Music engineer and producer Henry Lewy died April 8 in Prescott, Ariz. He was 79.

Lewy worked on 13 albums with Joni Mitchell, as well as engineering and producting albums by Neil YoungNeil Young, The Flying Burrito Bros., Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen and Joan Baez.

Born in Germany, Lewy began his career in the early 1950s as a d.j. and engineer at radio stations in San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. After a stint in South America working on the Dancing Waters show and a tour with the circus, he returned to L.A. in 1959 and began working at Electrovox studios. He moved to Liberty Records, where he helped engineer the original Chipmunks sessions, and then worked as a freelancer on albums by artists including Jackie DeShannon and Leon Russell.

At the United & Western studio, he worked on albums by the Mamas and Papas and Johnny Rivers, and then on the first Crosby, Stills & Nash album. Crosby introduced him to Joni Mitchell, and he started working with the singer on her second album "Clouds," where he became an important part of her explorations of various musical styles.

He is survived by a sister.