Blueprint to Business

CHAPTER 7Opportunity

In the early 1970s there was a young man from Brooklyn, New York, who was fascinated with the music industry. He wanted to be in the industry in any capacity. He applied to work at multiple studios as a “sweeper.” A sweeper was really just an assistant who would get the things recording artists and others working in the studio needed. This meant everything from providing alcohol or tea to actually sweeping up the mess that was made. It was a wild time, just coming out of the sixties. This young man, roughly eighteen years of age, grew up in a traditional Italian home. His mother stressed the importance of family and being together as a family. He was also taught the value of hard work and to be of service when asked for help. One fateful day the studio manager asked the young man to come in on Easter Sunday. His mother was not having it, and she instructed him to be home for Easter Sunday. He was conflicted, but he had learned to always be of service when asked. And so he decided to come to the studio. When he walked through the door on Easter Sunday in the early seventies, one of the most iconic musicians ever to walk this planet was sitting there to greet him. John Lennon himself. John and the studio manager wanted to see if this young man had what it took to work with John Lennon on his upcoming albums. That young man later went on to work as an engineer with John Lennon and the likes of Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2, Dr. ...