Producer Rick Rubin’s Magic of Sound

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — Rick Rubin is a healthy reminder of the danger in relying on superficial impressions.

He’s a bearish man with long, flowing hair, a bushy beard and ever-present dark sunglasses. See him at a club and you might be tempted to slip out, taking care not to tip over any motorcycles on the way.

Then you would have lost the chance to meet one of the top producers in the music business, who is up for a Grammy award next week in that category. He produced two of the five discs nominated for album of the year and contributed to another, each in completely different styles. He captured the country-pop of the Dixie Chicks and funky rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and produced one track of Justin Timberlake’s state-of-the-art dance-pop.

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