Glenn Snoddy at Quonset Hut Studio |
Glenn Snoddy made a career as a recording engineer. He learned this trade during WWII when he was in the Army, and stationed in the South Pacific. He was a radio and recording tech during the war, earning three bronze stars before he was discharged.
When his service ended, he moved to Nashville Tennessee and began working for the Brown Brothers Transcription Company, which was located in Nashville at Fourth and Union. During the 1940's, and 1950's, this company did a lot of radio shows.
Glenn Snoddy as an engineer at WGNS Radio |
To make extra money, he moonlighted at Castle Studios, which was located in Nashville's Tulane Hotel. While working there, Snoddy was the engineer on Hank Williams final recording session.
Grand Ole Opry cast in the 1950's |
He also moonlighted as an engineer at WSM, and ran sound for the Grand Ole Opry on the weekend.
Glenn Snoddy and Owen Bradley |
Glenn Snoddy worked with many of Nashville’s stars, and was the recording engineer on Johnny Cash’s smash hit, “Ring of Fire”.
Marty Robbins |
While recording a song for Marty Robbin called “Don’t Worry”, an unusual thing happened. The sessions bass player was Grady Martin, who was one of Nashville’s most prolific guitar players.
Grady Martin |
Don Law and Glenn Snoddy on the right |
Glenn Snoddy went on to design a device that could reproduce this sound. He called it The Fuzz Box. This was an outboard preamp circuit, that utilized a germanium transistor circuits. This device could override the clean sound on a guitar amplifier.
Maestro Fuzz Tone FZ-1A |
The Rolling Stones - Richards has a Maetro Fuzz Tone on the floor. |
Though this was available in 1962, most music stores did not carry it until 1965 when the Rolling Stone’s guitarist, Keith Richards, used one on their hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”.
After hearing the effect, every rock guitarist and garage band player wanted that sound, and could get it for less than $30.00 USD.
Other companies began producing similar fuzztones, some sounded worse and some sounded better. But the Maestro Fuzztone was perhaps the granddaddy of all outboard guitar pedals. Back in the late 1960's I owned a couple of them. I was frustrated that I could never emulate that Keith Richard's sound. I later realized it wasn't just the fuzztone, but also some great engineering work that produced that wonderful noise.
Maestro Fuzz Tone FZ-1A |
After the Quonset Hut was purchased by Columbia Records, Glenn Snoddy stayed on as one of their engineers, and worked with many other notable artists.
Will The Circle Be Unbroken |
Snoddy also hired an aspiring songwriter named Kris Kristofferson, who began working as the studio janitor.
Glenn Snoddy |
Later, Snoddy was instrumental in founding Woodland Sound Studios. Glenn Snoddy passed away on May 21st of 2018 at age 96.
He left not just a legacy of engineer records for some of County Music’s most famous stars, but set the stage for an entire new industry: Guitar pedals.
Click on the links below the pictures for source information. Click on the links in the text for further information.
©UniqueGuitar Publications (text only)
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