Don Was: Detroit's Six-Time Grammy Producer

From Oak Park to 100 Million Records

Don Edward Fagenson was born in Detroit on September 13, 1952, and graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of the same name. He attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor but dropped out after his first year — a decision that would prove spectacularly wise. Growing up on Detroit blues, the jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and the counterculture of John Sinclair, Was absorbed the city's deep musical DNA from every direction.

He saw the Rolling Stones live at age 12 in 1964 — a concert that would shape the next six decades of his life. By the late 1970s, he and school friend David Weiss (aka David Was) had formed Was (Not Was) on Island Records' ultra-cool Ze label, blending funk, rock, jazz, and political satire into something entirely new.

"Walk the Dinosaur" & The Producer of the Year

Was (Not Was) broke through in 1988 with What Up, Dog? and its hit single "Walk the Dinosaur" — a global pop smash that reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. But even as his band soared, Was was quietly becoming the most sought-after producer in America. In 1989, he produced Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and revitalized Raitt's entire career.

By 1994, Was won the Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. He'd produced the B-52's Cosmic Thing (including "Love Shack"), Iggy Pop, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. He won a BAFTA for the Backbeat film score. And he'd begun his ongoing relationship with The Rolling Stones — producing Voodoo Lounge, Bridges to Babylon, A Bigger Bang, Blue & Lonesome, and most recently Hackney Diamonds. Records bearing his production credit have sold close to 100 million copies.

Running Blue Note Records

In January 2011, Was was appointed president of Blue Note Records — the legendary jazz label home to Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, and Herbie Hancock. He fiercely protects its 85-year legacy, curating the Tone Poet and Classic Jazz audiophile vinyl reissue series while signing and producing a new generation: Robert Glasper, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Gregory Porter, and Jason Moran.

Deep Detroit Roots: The Pan-Detroit Ensemble

Despite running a New York label and producing the biggest rock band in the world, Was never left Detroit behind. For 15 years he's music-directed and played bass in the Don Was Detroit All Star Revue at the Concert of Colors. He hosted Sirius XM's Motor City Hayride and now co-hosts The Don Was Motor City Playlist on Detroit's NPR station WDET-FM.

His latest project, the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, brings it full circle. "There's a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe," Was says. "There is a rawness, a lack of pretension and an unmistakable, underlying groove." The band includes Blue Note saxophonist Dave McMurray and Eminem's Oscar-winning collaborator, keyboardist Luis Resto — Detroit to the core.

Career Timeline

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