GARY POWELL (365 Word Bio)
GARY POWELL’S accomplishments read like a Who’s Who catalog of family entertainment with his productions having sold some 45 million albums across 69 countries with 147 album productions all produced in his Austin, Texas recording studio. His credits include scoring work, original songs and production as represented on Walt Disney’s storybook and song albums for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story I & II, Dinosaur and Pirates of the Caribbean. In Powell’s work with Walt Disney Records, five of his productions have gone Gold and two Platinum. He has also produced the entire catalog of albums and videos for national touring and recording children’s artist Joe Scruggs. In 1999, Powell won a Grammy nomination along with co-producer Ted Kryczko for their production of Disney’s A Bug’s Life Sing Along. In 2001 Gary Powell was awarded the Award of Distinction from the both the Communicator Awards and Videographer Awards for his video production of “Gary Powell Presents….,” a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions for A Bug’s Life Sing Along. Powell has won five Gold Parent’s Choice Awards and one Silver Parent’s Choice Award for his work as producer for Joe Scruggs. Joe’s First Video, another Powell production, has won the National Parenting Publication Award, is a California Video Award winner and has been honored at the USA Film Festival. Powell’s production of Joe Scruggs’ song Bahamas Pajamas won the 1996 Cable Ace Award for “Best Original Song”. In 2008, Powell received the Austin Toastmasters Achievement in Communications Award. Powell has also contributed songs and scoring for Russian-born, American-made comedian Yakov Smirnoff. After his seven-year tenure as a Music Specialist at the University of Texas at Austin which ended in 1992 Powell has continued to train singers and performers who are currently working professionally across the country including Broadway, Disney World, cruise ships, Hollywood and points in-between. In the Fall of 2012, Gary Powell rejoined the faculty full-time as Senior Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music heading the Music Industry Degree Plans: MUSIC BUSINESS AND MUSIC PRODUCTION. In 2016, Gary founded ELESVEE (Lone Star Voices) to continue training session singers and producers.
GARY POWELL (183 Word Bio)