Renowned recording engineer and educator Tom Tucker, who worked on best-selling records with such artists as Lucinda Williams, Prince, Johnny Lang and Soul Asylum, died unexpectedly on March 1, 2012, at the age of 63.
Tucker’s career began as a singer/musician, working with IGL and for Motown on the Cadet label. He later became a founder of several very successful recording studios, including Triad Studios in Des Moines, Iowa, and Metro Studios and Master Mix Studio in Minneapolis. In 1989, he became the Director of Studio Operations and engineer for Prince at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn.
His love for music took him in yet another direction following the stint with Prince, when he became heavily involved in training the next generation of audio professionals. Beginning in 1996, Tucker served on the Board of Directors for McNally Smith College of Music. He then went on to co-found two private recording colleges, IPR and Masters Recording Institute. MRI soon became Minneapolis Media Institute, where Tucker remained on the faculty and as a student mentor up until his death.
Though his engineering work over the years garnered him multiple Gold and Platinum records, as well as a Grammy Award in 2003, he may be remembered most not only by the artists and professionals whom he worked with, but by the hundreds of students and young audio engineers he has mentored over the past decade.
Tucker is survived by his son, Tommy Tucker Jr.; daughters, Nicole Drilling and Jacqueline Tucker; and his grandchildren, Nicholas Drilling and Layla Tucker.
