REFERENCE RECORDINGS records and manufactures award winning, ultimate quality CDs, SACDs, and 200 gram Reference Mastercuts LPs. We offer recordings from many of the finest classical, jazz, blues and world music artists. The RR team believes that how a recording sounds is as important as the music itself. Our goal is to make your listening experience “The Best Seat in the House.”
After 36 years as President and chief executive at Reference Recordings, founder John Tamblyn (“Tam”) Henderson stepped down from day to day operations in 2012. He continues consulting on important decisions and directs operations of the label’s LP division, Reference Mastercuts.
Marcia Martin, his partner and Vice-President for over 30 years, took the helm as Executive Director and Managing Director of day to day operations in 2012. Martin’s role as RR’s business and finance manager has been and will continue to be vital to the label’s growth and stability. She has strategically positioned RR as one of the few American labels recording and releasing full-price productions of top-flight American orchestras, with a special emphasis on audiophile sound and formats.
Keith O. Johnson has been a pioneer for sound recording and engineering for more than 50 years. He continues as Technical Director, engineering and mastering RR’s critically acclaimed, award winning classical, jazz and blues releases.
Vital to RR’s technical work is second-generation RR team member Sean Martin: digitally capturing all RR’s sessions, editing and mastering releases and keeping RR in the forefront of digital advancements. Tech industry veteran JoAnn Nunes works with husband Sean on editing and session logistics. She is also RR’s art director and graphic designer.
Reference Recordings is pleased to work with Victor Ledin and Marina A. Ledin, in a strong collaboration to assist in signing classical artists and with repertoire decisions. RR benefits from their extensive music industry experience, including fresh ideas on production and label management. GRAMMY®-winning producers, the Ledins have produced and edited several of Reference Recordings’ recent releases, and will continue in that capacity for the future.
RR veteran, Janice Mancuso, after many years at Reference Recordings’ headquarters in California as Sales and Marketing Director for the label, has returned to her beloved Portland, OR. She will be increasing the number of “Prof. Johnson” recordings and releases and emphasizing high end formats, both physical and digital. Ms. Mancuso will continue handling media relations for Reference Recordings. In addition, as A & R Director for RR’s non-classical releases, she will work on licensing releases, producing recordings and broadening offerings of Blues, Roots and World music.
Audio industry and e-commerce professional Ric Mancuso (Triad Speakers, Spica & Monster) also is part of the RR team, working on special sales programs and industrial relations.
Rosebrook Classical‘s David Weuste is also a part of the RR team managing the social and digital media as well as the new Reference Recordings website.
After interning with RR for almost ten years, Keith and Marcia’s son Marcus Johnson formally joined RR in 2020 as RR’s business administrator and new release coordinator. He manages inventory, sales, databases, record-keeping, royalties, internal metadata, and more.