Sam Phillips...looked like a cheap bastard in many ways, because he had to balance limited distribution channels, so prioritizing left some good folks in the dust,
but if he hadn't heard what he heard with Presley, Cash, Perkins, Orbison, and Lewis, we'd all be poorer.
Rick Rubin...for understanding where Johnny Cash wanted to go at the end of his life, and for bringing us some magnificent recordings that showcased The Man in Black in a way that bookended, so perfectly, his long career.
Daniel Lanois...his production of 'Teatro' with Willie Nelson is a gothic masterpiece, an album that cuts to the core of the man's songs, done in Teatro, Lanois's dusky theatre studio in the desert.
...more to come, I'm sure...
Best,
CC