Rakesh “Rick” Parashar (1963–2014) was an American record producer, recording engineer, and musician who was a central figure in the 1990s Seattle grunge scene. Along with his brother Raj, he co-founded the legendary London Bridge Studio in Seattle in 1985. The studio quickly became the epicenter of the city’s burgeoning music scene, attracting some of the era’s most important bands and hosted the recording of many seminal grunge albums.
Parashar was known for producing multi-platinum records that helped define the sound of the decade, including Temple of the Dog’s self-titled album (1991), Pearl Jam’s Ten (1991), Alice in Chains’ Sap EP (1992) and the single “Would?” from Dirt and the Singles soundtrack (1992), as well as Blind Melon’s self-titled debut (1992) featuring “No Rain.”
In addition to his production work, Parashar was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who contributed piano, organ, and percussion to several tracks, including Pearl Jam’s “Black” and “Jeremy”.
Beyond the Seattle sound, Parashar continued to produce commercially successful rock albums. He earned a Grammy nomination for his work on Nickelback’s 2001 album Silver Side Up and also produced records for artists such as 3 Doors Down, Melissa Etheridge, and Bon Jovi.
Rick Parashar died at his Seattle home on August 14, 2014, at the age of 50, from a pulmonary embolism. While his name may not be as familiar as the bands he produced, his influence is preserved in the multi-platinum, genre-defining albums that became staples of the era.
