Don Was
Biography
Biography
Legendary music producer Don Was began his life as Don Fagenson, growing up in Detroit, Michigan on a steady diet of Michigan R&B and The Rolling Stones. He even saw the Stones perform when he was just 12 years old during the group's Exile on Main Street tour. By the time he reached adulthood, he took on the stage name Don Was and founded the R&B group Was (Not Was) with his friend David Weiss, who took on the stage name David Was. The group released its self titled debut in 1980 and grew in popularity with 1983's Born to Laugh at Tornadoes and 1987's What Up Dog?, which spawned the funky hit single "Walk the Dinosaur." When Was wasn't playing bass with his band, he was picking up gigs as a producer, prominently helming Carly Simon's Spoiled Girl in 1985. Though he would continue with Was (Not Was) until the early '90s, producing soon became Was' main occupation, as he masterminded major works by artists like Bonnie Raitt, The B-52s, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bob Seger, Ringo Starr, and perhaps most importantly, the Rolling Stones. Was would in fact produce four albums for the most beloved band of his youth, in addition to providing musical direction for movies like "Thelma and Louise" (1991) "Toy Story" (1995) and the TV special "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America" (2014), for which he won an Emmy. As the years went on, Was continued to produce projects for newer artists like John Mayer and Lucinda Williams. In 2012, he became the president of the prestigious jazz label Blue Note Records.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Music (Special)
Life Events
1979
Formed the R&B group Was (Not Was).
1981
Released a self-titled debut with Was (Not Was).
1983
Released the popular album <i>Born to Laugh at Tornados</i>.
1985
Served as producer on Carly Simon's album <i>Spoiled Girl</i>.
1987
Released the hit Was (Not Was) album <i>What Up, Dog?</i>.
1989
Produced the landmark Bonnie Raitt album <i>Nick of Time</i>.
1990
Produced Bob Dylan's <i>Under the Red Sky</i>.
1991
Served as music director on the film "Thelma and Louise."
1992
Released the Was (Not Was) album <i>Hello Dad...I'm in Jail</i>.
1994
Won a Grammy as Producer of the Year.
1994
Produced the Rolling Stones album <i>Voodoo Lounge</i>.
1995
Served as music director on the film "Toy Story."
1995
Produced the Brian Wilson album <i>I Just Wasn't Made for These Times</i>.
1997
Produced the Rolling Stones album <i>Bridges to Babylon</i>.
1999
Produced the Ziggy Marley album <i>Spirit of Music</i>.
2000
Produced the Barenaked Ladies album <i>Maroon</i>.
2003
Produced Hootie & the Blowfish's self-titled album.
2005
Produced the Rolling Stones album <i>A Bigger Bang</i>.
2008
Reunited with his bandmates from Was (Not Was) for the album <i>Boo!</i>.
2012
Produced the John Mayer album <i>Born and Raised</i>.
2012
Became the president of Blue Note Records.
2015
Produced the Van Morrison album <i>Duets: Reworking the Catalogue</i>.
2015
Played bass on the Brian Wilson album <i>No Pier Pressure</i>.
