Richard Lawrence Kaplan, a 34-year resident of Malibu who owned Indigo Ranch recording studio, passed away on Nov. 9 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica after battling leukemia for four years.
Kaplan was the son of Benjamin Kaplan and Anne Oreck. Born on Feb. 10, 1946, Kaplan grew up in Burbank and attended John Burroughs High School (class of 1963) and later USC and Cal State Northridge, graduating with a degree in philosophy with minors in chemistry and physics. He taught photography at UCLA, but spent the majority of his career in the music business as an audio engineer and record producer.
Kaplan was an innovator of light-show technology and a founding partner of Nova Lighting in Minneapolis in the early ’70s. Richard then moved to England and worked as a lighting consultant and photographer for the Moody Blues. On return to the U.S., he partnered with Michael Pinder of Moody Blues to design and build Indigo Ranch, a recording studio in Malibu.
Kaplan served as a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Grammy engineering nominating judge for nine years. After selling Indigo Ranch, he continued his career as an independent engineer, producer and, recently, the creator of The Studio Rat with Stephen Couch. Kaplan’s last major project was reconstructing and editing tapes from the estate of Bing Crosby.
Kaplan later resided in Venice, Calif. and kept a second home in Yakima, Wash. He is survived by Julie (Bonser) Kaplan, his wife of 26 years; brother Dr. Michael Kaplan; half-sister Karena Pushnik; and many friends.
Tributes can be made to the Salvation Army of Santa Monica.