Robin Hugh Spurgin passed away May 29 at the age of 83. Robin transformed the recording industry in Vancouver by modernizing the way recordings were made. Robin had a great ear for music and an eye on how equipment should work. He knew, as most of us in the industry realized, that we more or less had no expertise in this arena across Canada.

When earlier Canadian artists recorded their music, most went to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Nashville. Anne Murray recorded many of her early hits south of the border as did the Justin Bieber of his day, Bobby Curtola. We always had great talent but truly second rate studios. And then along came Robin with the latest methods in recording. Listen to some of the early Chessmen, and you will recognize the professionalism in the sounds he created. He was a true pioneer in the industry and should be recognized for his incredible talent.

Robin, thanks for taking us beyond what we had.