Don Was
Encyclopedia
Don Was is an American musician
, bassist and record producer
.
. He graduated from Oak Park High School (Michigan)
in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan
at Ann Arbor
but dropped out after the first year. A journeyman
musician, he grew up listening to the Detroit blues
sound and the jazz
music of John Coltrane
and Miles Davis
.
Using the stage name
"Don Was", he formed the group Was (Not Was)
with school friend David Weiss (David Was
). The group found commercial success in the 1980s - releasing four albums and logging several hit records. A jazz/R&B album of Hank Williams covers, "Forever's A Long, Long Time" was released in 1996, under the name Orquestra Was. In 2008, Was (Not Was) reunited for an acclaimed new album and tour.
Don Was has earned his recognition as a record producer, and has recorded with an array of artists, including The Rolling Stones
, Bonnie Raitt
, Bob Dylan
, Ziggy Marley
, Bob Seger
, Al Green
, Garth Brooks
, Ringo Starr
, Iggy Pop
, Lyle Lovett
, Kris Kristofferson
, Joe Cocker
, Hootie and The Blowfish, Amos Lee
and Willie Nelson
to Elton John
, Stevie Nicks
, George Clinton
, Randy Newman
, The Black Crowes
, Carly Simon
, Travis Tritt
, Brian Wilson
, Jackson Browne
, The Barenaked Ladies, Old Crow Medicine Show
, Roy Orbison
, Waylon Jennings
, Jessi Colter
, Richie Sambora
, The Presidents of the United States of America
, B.B. King, Paul Westerberg
, Poison
, Cheb Khaled, The B-52's
, Zucchero
, Todd Snider
, Elizabeth Cook
, Jill Sobule
and Solomon Burke
. He has received multiple Grammy Awards including Producer of the Year in 1995. He produced several albums for Bonnie Raitt
including her Nick of Time
album that won the 1990 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
.
He served as music director
and/or consultant for several motion pictures such as Thelma and Louise
, The Rainmaker
, Hope Floats
, Phenomenon
, Tin Cup
, Honeymoon in Vegas
, 8 Seconds
, Switch
, The Freshman
, Days of Thunder
, Michael
, Prêt-à-Porter
, Boys on the Side
, Toy Story
and The Paper
.
In 1995, Don Was earned a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year
. In 1997, he directed and produced a documentary, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
, about former-Beach Boy Brian Wilson
. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival
and won the San Francisco Film Festival's Golden Gate Award. He also received the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Original Score in recognition of his compositions for the film Backbeat
.
Was, who is a fan of the Rolling Stones and saw them in concert when he was age 12 in 1964, worked on the remastered Rolling Stones's album Exile on Main Street that was released in May 2010. Was scoured old master recordings of the album for lost gems, remixing some songs while adding entirely new lyrics and tracks on songs.
In 2009, he began hosting a weekly radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio's Outlaw Country channel called The Motor City Hayride.
Was is the named Producer for a contest called,"Gimme The Gig", sponsored by Ford. He is To produce the winning band,"Perry Acker" from Gig Harbor Washington.
On one of American Idol's 2011 broadcasts Was worked with contestants Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, Paul McDonald, and Scotty McCreery.
drummer Tony Fagenson
and also Henry and Solomon Fagenson. He is the brother of public official Dr. Nancy Fagenson Potok, former Principal Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer of the US Census Bureau and currently Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs in the Obama Administration.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, bassist and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Life and career
Was was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He graduated from Oak Park High School (Michigan)
Oak Park High School (Michigan)
Oak Park High School is a public high school located in Oak Park, Michigan an inner suburb of Detroit. The school is part of the Oak Park School district...
in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
but dropped out after the first year. A journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
musician, he grew up listening to the Detroit blues
Detroit blues
Detroit blues is blues music played by musicians resident in Detroit, Michigan, particularly that played in the 1940s and 1950s. Detroit blues originated when Delta blues performers migrated north from the Mississippi Delta and Memphis, Tennessee to work in Detroit's industrial plants in the 1920s...
sound and the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music of John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
.
Using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
"Don Was", he formed the group Was (Not Was)
Was (Not Was)
-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Contributions:* A Christmas Record - "Christmas Time In The Motor City"* That's The Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk - "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues-Are"...
with school friend David Weiss (David Was
David Was
David Was is, with his stage-brother Don Was, the founder of the 1980s pop group, Was .Was was born in Detroit, Michigan...
). The group found commercial success in the 1980s - releasing four albums and logging several hit records. A jazz/R&B album of Hank Williams covers, "Forever's A Long, Long Time" was released in 1996, under the name Orquestra Was. In 2008, Was (Not Was) reunited for an acclaimed new album and tour.
Don Was has earned his recognition as a record producer, and has recorded with an array of artists, including The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Hootie and The Blowfish, Amos Lee
Amos Lee
Amos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...
and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
to Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt
James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...
, Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, The Barenaked Ladies, Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show is an old-time string band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country, in addition to old-time. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Jessi Colter
Jessi Colter
Jessi Colter is an American country music artist who is best known for her collaboration with her husband, country singer and songwriter Waylon Jennings and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "I'm Not Lisa"....
, Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
, The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
, B.B. King, Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
, Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, Cheb Khaled, The B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
, Zucchero
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
, Todd Snider
Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider is an American singer-songwriter with a musical style that combines Americana, alt-country, and folk.-Biography:...
, Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook
Elizabeth Cook is an American country music singer who made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry on March 17, 2000. She has released five albums to date. Balls was produced by Rodney Crowell, and nine of the album's 11 tracks were written or co-written by Elizabeth – including the single "Sometimes It...
, Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless...
and Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
. He has received multiple Grammy Awards including Producer of the Year in 1995. He produced several albums for Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
including her Nick of Time
Nick of Time (album)
Or the American 1995 thriller film by the same name, Nick of TimeNick of Time is the tenth blues rock album by Bonnie Raitt, released on March 21, 1989....
album that won the 1990 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
.
He served as music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and/or consultant for several motion pictures such as Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise
Thelma & Louise is a 1991 film co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri, the film's plot revolves around Thelma and Louise's escape from their troubled and caged lives. It stars Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, and co-stars Harvey Keitel as a...
, The Rainmaker
The Rainmaker (1997 film)
The Rainmaker is a 1997 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon. Coppola wrote the script, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham....
, Hope Floats
Hope Floats
Hope Floats is a 1998 American romantic drama film directed by Forest Whitaker, and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr. and Gena Rowlands....
, Phenomenon
Phenomenon (film)
Phenomenon is a 1996 romantic fantasy-drama film written by Gerald Di Pego, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall....
, Tin Cup
Tin Cup
Tin Cup is a 1996 romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton, and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo with Cheech Marin and Don Johnson in major supporting roles.-Synopsis:...
, Honeymoon in Vegas
Honeymoon in Vegas
Honeymoon in Vegas is a 1992 comedy film directed by Andrew Bergman and starring Nicolas Cage, James Caan and Sarah Jessica Parker.-Plot:...
, 8 Seconds
8 Seconds
8 Seconds is a 1994 biographical film about American rodeo legend and world bull riding champion Lane Frost. It details his life from his youth learning how to ride bulls, until his death in 1989. It was directed by John G...
, Switch
Switch
In electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another....
, The Freshman
The Freshman (1990 film)
The Freshman is a 1990 American crime comedy film starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, in which Brando parodies his portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather....
, Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
, Michael
Michael (1996 film)
Michael is a 1996 American fantasy film directed by Nora Ephron and released in 1996. The film stars John Travolta as the Archangel Michael, who is sent to Earth to do various tasks, including mending some wounded hearts...
, Prêt-à-Porter
Prêt-à-Porter (film)
Prêt-à-Porter is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers...
, Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side
Boys on the Side is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross . It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip...
, Toy Story
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
and The Paper
The Paper
The Paper is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, and Glenn Close. The film depicts 24 hours in a newspaper editor's professional and personal life.-Plot:...
.
In 1995, Don Was earned a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year
Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The award had several minor name changes:*from 1975 to 1977, the award was known as Best Producer of the Year...
. In 1997, he directed and produced a documentary, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
-Chart performance:I Just Wasn't Made for These Times reached #59 on the UK album charts. It did not chart in the U.S....
, about former-Beach Boy Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and won the San Francisco Film Festival's Golden Gate Award. He also received the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Original Score in recognition of his compositions for the film Backbeat
Backbeat (film)
Backbeat is a 1994 British-German drama film directed by Iain Softley. It chronicles the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. The film focuses primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon , and also with Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr...
.
Was, who is a fan of the Rolling Stones and saw them in concert when he was age 12 in 1964, worked on the remastered Rolling Stones's album Exile on Main Street that was released in May 2010. Was scoured old master recordings of the album for lost gems, remixing some songs while adding entirely new lyrics and tracks on songs.
In 2009, he began hosting a weekly radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio's Outlaw Country channel called The Motor City Hayride.
Was is the named Producer for a contest called,"Gimme The Gig", sponsored by Ford. He is To produce the winning band,"Perry Acker" from Gig Harbor Washington.
On one of American Idol's 2011 broadcasts Was worked with contestants Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, Paul McDonald, and Scotty McCreery.
Personal life
Don is the father of Eve 6Eve 6
Eve 6 is an American rock band from Southern California, who are most well known for their hit singles "Inside Out", "Leech", and the slow anthem "Here's to the Night". They disbanded in 2004, returned in 2007 with a new lineup, and finally reunited with all three original members in March 2011...
drummer Tony Fagenson
Tony Fagenson
Tony Fagenson is the drummer for rock band Eve 6. He was attending the University of Southern California and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity when he auditioned with Eve 6. At that time, singer Max Collins and guitarist Jon Siebels were looking for a replacement drummer...
and also Henry and Solomon Fagenson. He is the brother of public official Dr. Nancy Fagenson Potok, former Principal Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer of the US Census Bureau and currently Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs in the Obama Administration.
Selected discography
- 1985: Spoiled GirlSpoiled GirlSpoiled Girl is the 12th studio album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released in 1985.The album was recorded with a variety of producers in New York. It was Simon's only album for Epic Records, and peaked at #88 on the U.S...
- Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
(producer) - 1989: Nick of TimeNick of Time (album)Or the American 1995 thriller film by the same name, Nick of TimeNick of Time is the tenth blues rock album by Bonnie Raitt, released on March 21, 1989....
- Bonnie RaittBonnie RaittBonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
(keyboards, producer) - 1989: Cosmic ThingCosmic ThingCosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by New Wave band The B-52's, released in 1989. It contains the singles "Love Shack" and "Roam", which remain two of their most popular tunes...
- The B-52s (producer) - 1990: Take it to Heart - Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
(programming, producer, synthesizer, sequencing, synthesizer programming) - 1990: Brick by BrickBrick by BrickBrick by Brick is an album released in June 1990 by the American singer Iggy Pop. After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired longtime Stooges fan Don Was as producer, who would later produce Avenue B, and opted for a hard-rock sound...
- Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
(producer) - 1990: Under the Red SkyUnder the Red SkyUnder the Red Sky is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 27th studio album, released by Columbia Records in September 1990.The album was largely greeted as a strange and disappointing follow-up to 1989's critically acclaimed Oh Mercy...
- Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
(bass, producer) - 1991: Death Tongue - Wayne KramerWayne Kramer (guitarist)Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
(producer) - 1991: Luck of the DrawLuck of the Draw (album)Luck of the Draw is the eleventh album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1991 . After being nominated for Grammy awards in four different categories for the album Nick of Time, Raitt went for a creative retreat in Northern California to begin work on Luck of the Draw. "I did it on purpose to see if I...
- Bonnie Raitt (producer) - 1991: The Fire InsideThe Fire Inside-Personnel:*Bob Seger - electric guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals, choir, chorus, harmony vocals*Kenny Aronoff - drums*Sweet Pea Atkinson - background vocals*Eddie Bayers - drums*Barry Beckett- synthesizer*Roy Bittan - piano*Sir Harry Bowens - background vocals...
- Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
(bass, producer) - 1992: Arkansas TravelerArkansas Traveler (Michelle Shocked album)Arkansas Traveler is an alternative folk album released by American singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked in 1992. Her fourth album for Mercury Records, the songs focused around the roots of her music...
- Michelle ShockedMichelle ShockedMichelle Shocked is the stage name of Michelle Karen Johnston, an American singer-songwriter.-History:Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe, particularly Britain, with her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes .Her first U.S...
(producer) - 1992: Time Takes TimeTime Takes TimeAlthough the booklet's credits include the statement "Tom Petty appears courtesy of MCA Records," Petty is not listed as a player or vocalist on any of the booklet's track-by-track personnel listings.-Personnel:...
- Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
(producer) - 1992: Good StuffGood StuffGood Stuff is the sixth studio album by New Wave band The B-52s, released in 1992. This is the first B-52s album in which vocalist Cindy Wilson does not appear, though she rejoined some years later....
- The B-52s (producer) - 1992: Strange Weather - Glenn FreyGlenn FreyGlenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
(producer) - 1992: King of Hearts - Roy OrbisonRoy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
(producer, Hammond organ, background vocals) - 1993: Across the BorderlineAcross the BorderlineAcross the Borderline is a 1993 album by Willie Nelson. It was produced by Don Was, Paul Simon, and Roy Halee. It includes songs written by Paul Simon, John Hiatt, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, and Nelson himself...
- Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
(producer) - 1993: Thousand RoadsThousand RoadsThousand Roads is the third solo album released by David Crosby, a founding member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was released in 1993 .-Track listing:#"Hero" – 4:39...
- David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
(producer) - 1993: I'm Alive - Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
(producer) - 1994: Longing in Their HeartsLonging in Their HeartsLonging in Their Hearts is the twelfth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1994 . The album contained the mainstream pop hit, "Love Sneakin' up on You," which reached #19 on the Billboard singles chart.-Track listing:...
- Bonnie Raitt (bass, producer) - 1994: Voodoo LoungeVoodoo LoungeVoodoo Lounge is the 20th British and 22nd American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989...
- The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
(producer) - 1995: The Road Goes on Forever - The HighwaymenThe Highwaymen (country supergroup)The Highwaymen were an American supergroup comprising four country music artists well known for, among other things, their involvement and pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson...
(producer) - 1995: MTV UnpluggedMTV Unplugged (Bob Dylan album)MTV Unplugged is a live album by Bob Dylan, released in 1995 by Columbia Records . It documents Dylan's appearance on the then-highly popular MTV Unplugged television series, recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York on November 17, 1994 and November 18, 1994...
- Bob Dylan (mixing) - 1995: I Just Wasn't Made for These TimesI Just Wasn't Made for These Times-Chart performance:I Just Wasn't Made for These Times reached #59 on the UK album charts. It did not chart in the U.S....
- Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
(producer) - 1995: Road TestedRoad TestedRoad Tested is a live album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1995 .-Track listing:#"Thing Called Love" – 4:48#"Three Time Loser" – 3:39#"Love Letter" – 4:37...
- Bonnie Raitt (producer) - 1995: Stripped - The Rolling Stones (producer)
- 1996: The Restless KindThe Restless KindThe Restless Kind is the American artist Travis Tritt's fifth album, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1996. The tracks "More Than You'll Ever Know", "Helping Me Get over You" , "She's Going Home with Me", and "Where Corn Don't Grow" were released as singles, all peaking in the Top 40 on the...
- Travis TrittTravis TrittJames Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...
(producer) - 1997: Bridges to BabylonBridges to BabylonBridges to Babylon is a studio album by British rock band The Rolling Stones, released by Virgin Records on 29 September 1997. It would prove to be the band's final studio album of the 1990s and their last full-length release of new songs until 2005's A Bigger Bang...
- The Rolling Stones (bass, keyboards, executive producer, producer, Wurlitzer) - 1997: Undiscovered SoulUndiscovered Soul-1997 Japanese Version:This version contains a slightly different running order and alternate versions of songs.# "Made in America" – 5:48# "Hard Times Come Easy" – 4:35# "Fallen from Graceland" – 6:48...
- Richie SamboraRichie SamboraRichard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
(producer) - 1999: Suicaine GratifactionSuicaine GratifactionSuicaine Gratifaction is the third solo album from former The Replacements leader Paul Westerberg.Co-producer Don Was had admired Westerberg for years. He used Westerberg's solo debut, 14 Songs, as daily inspiration while producing the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge...
- Paul WesterbergPaul WesterbergPaul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
(producer) - 1999: Spirit of MusicSpirit Of MusicSpirit of Music is a 1999 studio album by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.-Track listing:#Keep My Faith#We Are One#Beautiful Day#Gone Away#You Got My Love #Higher Vibration#All I Need#One Good Spliff#Let It Go...
- Ziggy MarleyZiggy MarleyDavid "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
(producer) - 1999: Avenue BAvenue B (album)-Personnel:*Iggy Pop - guitar, vocals*Peter Marshal - guitar*Lenny Castro - percussion*Hal Cragin - bass*David Mansfield - violin*John Medeski - Hammond organ, wurlitzer*Larry Mullins - drums, tabla, vibraphone, treated 808*Billy Martin - drums...
- Iggy Pop (producer) - 1999: In the Life of Chris GainesGreatest Hits (Chris Gaines album)Greatest Hits, also titled Garth Brooks in.... The Life of Chris Gaines, is part of the alter ego project of American country music artist Garth Brooks, in which Brooks assumes the fictitious persona of alternative rock artist Chris Gaines...
- Garth BrooksGarth BrooksTroyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
(producer) - 2000: Maroon - Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
(producer) - 2001: LionsLions (album)Lions is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released in 2001 as their first album on V2 Records following their departure from Columbia, and is their only studio album to feature guitarist Audley Freed. Lions was recorded in New York City in January and February...
- The Black CrowesThe Black CrowesThe Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
(bass, producer, mixing) - 2003: Hootie & the BlowfishHootie & the Blowfish (album)Hootie & the Blowfish is the fourth studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on March 4, 2003.-Track listing:#"Deeper Side"#"Little Brother"#"Innocence"#"Space"#"I'll Come Runnin'"#"Tears Fall Down"#"The Rain Song"...
- Hootie & the BlowfishHootie & the BlowfishHootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
(producer) - 2004: Live LicksLive LicksLive Licks is a double live album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 2004. Coming six years after No Security, this seventh official Rolling Stones full-length live release captures performances from the band's year-long 2002–2003 Licks Tour in support of their career-spanning retrospective...
- The Rolling Stones (producer) - 2005: Countryman - Willie Nelson (producer)
- 2005: A Bigger BangA Bigger BangA Bigger Bang is the 22nd British and 24th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on Virgin Records in September 2005. It is a follow-up to their previous full-length studio album Bridges to Babylon from 1997, that gap of eight years the longest between studio albums of the band's...
- The Rolling Stones (producer, piano) - 2006: This Old RoadThis Old RoadThis Old Road is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 2006 on New West Records. The underlying theme of the record is a retrospective and reflective look at what Kristofferson deems to have been important elements of his life....
- Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
(producer, piano, acoustic and upright bass) - 2008: Last Days at the LodgeLast Days at the LodgeLast Days at the Lodge is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Amos Lee, released on June 24, 2008 through Blue Note. The first single from the album, "Listen", was made available as a digital download on the iTunes Store on April 29, 2008....
- Amos LeeAmos LeeAmos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...
(producer) - 2008: Tennessee PusherTennessee PusherTennessee Pusher is an album by folk/country/old time band Old Crow Medicine Show. Released on September 23, 2008, the album was produced by Don Was...
- Old Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine Show is an old-time string band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country, in addition to old-time. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs...
(producer) - 2009: The Excitement Plan - Todd SniderTodd SniderTodd Daniel Snider is an American singer-songwriter with a musical style that combines Americana, alt-country, and folk.-Biography:...
(producer) - 2009: Closer to the BoneCloser to the BoneCloser to the Bone is the twentieth studio album by Kris Kristofferson. The album was released on September 29, 2009 on the New West record label. Kristofferson has said: Closer to the Bone is a reflective album...
- Kris Kristofferson (producer) - 2010: Y NotY Not-Reception:Reviews for Y Not were mostly mixed. Review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a score out of 100 based on critic ratings, rated the album 60 out of 100, based on 11 reviews...
- Ringo Starr (bass) - 2010: Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots (album)Stone Temple Pilots is the sixth studio album by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released worldwide from May 21 through May 27, 2010, and is the band's first album since Shangri-La Dee Da . The album is the result of the band's reunion, which occurred in April 2008...
- Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
(producer) - 2010: The Union - Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
/Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
(bass) - 2011: BlessedBlessed (Lucinda Williams album)- Blessed deluxe version :...
- Lucinda WilliamsLucinda WilliamsLucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
(producer)