On Wed, Jan. 29, 2025, the Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® will honor producer, engineer, mixer, and five-time GRAMMY® winner Jimmy Douglass at its annual GRAMMY Week Celebration. Also known as “The Senator,” Douglass’ prolific career spans over four decades, and his credits include musical icons like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones and Roxy Music, as well as a partnership with four-time GRAMMY winner Timbaland that led to award-winning projects by Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, and more. The P&E Wing GRAMMY Week Celebration will take place at The Preserve LA in East Hollywood and will salute Douglass’ accomplishments and impact on the music industry.

“Our P&E Wing proudly celebrates GRAMMY Week each year with a special evening that unites producers, engineers and artistic professionals to honor a truly deserving creator,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “This year, we’re thrilled to pay tribute to the extraordinary Jimmy Douglass, who has led groundbreaking creative and technical efforts in the recording industry, encouraging artists to transcend genre boundaries and contributing to iconic musical projects that will resonate for generations.”

“Throughout his illustrious career spanning more than four decades, Jimmy’s visionary approach to producing, engineering and mixing has shaped some of music’s most iconic recordings. Jimmy consistently pushes the boundaries of sound by bringing unconventional techniques into the studio while inspiring countless artists along the way,” said Maureen Droney, Vice President of the Producers & Engineers Wing. “On behalf of the Producers & Engineers Wing, we are delighted to dedicate our 2025 event to Jimmy and his amazing career.”

Along with paying homage to Douglass, the event will also celebrate the year-round work of the Producers & Engineers Wing and its members, who work together to advise the Recording Academy on technical best practices, advocate for the rights of music creators, and shape the future of the recording field.

Jimmy Douglass (also known as The Senator) is an American five-time GRAMMY-winning, 11-time GRAMMY-nominated recording engineer and record producer, whose prolific career has spanned more than four decades.

In the early 1970s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio career as a part-time tape duplicator while still attending high school. There he learned how to operate the studio’s custom made 16-channel console and observed, was trained by, as well as worked with some of the greatest engineers, producers and record moguls including Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun. For his first time behind the faders, he was encouraged by Wexler to engineer the session recording for a demo of a new band. He went on to work with major Atlantic Recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Foreigner, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, to name just a few.

During the 1980s, Douglass continued to hone his engineering skills while also taking on the role of producer. He engineered and produced established artists including The Rolling Stones, Slave, Odyssey, Roxy Music and Gang of Four.

Douglass started the first half of the 1990s working mainly on jingles and post-production. This style of work taught him the importance of working efficiently and capturing the vibe which would greatly benefit him in the years to come. In 1994, he began working with up-and-coming contemporary R&B/hip hop producer Timbaland and served as his main engineer for more than a decade. They would eventually collaborate on classic projects from artists such as Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Ginuwine and Jay-Z.

Beginning the new millennium, Douglass continued engineering and mixing more Timbaland-produced projects including Snoop Dogg, Bjork and GRAMMY-winning albums for Justin Timberlake. Among the artists he also mixed are Rob Thomas, Sean Paul, Kanye West, Ludacris, Al Green, John Legend and Duran Duran.

Presently, he continues to display his versatility by remaining current while drawing from his years of experience. Douglass is best known for bringing unconventional techniques into the studio and encouraging artists to transcend genre restrictions. He is credited with bringing a raw edge to sound and specifically bringing a heavy funk bass sound into rock music. His hard work and immense talent has carved a place for him among some of the most respected producers, engineers and mixers in the world.

 

 

GRAMMY Week culminates with the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards® at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sun, Feb. 2, 2025, broadcasting live on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.