Pete Matthews

Pete started doing jingles and local rock records at the age of 16 in his hometown of Springfield, MO. After moving to Memphis to pursue a jazz performance degree, Pete ended up getting a job at Ardet in 1994 as a night manager. Working up through the Ardent ranks, he became a staff assistant engineer in 1995. During the next two years, Pete was exposed to some of the most talented and inspired artists, engineers and producers in the business. Then in 1997, he was offered a job as a staff assistant engineer/engineer at The Hit Factory in NYC. Having always been curious about working in NY, Pete left the relative comfort of Memphis/Ardent and went to the East Coast. While working at The Hit Factory, Pete worked with such artists as Paul Simon and the Wu Tang Clan, and such producers and engineers as Arif Mardin and Frank Filipetti. This was a time of great learning and experience for Pete, but after a year he found himself missing Ardent and the people in the music industry in Memphis. So, after running into Ardent owner John Fry at a convention in NYC, Pete found himself traveling back to the studio home that he had been missing. Returning in 1998, Pete began engineering and mixing for a wide range of producers, including Jim Dickinson, Brian Paulson and Jim Gaines. Now, 17 years into his tour with Ardent, Pete continues to make great sounding records using an approach both old and new, both reminiscent of all he’s seen and also original to him.

In 2000, his “above the radar” production debut came with Dust for Life (self-titled) on Wind-Up Records. The album reached #26 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and two singles from the record also charted. Also on Wind-Up Records, Pete is credited with discovering and developing the multi-platinum selling artists Evanescence. He engineered and mixed the North Mississippi Allstars “Electric Blue Watermelon,” which was nominated for a GRAMMY award in 2005. Pete has worked on multiple gold and platinum albums, serves on the Board of Governers and multiple Engineer Craft Committees for the Memphis Chapter of NARAS, and has been honored as a legendary Memphis producer at the annual Blues Ball.

Pete also has an extensive collection of outboard gear (EQ, compression, Mic Pres, etc), amplifiers and guitars, and a list is available upon request.