Richard Podolor obit

Richard Allen Podolor

JANUARY 7, 1936 – MARCH 9, 2022

 He was not on the list.

Richie Podolor, a producer of memorable hit recordings for Three Dog Night, and albums for such artists as Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, and the short-lived supergroup the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, died March 9, 2022. His death, at age 86, was reported on March 10 by Danny Hutton on the Three Dog Night Facebook page. Neither the cause of death nor the location was revealed.

Hutton wrote, in part, “Richie… had the best ears of anyone I’ve ever met. He was the second producer of my band in 1966. When I came [into] the control room to hear the first playback, I heard and felt something I’d never heard in a studio before. It was … magic! I knew right then I wanted to be able to do that myself. I went off and learned what all the knobs did, and less than three years later I begged him to give me a shot, and he graciously took a chance on me. I owe him everything.

“You were my hero, Richie… And you always will be.”

Podolor was born January 7, 1936, in Los Angeles. He became a session musician while still a teenager, and by the late 1950s toured with the Pets, a band that featured future Wrecking Crew studio legends Plas Johnson and Earl Palmer. Podolor is credited with co-writing hit singles recorded by drummer Sandy Nelson, 1959’s “Teen Beat” and 1961’s “Let There Be Drums.” (Just weeks ago, Nelson died at age 83.)

By the mid-’60s, Podolor transitioned from a musician (recording under the name “Richie Allen”) to engineer, working on recordings by the Monkees and the Electric Prunes. His biggest early break was when he became the recording engineer for Steppenwolf, doing the honors for their first four albums for ABC-Dunhill, spanning such hit singles as “Born To Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride.”

 

Discography (producer)

Three Dog Night

Captured Live at the Forum (1969) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

It Ain't Easy (1970) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Naturally (1970) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Golden Bisquits (1971) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA) – co-produced with Gabriel Mekler

Harmony (1971) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Seven Separate Fools (1972) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Cyan (1973) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Around the World with Three Dog Night (1973) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA)

Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits (1974) (ABC-Dunhill/MCA) – co-producer with Gabriel Mekler and Jimmy Ienner

The Best of 3 Dog Night (1982) (MCA) – co-producer with Gabriel Mekler and Jimmy Ienner

It's a Jungle (1983) (Passport)

Iron Butterfly

Live (1970) (Atco)

Metamorphosis (1970) (Atco)

Blues Image

"Ride Captain Ride" (1970) (Atco)

Open (1970) (Atco)

Red White & Blues Image (1970) (Atco)

The Dillards

Roots and Branches (1972) (Anthem Records)

Jellyroll

Jellyroll (1971) (Kapp US, MCA UK and Germany)

The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band

The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (1974) (Asylum)

Chris Hillman

Like a Hurricane (1998) (Sugar Hill)

20/20

Look Out! (1981)

Alice Cooper

Special Forces (1981) (Warner Bros.)

Phil Seymour

Phil Seymour (1981)

Phil Seymour 2 (1982)

“Prince of Power Pop” (2017)

Dwight Twilley

The Luck (recorded 1994, released 2001)

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf 7 (ABC/Dunhill) (producer) (1970)

Gold: Their Great Hits (ABC/Dunhill) (co-producer w/Bill Cooper) and (producer) (1970)

For Ladies Only (ABC/Dunhill) (producer) (1971)

16 Greatest Hits (ABC/Dunhill) (co-producer w/Bill Cooper) and (producer) (1973)

John Kay & Steppenwolf

Paradox (Attic) (1984)

Alcatrazz

Dangerous Games (1986) (EMI Records)

London

Playa Del Rock (NOISE/BMG Records) (1990)

References