Steve Albini, rock musician and producer behind Nirvana and Pixies albums, dies at 61

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Steve Albini, an alt-rock musician, audio engineer, and shaper who recorded albums for bands for illustration Nirvana and Pixies and founded nan Chicago signaling workplace Electrical Audio, has died astatine nan property of 61.

Brian Fox, a chap shaper and technologist astatine Electrical Audio, confirmed Albini passed distant Tuesday nighttime from a bosom attack.

"We are not fresh to make immoderate different statements yet. Maybe successful nan adjacent fewer days, we could talk astir his impact, which was immense," Fox said successful an email.

Albini's decease came small much than a week earlier his longtime set Shellac was group to merchandise a caller album, To All Trains, connected May 17. It will beryllium nan band's first medium since 2014.  

Steve Albini of Shellac performs connected shape during time 3 of Primavera Sound Madrid 2023 connected June 10, 2023 successful Madrid, Spain. Aldara Zarraoa/WireImage

First developing an liking successful punk aft being introduced to nan Ramones arsenic a teen, Albini voraciously consumed each nan caller euphony he could find increasing up successful his hometown of Missoula, Montana, and played successful his earliest euphony projects. After graduating precocious school, he moved to Evanston, Illinois, to be publicity schoolhouse astatine Northwestern University, immersing himself successful nan segment arsenic a instrumentality and a writer for section euphony magazines.

Albini began his euphony profession successful 1981 erstwhile he formed nan punk stone set Big Black while a student astatine nan Medill School of Journalism astatine Northwestern University.

He later went connected to shape 2 different bands, nan controversially named Rapeman and Shellac, pinch nan second nan longest-existing and arguably nan astir important set of his profession arsenic a performer. For Shellac, he performed vocals and guitar alongside bassist Bob Weston and drummer Todd Trainer.

He besides helped grounds and way immoderate of nan astir influential albums of nan replacement stone era successful nan 1980s and 1990s, including Nirvana's "In Utero," Pixies' "Surfer Rosa," PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me," Veruca Salt's EP "Blow It Out Your A** It's Veruca Salt," and aggregate albums for Urge Overkill and The Jesus Lizard.

He besides helped grounds euphony for legends specified arsenic Cheap Trick, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and Foo Fighters, who recorded their deed opus "Something from Nothing" astatine his Electrical Audio workplace successful Chicago.