Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou.
In 1972, Joe Walsh and Bill Szymczyk were starting work on Barnstorm at Walsh’s home in Colorado when a mixer blew out on the first day. Szymczyk knew Guercio was building a new studio, visited the in-progress barn conversion at the ranch, and concluded that it would work for their project. They used the new studio to finish Barnstorm. Szymczyk next made Rick Derringer’s All American Boy and the hit single “Rock Roll, Hoochie Koo” there. Elton John’s 1974 album Caribou was recorded at and named after the studio. (John also recorded the single “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” there, as well as his next two albums, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock of the Westies.)
The group Chicago, managed by Guercio, recorded five studio albums there; Chicago VI, Chicago VII, Chicago VIII, Chicago X, and Chicago XI. Earth, Wind, Fire recorded two of their albums there as well; 1974′s Open Our Eyes (Produced by Maurice White Joe Wissert) and the 1975 Grammy winning That’s the Way of the World (Produced by White and Charles Stepney). Amy Grant, who had recorded 4 albums there, including her platinum-certified mainstream breakthrough album Unguarded, was about to fly out of Nashville to return to Caribou for work on her next project when word reached her that the studio was in flames. It was rumoured that business was slow for the studio and their studio rates had dropped. That change made it cost effective for a Colorado based progressive band “First Born” to record their debut there in late October of 1984.
The studio complex was shut down and never used again after a March 1985 fire destroyed the control room and caused about US$3 million in damage. According to the Nederland Fire Chief, while the fire department was doing overhaul on the fire to make sure it was out, several Gold Record plaques awarded to Guercio’s group Chicago that were hanging on the wall of the studio, were damaged by a chain saw.
Guercio’s interests had shifted away from music. In 1996 and 2001 transactions he sold 2,180 acres (8.8 km2) of the ranch to Boulder County and the City of Boulder, and another 1,489 acres (6.03 km2) were placed under conservation easement. A housing development by Guercio’s Caribou Companies takes up much of the remainder.
In a 2008 interview with Denver PBS series Studio 12 (“Caribou Ranch,” February 13. 2008), Guercio said the studio’s control room was rebuilt after the fire. (For purposes of clarification, only the roof and structure of the control room were repaired; the actual room itself was not. The part of the studio where the musicians performed remained intact.) Guercio added, however, that he has no plans to reopen the recording facility for business.
Some of the artists who have recorded at Caribou:
Blood, Sweat and Tears
America
Badfinger
The Beach Boys
Jeff Beck
Mike Brewer
David Cassidy
Chicago, starting with Chicago VI
Phil Collins
Chick Corea
Deep Purple
John Denver
Rick Derringer
Al Di Meola
Dio
Earth, Wind Fire
Emerson, Lake Palmer
Sheena Easton
First Born
Dan Fogelberg
Peter Frampton
Gerard
Jerry Goodman
Jan Hammer
Amy Grant, starting with Age to Age and ending with Unguarded
Michael Jackson
Waylon Jennings
Billy Joel
Boulder
Elton John, notably the 1974 Caribou album
Carole King
Kris Kristofferson
Robert Lamm
John Lennon (contributed to Elton John recording sessions)
Jerry Lee Lewis
Pat McJimsey, I Dig Girls album
Jac Murphy
Michael Murphey
Stevie Nicks
Idle Tears
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Tony Orlando
Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Tom Petty
Eddie Rabbitt
Rainbow Canyon
Return to Forever for their albums Romantic Warrior and Musicmagic
Bruce Roberts
Sailor
David Sancious
Tom Scott and The L.A. Express
Billy Joe Shaver
Shooting Star (band)
Sons of Champlin
Souther Hillman Furay Band
Rod Stewart
Stephen Stills
Supertramp
Switch on their Reaching for Tomorrow album
Ali Thomson
Len Trout
U2
James Vincent[1]
Joe Walsh
War
Tony Williams
Carl Wilson
Frank Zappa
EDDIE WENRICK
Executive Summary
Unique blend of exceptional technical skills – combined with solid business management experience. Helped clients grow revenues, managed rapid growth, minimized labiality exposure, chaired multi functional teams, and increased share holder value. Have over twenty years of management experience. I also have demonstrated strong revenue building history, which includes in the selling of over 50 million records and generated over $500 million in gross revenue from major recording artists. I also have the innate ability to develop or turn around distressed companies
Experience
Company Overview President of Entertainment The Caribou Companies
In the midst of an industry in transition, The Caribou Entertainment Group is positioned with an
illustrious past and a well-structured forward looking business model that will allow the
company to take advantage of multiple avenues of brand enhancement, while enabling the
company to generate revenue through several lucrative profit centers to include music, film,
television and sports. The Entertainment Group will operate in a full-service multimedia
capacity to exploit the opportunities available worldwide to promulgate and disseminate high-
quality audio, visual and live performance entertainment to a diverse international consumer
group.
The Entertainment Group will encompass all major aspects of the entertainment business. The
legendary Caribou Ranch Studio will be re-opened and provide the foundation from which all
other aspects will be built and sustained. The company will compete in the areas of artist
management, recording label, music publishing, production, live music, sporting events, film,
television and radio.
Tapout, Las Vegas, NV
Former CEO
Hitlab.com; Montreal, Canada and Santa Ana, CA
Former President and CEO, June 2006-February 2010
- Chaired multifunctional teams
- Managed rapid growth
- Developed worldwide strategic partners to increase media awareness of artists and events.
Wenrick Entertainment Group; Mission Viejo, CA
CEO – 2003-2006
- Helped clients grow revenues
- Senior Consultant for film, television, and records
- Pursued development of entertainment projects in Las Vegas
- Internet marketing promotion and video streaming in major hotels
- Manager of Recording Artists
Jeff McClusky Associates; Chicago, IL
Senior VP of Consulting and Concert Department, 1997-1999
- Top independent promotion company in the US.
- Promoted approx. 100 radio shows per year in markets
- Developed non-traditional income ranging from $10-20 million per year
Marathon Media; Chicago, IL
President of Music Division of Major Broadcasting, 1995-1996
- Company operated, bought, and sold radio stations ($50-$100 million dollars in revenue)
Weintraub Entertainment Group-Concerts West, and Tom Hulett Associates; Santa Monica, CA
Senior Vice President and Partner – 1989-1995
- Minimized liability exposure
- Increased shareholder value
- Developed worldwide strategic partners to increase media awareness of artists and events.
- Company operated 17 amphitheaters (Collective gross revenue of $500 million)
- Managed major gold/platinum recording artists such as The Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Three Dog Night, Warrant, Harry Belafonte, Frank Zappa
Caribou Records and Films – Country Music Television (James William Guercio); Beverly Hills, CA and Boulder, CO
Senior VP – 1987-1988
- Facilitated the selling of the company for $100 million
Headliner Entertainment Magazine; Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO
Senior VP and Co-Publisher, 1985-1987
- Facilitated the sale company of the company to Billboard, which netted $1 million
Aucoin Management and Rock Steady Productions; Los Angeles, California and New York City, NY
Senior Vice President of Rock Steady Productions, offices in LA and NYC, 1980-1983
- Company managed the group Kiss; Mr. Wenrick assisted Bill Aucoin
- There was a showroom with 5,000 items with the group Kiss’s name on them.
- Multi-million dollar publishing deal accomplished with MCA
W and L Productions; Los Angeles, CA
Co-CEO and Owner, 1976-1980
- Developed worldwide strategic partners to increase media awareness of artists and events.
- Signed artists to production companies and placed artists with major labels, personal management, music publishing and concert promotion
- Re-established Concert Express generating $50 million in revenue
- Promoted 200-300 shows with Fleetwood Mac
- Placed over 25 artists with major record labels
- Bob Eubanks and Bill Leopold were partners
Epic Records; Los Angeles, CA
Vice President and General Manager, 1973-1976
- Ran the entire West Coast – 1,000 employees with $200 million in gross revenue
- All departments reported to Mr. Wenrick
- Signed and developed numerous multi-platinum artists
Columbia Records Division of CBS; New York, NY
Director of AR, 1970-1973
- While there, the company generated ½ billion in revenue
- This was during the time Columbia signed Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Carlos Santana
Welk Music Group; Santa Monica, CA
Professional Manager and Song Plugger, 1969-1970
Paul Handler Associates; Seattle and Spokane, Washington
Agent and Promoter, 1965-1968
- Principal in the early stages of Concerts West, which promoted the tours of Elvis, John Denver. Neil Diamond, The Moody Blues, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Beach Boys.
Skills
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