JT Asylum Productions
The Tree House
Williamsburg, VA
757 | 229-2322

"I first met John Tracy in 1971 when he played bass on an album "Live it Live" recorded at IBC studios in London. Over 30 years we have worked successfully together on album projects, theatre productions and have collaborated on writing songs. John is a class act".

David Mackay
Record Producer & Composer
Woldingham, Surrey, England

“John has been a friend and colleague for decades. His talents as a musician allow him to bring out the best in everyone that works with him...His help in the production of the CBS Jamestown 400 Special was invaluable.”

John Gonzalez
Director

About JT

When I was 10 years old, my mother believed that I should have some formal music education to help me develop an appreciation for the arts. She dusted off her old violin and sent me off to elementary school beginning strings class. Little did she realize, she was sending me on a journey that would change my life forever.

Since then I’ve become a multi-instrument musician, singer, songwriter, recording engineer, and producer. I’ve had the honor of performing and recording in over 20 countries around the world, from a clearing in the jungles of The Rift Valley in Kenya for a tribe of Masai Warriors (as part of a Jack Parr TV special), to concerts at Royal Albert Hall in London, The Olympia Theater in Paris, and The White House.

I was fortunate to have the experience of working with some of the finest talents in the industry:

Hank Cicalo Recording Engineer (The Monkees, Carole King, George Harrison) Robert William Scott Producer and Composer of “Taste of Honey” and “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” Herb Allen Award winning composer, musician, producer, and musical director of the internationally known show “Up With People” Charlie Green Producer (Iron Butterfly and Buffalo Springfield) Dave Mackay Award winning Composer and Producer of such hits as “It’s A Heartache” for Bonnie Tyler, and “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” for The New Seekers Tom Scott Grammy Award winning Composer, Conductor, and Sax player Bruce Hornsby Grammy Award winning Pianist, Singer, and Song Writer (I played fiddle on Bruce’s song “Big Stick”, which was featured in the Kevin Costner movie “Tin Cup”) John Gonzalez Emmy award winning TV director for NBC Sports

Working with such inspirational people fueled my desire to learn everything I could about recording and bringing musical ideas to life.

In the summer of 2005, award winning songwriter and producer Ken Ashby of Prosody Creative Services asked me to put together a state of the art recording studio in Williamsburg, VA, where the company could record and produce the music of America’s 400th Anniversary.

From the fall of 2005, until December of 2007, artists and writers from all over the country came and recorded at the PCS studios. In the spring of 2006, Dave Mackay made a special trip to Williamsburg from his home in England, to record and produce the recording of “Ba-baaah and The Windigo”, a musical play which was written for Prosody Creative Services by Virginia Playwright Robert Ruffin of Virginia Premier Theatre.

Virginia Premier Theatre is the theater company in residence of the Kimball Theater in Colonial Williamsburg. Since 2006, I’ve had the honor of being the resident composer, musical director, and recording engineer for Virginia Premier Theater. In 2006, I wrote, recorded, and produced the music for Robert Ruffin’s original musical comedy “Winning Liberty Land”, which had been commissioned by Colonial Williamsburg for the Jamestown 2007 celebrations.

In 2007, I was asked to write and record the musical soundtracks for two more Virginia Premier Theatre productions, “Smith, Being the Life and Death of Cap’n John” by Ivor Noel Hume, and “The Gift of The Magi” by Robert Ruffin.

In May of 2007, I had the good fortune to work as Musical Assistant to Emmy Award winning TV Director John Gonzalez, for the filming of the CBS syndicated TV special “America’s 400th Anniversary”. The special was aired from Memorial Day Through Labor Day, and seen by millions of people nationwide.

Included in the special were performances by Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Scaggs Chaka Kahn, a 1607 voice choir, a 400 piece symphony orchestra, musical groups from Africa and Europe, and an appearance by President George W. Bush during the final day’s festivities.

As of January 2008, thanks in large part to my wife and partner of 28 years Jill, the studio has a new home, The Tree House, and a new name, JT Asylum Productions. Although “Asylum” may conjure up unsavory images to some, to me it is “a place of refuge and comfort and security”. Ever since my mother sent me off to my first violin class, music has been my refuge and comfort, as well as my passion.

If you’d like to experience a passion for music and creativity, give me a call, or drop me a line. You’ll be glad you did.

- John Tracy