On This Day in 2021, We Said Goodbye to One of Neil Young’s Greatest Contemporaries the Mastermind Behind ‘Harvest’

Who knows where Neil Young would be today without some help from talented producer Elliot Mazer? While Neil Young likely could have made it on his own, his legendary album Harvest likely wouldn’t have been quite the same without Mazer’s contributions.

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Elliot Mazer passed away at the age of 79 on this very day, February 7, 2021. Let’s celebrate the producer’s important contributions to folk rock history, shall we?

The Legacy of Elliot Mazer and His Impact on Neil Young’s Career

Elliot Mazer was born on September 5, 1941, in New York City. He began his career in audio engineering and record producing at the age of 21. He was hired by his neighbor Bob Winstock to work at Prestige Records. His early-career tasks included sorting tapes and bringing them to radio stations. Over time, he worked his way up the ladder into production. He created the record Standard Coltrane in 1962, a collection of John Coltrane recordings that he had picked out from outtakes.

Later, Mazer would work for Cameo-Parkway Records. There, he would produce albums for the likes of Chubby Checker, Linda Ronstadt, and others. He helped establish Quadrafonic Sound Studios after moving to Nashville.

Mazer would be introduced to Neil Young by his manager Elliot Roberts in 1971. They formed a fast friendship, bonding over artists and studios. He would later invite Young to his studio, and the folk singer would then ask Mazer to work on what would be his legendary 1972 album Harvest.

Elliot Mazer assembled the session musicians heard on Harvest, some of whom (like Ben Keith) would work with Young for decades after.

Mazer would later produce more work for Young, including Time Fades Away, Homegrown, Everybody’s Rockin’, and Old Ways. Outside of his work with Young, Mazer also produced albums for Gordon Lightfoot, Janis Joplin, The Band, and many more. Mazer worked as an audio engineer on the Martin Scorsese film The Last Waltz. Mazer is still praised today for introducing Young to digital recording, as well as his contributions to digital recording as a whole in the late 20th century.

Elliot Mazer would pass on February 7, 2021, at the age of 79 in his home in San Francisco, following a heart attack and battle with dementia. Young would honor him by noting that Harvest “happened because of Elliot Mazer.”

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