Engineer Ron “Snake” Reynolds Passes

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Ron “Snake” Reynolds. Photo: Courtesy The Musicians Hall of Fame

Renowned studio engineer Ron “Snake” Reynolds has passed away on Oct. 5. He was 76.

A Nashville native, Reynolds signed as an artist with Nugget Records in 1965 but quickly decided he preferred being behind a console instead of a mic and began his journey as an engineer and producer. He joined Columbia Records in 1972 as a staff engineer and remained there until its closing a decade later when he became a freelance studio engineer. Reynolds worked on records for George Jones, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, Keith Urban, Dave Loggins, Elvis Costello, Earl Thomas Conley, Elton John, Toby Keith and many more.

As a songwriter he’s had songs recorded by John Anderson, Johnny Cash, Earl Thomas Conley, Johnny Rodriguez, Sonny James, Levon Helm, Billy Joe Royal, Neal McCoy, Toby Keith and others. His producer credits include albums for Merle Haggard, The Marcy Brothers, Tony Joe White, and more.

Reynolds most notably engineered Shania Twain’s 12-million-selling smash album The Woman In Me. He has engineered over 100 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum records and 60 No. 1 hits, won multiple Grammy Awards, and was named Engineer Of The Year by the ACM in 2004. He was acknowledged with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Audio Engineering Society in 2016 and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame that same year.

Details regarding memorial services have not yet been announced.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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