Not many producers could put landmark moments in rock, jazz, and soul on their résumé, but sonic visionary Tom Dowd did that and more. He got his start at Atlantic Records in the late ‘40s, and over the next decade he produced and engineered major works by John Coltrane and Ray Charles. He followed the label's trajectory to soul with Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, and then manned the boards for classic Derek & The Dominos and Allman Brothers Band albums. Dowd also helped develop multi-track recording, and in his younger days was a military physicist who contributed to the Manhattan Project.
