly-lit studios with dungeon-like atmosphere -- or caves. It’s great to be in the daylight.
Hobbies include scuba diving, motorcycling and rock'n'roll in combination with digital photography (results at right).
I have mentored or employed several members of KC’s pro-audio community. Sound has been my passion for some time now, but never more strongly than today. Cool staff… cool digs… cool tools … life is good!
Here I am at my first studio gig: rock'n'roll recording engineer
James Brown - King of SoulI was second-engineer for this session, at Cavern Sound. Note the limestone cave walls.
"That bass sure sounds funky off them rocks." - James Brown
Groucho Marx - this was his first public performance in 30 years.Here he's reviewing material with Phil Ramone, A&M Records producer, escorted by Erin Fleming - Groucho's personal 'assistant.'
I engineered this remote recording session at Ames, IA, one week before Groucho played Carneggie Hall. Some of the schtick from the Ames show made it onto the vinyl release, so I got a credit.
I 'seconded' for Jeff Glixman, producer of the band Kansas.
I arrive in Denver via Moto Guzzi, of course.This was my first Guzzi - a 1971 Ambassador.
Here's Denver Sound Studios...
And here are some rock stars... from the band Estus, a Clive Davis / CBS Records band.This is Tom Nicholas, his drummer Rocky, and his brother James Nicholas. Not pictured is a third brother, bass player John Nicholas, who also played with It's a Beautiful Day... roadie JoJo looks on.
Another artist, Girard, gets some bass lines laid in.Dik Darnell produced that stuff.
After Denver, I rolled into the Big Ohhh - Omaha, that is.Here I am in Sound Recorders studio A, doing what else, pushing buttons.
C.W.McCall - aka. Bill Fries - confers with composer Chip Davis - now with Mannheim Steamroller - American Gramaphone.
This was during the scoring of the film "Convoy", that lo-rent Sam Peckinpaw, Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw, Ernest Borgnine feature-film about 18-wheelers and CB radios. Don Sears looks on.Note: it was Bill Fries and Chip Davis who gave me my handle - Wheels - and it's been with me ever since.
These are some of the players, who also appeared on Chip's Mannheim Steamroller releases. I mixed the music on the film, and several of Chip's Fresh Aire albums, as well as some of the C.W.McCall releases.
Ron Cooley - aboveJackson Berkey - below
Eric Hanson - aboveWalt Mescal - below
Chip Davis behind the traps - he always said, "They are a trap, too."
Here, Chip cracks up with John Boyd.
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