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Don Was

April 10, 2024

Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was (/wʌz/), is an American musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as president of the American jazz label Blue Note Records.

Don Was
Don Was Nashville, Tennessee (2010)
Background information
Birth nameDon Edward Fagenson
Born (1952-09-13) September 13, 1952 (age 71)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • producer
  • record executive
Instrument(s)
  • Bass guitar
  • guitar
  • vocals
  • piano
Years active1971–present
Member ofWolf Bros
Formerly ofWas (Not Was)

For his work as a record producer, he has won six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 1989 for Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time and Producer of the Year in 1994. In 1995 he produced and directed a documentary about the life of Brian Wilson, I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, that won the San Francisco Film Festival's Golden Gate Award. As a film composer, he won the 1994 British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Original Score in recognition of his work on the film Backbeat. He won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on the CBS TV special The Beatles: The Night That Changed America.

Records that he has produced have sold close to 100 million albums for a wide range of artists including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Wayne Shorter, Kris Kristofferson, Iggy Pop, The B-52s, Brian Wilson, Elton John, Garth Brooks and Ryan Adams.

Primarily known as a bassist, he has toured as a member of Bob Weir and The Wolf Bros since 2018.

Life and career edit

Born in Detroit,[1] Was graduated from Oak Park High School 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, amongst many others. As a teenager, Was was influenced by 1960s counterculture, most notably John Sinclair.

In high school, Was became the lead singer and guitar player in a Detroit rock band called the Saturns.

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. Their biggest hit was "Walk the Dinosaur", from their album What up, Dog? A jazz/R&B album of Hank Williams covers, "Forever's A Long, Long Time" was released in 1997, under the name Orquestra Was. In 2008, Was (Not Was) reunited for a new album titled Boo! and tour.

Was has received six Grammy Awards including the 1994 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.[2][3] He produced several albums for Bonnie Raitt including her Nick of Time album that won the 1989 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.[2] Don also collaborated with co-producer Ziggy Marley, on Family Time, winner of 2009's Best Musical Album For Children.[2] He produced the Rolling Stones' 2016 album Blue and Lonesome, which won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues album.

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, 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 International 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, a longtime Rolling Stones fan who saw them in concert when he was 12 in 1964, has produced for the band since 1994, working on their albums Voodoo Lounge, Stripped, Bridges to Babylon, Forty Licks, Live Licks, A Bigger Bang, Blue & Lonesome and Hackney Diamonds. He also worked on the Rolling Stones' reissues of Exile on Main Street, released in May 2010, and of Some Girls released in October 2011. Was scoured old master recordings of the albums for lost outtakes, remastering some songs while producing entirely new vocals and tracks on others.[4]

Was also produced the B-52's 1989 album Cosmic Thing, which included their hit "Love Shack".

Since 2008, Was has hosted the proceedings (and led the house band) at the Detroit All-Star Revue, an annual showcase of local acts from the Detroit music scene.[5]

From 2009 to 2012, Don hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio's Outlaw Country channel called The Motor City Hayride.[6] During the 2011 season of American Idol, Was appeared in several episodes producing contestants Haley Reinhart, Scotty McCreery, Paul McDonald, Lauren Alaina and Casey Abrams.

In January 2012, he was appointed president of the jazz record label, Blue Note Records in succession to Bruce Lundvall.[7]

He won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on the CBS TV special The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles.

On November 18, 2015, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., he led the house band that performed at a concert celebrating Willie Nelson, recipient of the 2015 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.[8]

In 2018, Was joined former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Jay Lane to form Wolf Bros, a trio which undertook a North American tour in the fall of 2018,[9] and continued with a second tour of twenty more shows in the spring of 2019.[10][11]

On April 16, 2021, Was debuted a new radio show, the Don Was Motor City Playlist on WDET-FM, Detroit's NPR station, with co-host Ann Delisi.[12]

Was played bass on the 2021 Bob Dylan recordings of "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "The Times They Are A-Changin' (song)," "Simple Twist of Fate," "Gotta Serve Somebody," and "Not Dark Yet" produced by T-Bone Burnett and recorded and mixed by Michael Piersante for a one-time sale as Ionic Originals.[13]

In 2023, it was announced that Was would join former Dead & Company members Weir, Lane, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge and Mickey Hart as part of Dead Ahead, a four-day festival in Cancún, Mexico in early 2024.[14]

Personal life edit

Was is the son of World War II veteran and Bronze Star Medal awardee Bill Fagenson, who served with the 96th Infantry, 381st Regiment. Was's sister is Nancy Potok, former Chief Statistician of the United States.[15][16]

Was is married to former Virgin Records A&R executive and video director Gemma Corfield, and they have three sons who are also musicians—Tony, who played in Eve 6, Henry who plays in Thumpasaurus and Justin Jay's Fantastic Voyage, and Solomon who has played in Leven Kali and Felly.

Selected discography edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Don Was – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Grammy Award Past Winners Search – Don Was". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  3. ^ Harrington, Richard (August 26, 1995). "Brian Wilson's Sensational Safari". The Washington Post. p. D.01. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  4. ^ "Don Was Revisits 'Exile On Main Street'". Npr.org. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  5. ^ DeVito, Lee (July 8, 2015). "Get Your Mojo Working". Detroit Metro Times. 35 (39). Euclid Media: 58. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Don Was Joins Sirius XM for Show". AllAccess.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  7. ^ Chinen, Nate (May 2, 2012). "Exuberance Is Just One of His Skills". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  8. ^ Thanki, Juli (November 18, 2015). "Willie Nelson saluted by Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson, more". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "Bob Weir & Wolf Bros. Announce Fall Tour". jambase.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  10. ^ "Bob Weir & Wolf Bros Confirm Spring Tour 2019". Jambase.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Paul, Alan. "Bob Weir: For the Veteran Grateful Dead guitarist, retiring is not an option". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Don Was Motor City Playlist » WDET 101.9 FM". October 14, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Three Bob Dylan Re-Recordings to Go Up for Private Sale Via Christie's: 'Simple Twist of Fate,' 'Gotta Serve Somebody,' 'Masters of War' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  14. ^ "Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi & More To Go Dead Ahead At New Destination Event In Mexico". Jambase.com. September 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Muskovitz, Alan (November 7, 2017). . The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  16. ^ Laderman, Linda (August 24, 2015). . Detroit Legal News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  17. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (September 6, 2023). "I've heard Hackney Diamonds. It's the best Rolling Stones album since 1978". Music. The Times. News Corp. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved October 31, 2023.

External links edit

April 10, 2024
edward, fagenson, born, september, 1952, known, professionally, american, musician, record, producer, music, director, film, composer, documentary, filmmaker, radio, host, since, 2011, also, served, president, american, jazz, label, blue, note, records, nashvi. Don Edward Fagenson born September 13 1952 known professionally as Don Was w ʌ z is an American musician record producer music director film composer documentary filmmaker and radio host Since 2011 he has also served as president of the American jazz label Blue Note Records Don WasDon Was Nashville Tennessee 2010 Background informationBirth nameDon Edward FagensonBorn 1952 09 13 September 13 1952 age 71 Detroit Michigan U S GenresRocknew wavebluesOccupation s Musicianproducerrecord executiveInstrument s Bass guitarguitarvocalspianoYears active1971 presentMember ofWolf BrosFormerly ofWas Not Was For his work as a record producer he has won six Grammy Awards including Album of the Year in 1989 for Bonnie Raitt s Nick of Time and Producer of the Year in 1994 In 1995 he produced and directed a documentary about the life of Brian Wilson I Just Wasn t Made for These Times that won the San Francisco Film Festival s Golden Gate Award As a film composer he won the 1994 British Academy Award BAFTA for Best Original Score in recognition of his work on the film Backbeat He won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on the CBS TV special The Beatles The Night That Changed America Records that he has produced have sold close to 100 million albums for a wide range of artists including The Rolling Stones Bob Dylan Willie Nelson John Mayer Wayne Shorter Kris Kristofferson Iggy Pop The B 52s Brian Wilson Elton John Garth Brooks and Ryan Adams Primarily known as a bassist he has toured as a member of Bob Weir and The Wolf Bros since 2018 Contents 1 Life and career 2 Personal life 3 Selected discography 4 References 5 External linksLife and career editBorn in Detroit 1 Was graduated from Oak Park High School 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 amongst many others As a teenager Was was influenced by 1960s counterculture most notably John Sinclair In high school Was became the lead singer and guitar player in a Detroit rock band called the Saturns 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 Their biggest hit was Walk the Dinosaur from their album What up Dog A jazz R amp B album of Hank Williams covers Forever s A Long Long Time was released in 1997 under the name Orquestra Was In 2008 Was Not Was reunited for a new album titled Boo and tour Was has received six Grammy Awards including the 1994 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year 2 3 He produced several albums for Bonnie Raitt including her Nick of Time album that won the 1989 Grammy Award for Album of the Year 2 Don also collaborated with co producer Ziggy Marley on Family Time winner of 2009 s Best Musical Album For Children 2 He produced the Rolling Stones 2016 album Blue and Lonesome which won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues album 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 Pret a Porter Boys on the Side Toy Story and The Paper In 1995 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 International 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 a longtime Rolling Stones fan who saw them in concert when he was 12 in 1964 has produced for the band since 1994 working on their albums Voodoo Lounge Stripped Bridges to Babylon Forty Licks Live Licks A Bigger Bang Blue amp Lonesome and Hackney Diamonds He also worked on the Rolling Stones reissues of Exile on Main Street released in May 2010 and of Some Girls released in October 2011 Was scoured old master recordings of the albums for lost outtakes remastering some songs while producing entirely new vocals and tracks on others 4 Was also produced the B 52 s 1989 album Cosmic Thing which included their hit Love Shack Since 2008 Was has hosted the proceedings and led the house band at the Detroit All Star Revue an annual showcase of local acts from the Detroit music scene 5 From 2009 to 2012 Don hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio s Outlaw Country channel called The Motor City Hayride 6 During the 2011 season of American Idol Was appeared in several episodes producing contestants Haley Reinhart Scotty McCreery Paul McDonald Lauren Alaina and Casey Abrams In January 2012 he was appointed president of the jazz record label Blue Note Records in succession to Bruce Lundvall 7 He won the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on the CBS TV special The Night That Changed America A Grammy Salute to the Beatles On November 18 2015 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D C he led the house band that performed at a concert celebrating Willie Nelson recipient of the 2015 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song 8 In 2018 Was joined former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Jay Lane to form Wolf Bros a trio which undertook a North American tour in the fall of 2018 9 and continued with a second tour of twenty more shows in the spring of 2019 10 11 On April 16 2021 Was debuted a new radio show the Don Was Motor City Playlist on WDET FM Detroit s NPR station with co host Ann Delisi 12 Was played bass on the 2021 Bob Dylan recordings of Blowin in the Wind Masters of War The Times They Are A Changin song Simple Twist of Fate Gotta Serve Somebody and Not Dark Yet produced by T Bone Burnett and recorded and mixed by Michael Piersante for a one time sale as Ionic Originals 13 In 2023 it was announced that Was would join former Dead amp Company members Weir Lane Jeff Chimenti Oteil Burbridge and Mickey Hart as part of Dead Ahead a four day festival in Cancun Mexico in early 2024 14 Personal life editWas is the son of World War II veteran and Bronze Star Medal awardee Bill Fagenson who served with the 96th Infantry 381st Regiment Was s sister is Nancy Potok former Chief Statistician of the United States 15 16 Was is married to former Virgin Records A amp R executive and video director Gemma Corfield and they have three sons who are also musicians Tony who played in Eve 6 Henry who plays in Thumpasaurus and Justin Jay s Fantastic Voyage and Solomon who has played in Leven Kali and Felly Selected discography edit1981 Was Not Was Was Not Was bass synthesizer vocals producer 1982 The Beat Goes On Orbit featuring Carol Hall co producer 1983 Born to Laugh at Tornadoes Was Not Was producer bass keyboards engineer 1984 Breathless Figures on a Beach producer 1984 Into the Hot Floy Joy producer 1985 Spoiled Girl Carly Simon producer 1985 TV Scene Linda Di Franco producer 1986 Weak in the Presence of Beauty Floy Joy producer 1986 Madness of It All The Ward Brothers producer 1986 Cross That Bridge The Ward Brothers producer 1988 What Up Dog Was Not Was producer engineer bass guitar keyboards 1989 Nick of Time Bonnie Raitt keyboards producer 1989 Cosmic Thing The B 52s producer 1990 Take It to Heart Michael McDonald programming producer synthesizer sequencing synthesizer programming 1990 Brick by Brick Iggy Pop producer 1990 Under the Red Sky Bob Dylan bass producer 1990 To Be Continued Elton John producer 1991 Khaled Khaled producer bass keyboards 1991 Are You Okay Was Not Was producer bass engineer guitar vocals 1991 Luck of the Draw Bonnie Raitt producer 1991 The Fire Inside Bob Seger bass producer 1992 Kirya Ofra Haza producer 1992 Arkansas Traveler Michelle Shocked producer 1992 Time Takes Time Ringo Starr producer 1992 Good Stuff The B 52s producer 1992 Read My Lips A Thousand Points of Night one off side project alias 1992 Strange Weather Glenn Frey producer 1992 King of Hearts Roy Orbison producer organ background vocals 1992 Never Been Rocked Enough Delbert McClinton producer 1993 Across the Borderline Willie Nelson producer 1993 Thousand Roads David Crosby producer 1993 I m Alive Jackson Browne producer 1994 Longing in Their Hearts Bonnie Raitt double bass on track 5 producer 1994 Voodoo Lounge The Rolling Stones producer 1994 Waymore s Blues Part II Waylon Jennings producer and bass 1995 The Road Goes on Forever The Highwaymen producer 1995 MTV Unplugged Bob Dylan mixing 1995 I Just Wasn t Made for These Times Brian Wilson producer 1995 Road Tested Bonnie Raitt producer 1995 Stripped The Rolling Stones producer organ 1996 The Restless Kind Travis Tritt producer 1996 Organic Joe Cocker producer 1996 El Equilibrio de los Jaguares Jaguares producer 1997 Bridges to Babylon The Rolling Stones bass keyboards executive producer producer piano 1997 The Mommyheads The Mommyheads co producer 1998 Undiscovered Soul Richie Sambora producer 1999 Suicaine Gratifaction Paul Westerberg producer 1999 Spirit of Music Ziggy Marley producer 1999 Avenue B Iggy Pop producer 1999 Garth Brooks in the Life of Chris Gaines Garth Brooks producer 2000 Maroon Barenaked Ladies producer 2001 Lions The Black Crowes bass producer mixing 2002 The Wide World Over The Chieftains producer bass 2003 Hootie amp the Blowfish Hootie amp the Blowfish producer 2004 Live Licks The Rolling Stones producer 2005 Countryman Willie Nelson producer 2005 Make Do with What You Got Solomon Burke producer 2005 A Bigger Bang The Rolling Stones producer piano 2006 This Old Road Kris Kristofferson producer piano acoustic and upright bass 2006 Out of the Ashes Jessi Colter producer bass 2006 Fly Zucchero producer 2008 Last Days at the Lodge Amos Lee producer 2008 Tennessee Pusher Old Crow Medicine Show producer 2008 Boo Was Not Was producer engineer bass keyboards drums vocals 2009 The Excitement Plan Todd Snider producer 2009 Shimmer EP Pieta Brown producer bass 2009 Acquired Taste Delbert McClinton producer 2009 Closer to the Bone Kris Kristofferson producer 2009 California Years Jill Sobule producer bass 2010 Y Not Ringo Starr bass 2010 Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots producer 2010 Welder Elizabeth Cook producer 2010 The Union Elton John amp Leon Russell bass 2010 Chocabeck Zucchero producer 2011 Wild and Free Ziggy Marley producer 2011 The Gate Kurt Elling producer 2011 Blessed Lucinda Williams producer 2012 Born and Raised John Mayer producer 2012 Born to Sing No Plan B Van Morrison producer 2012 La sesion cubana Zucchero producer 2013 My True Story Aaron Neville co producer with Keith Richards 2013 Paradise Valley John Mayer producer 2013 Una rosa blanca Zucchero producer 2014 You Should Be So Lucky Benmont Tench bass 2014 Melody Road Neil Diamond producer 2014 All My Friends concert January 14 2014 a tribute to Gregg Allman bass 2014 Rester Vivant Johnny Hallyday producer 2014 Everlasting Martina McBride producer 2014 Enjoy the View Bobby Hutcherson David Sanborn Joey DeFrancesco producer 2014 Heigh Ho Blake Mills bass 2014 All Rise A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller Jason Moran producer 2015 Yesterday I Had the Blues Jose James producer 2015 Duets Re working the Catalogue Van Morrison producer 2015 No Pier Pressure Brian Wilson bass 2015 1 Hopeful Rd Vintage Trouble producer 2016 Black Cat Zucchero producer 2016 Blue amp Lonesome The Rolling Stones producer 2017 Southern Blood Gregg Allman producer 2020 Wednesdays Ryan Adams bass double bass producer 2021 Big Colors Ryan Adams producer 2021 Sob Rock John Mayer producer 2021 Blowin in the Wind Masters of War The Times They Are A Changin song Simple Twist of Fate Gotta Serve Somebody and Not Dark Yet bass 13 2022 Live in Colorado Bobby Weir amp Wolf Bros double bass 2022 Live in Colorado Vol 2 Bobby Weir amp Wolf Bros double bass 2023 Hackney Diamonds The Rolling Stones additional producer on Live by the Sword 17 References edit Don Was Biography AllMusic Retrieved March 29 2014 a b c Grammy Award Past Winners Search Don Was Grammy com Retrieved March 29 2014 Harrington Richard August 26 1995 Brian Wilson s Sensational Safari The Washington Post p D 01 Retrieved January 25 2010 Don Was Revisits Exile On Main Street Npr org Retrieved November 10 2019 DeVito Lee July 8 2015 Get Your Mojo Working Detroit Metro Times 35 39 Euclid Media 58 Retrieved September 3 2015 Don Was Joins Sirius XM for Show AllAccess com Retrieved March 29 2014 Chinen Nate May 2 2012 Exuberance Is Just One of His Skills The New York Times Retrieved May 4 2012 Thanki Juli November 18 2015 Willie Nelson saluted by Alison Krauss Jamey Johnson more The Tennessean Retrieved November 19 2015 Bob Weir amp Wolf Bros Announce Fall Tour jambase com Retrieved November 2 2018 Bob Weir amp Wolf Bros Confirm Spring Tour 2019 Jambase com Retrieved March 22 2019 Paul Alan Bob Weir For the Veteran Grateful Dead guitarist retiring is not an option The Wall Street Journal Retrieved March 27 2022 Don Was Motor City Playlist WDET 101 9 FM October 14 2021 a b Three Bob Dylan Re Recordings to Go Up for Private Sale Via Christie s Simple Twist of Fate Gotta Serve Somebody Masters of War EXCLUSIVE Variety com September 6 2023 Retrieved September 7 2023 Bob Weir Mickey Hart Derek Trucks Susan Tedeschi amp More To Go Dead Ahead At New Destination Event In Mexico Jambase com September 11 2023 Muskovitz Alan November 7 2017 Three WWII veterans honored for their military efforts and beyond The Detroit Jewish News Archived from the original on July 2 2018 Retrieved October 31 2021 Laderman Linda August 24 2015 Elementary Attorney helps school build on a storied past Detroit Legal News Archived from the original on August 12 2020 Retrieved October 31 2021 Hodgkinson Will September 6 2023 I ve heard Hackney Diamonds It s the best Rolling Stones album since 1978 Music The Times News Corp ISSN 0140 0460 Retrieved October 31 2023 External links editDon Was discography at Discogs Don Was at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don Was amp oldid 1210652559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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