Don what

Don what

Don Was (born September 13, 1952 in Detroit , Michigan ; as Don Fagenson ) is an American musician and record producer.

biography

Don Was and Was (Not Was)

Don Was first out and about as a bass guitarist and session musician. Using his stage name, he and his childhood friend David Weiss founded the rock group Was (Not Was) in the early 1980s . After five recorded albums, they separated in 1993. The title Walk The Dinosaur , written by him in 1987, is his greatest success as a songwriter with places in the Top 10 in Austria and Great Britain. More remarkable, however, is that the title can be heard in numerous films (including Super Mario Bros. (1993), The Flintstones (1994) and The Dream Team (1989)). In 2006 they formed again and announced two albums for 2007.

Career as a producer

He was best known in the early 1990s through his production work for such well-known artists as Bob Dylan , The Rolling Stones ( Voodoo Lounge (1994), Stripped (1995), Bridges to Babylon (1997), A Bigger Bang (2005) ), Kris Kristofferson , George Clinton , Randy Newman , Carly Simon , Bob Seger , Glenn Frey , Iggy Pop , Khaled , Stevie Nicks , Brian Wilson , Roy Orbison , BB King , Jackson Browne , Ziggy Marley , John Mayer , Al Green , Garth Brooks , Ringo Starr , Lyle Lovett , Joe Cocker , Willie Nelson , Elton John , Paul Young , Bonnie Raitt , The B-52’s , Barenaked Ladies , The Black Crowes , The Presidents of the United States of America , Hootie and the Blowfish , Ofra Haza and many others. In 2011 he was appointed Chief Creative Officer of the jazz label Blue Note Records .

In 1997 Don Was released the album Forever Is A Long Long Time under the project name Orquestra Was. Some musicians from Was (Not Was) were also involved in the recording of the record - a collection of songs by country singer Hank Williams in jazz and soul arrangements - as well as a large number of guest musicians such as Kris Kristofferson and Herbie Hancock . A short film produced by Francis Ford Coppola was also produced for the album.

Don Was and the film industry

He was also involved in various film productions as musical director and musical consultant. Should be known u. a. Thelma & Louise , The Rainmaker , Phenomenon , Tin Cup , Honeymoon in Vegas , Switch , The Freshman , Days of Thunder , Michael , Pret-a-Porter , BackBeat or Toy Story . In recent years he has also appeared as an actor. Most of the time he plays himself in the movies America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001), Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) and The Country Bears (2002).

Bob Weir & the Wolf Bros.

In autumn 2018, Was founded the trio Bob Weir & the Wolf Bros. Was plays the double bass together with the Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Jay Lane . The band tours North America with titles from the Grateful Dead.

Awards

• 1995 Grammy as "Producer of the year"
• 1997 "San Francisco Film Festival's Golden Gate Award" for directing and producing the film I Just Wasn't Made For These Times , a documentary about ex- Beach boy Brian Wilson .

useful information

• Don what is the father of Eve 6 - drummer Tony Fagenson .

Discography and chart placements with Was (Not Was)

Albums

year	Albums	Chart placements
		AT	CH	DE	UK	US
1981	What (not what)	-	-	-	-	-
1984	Born To Laugh At Tornadoes	-	-	-	-	-
1984	(The Woodwork) Squeaks	-	-	-	-	-
1988	What Up, Dog?	-	-	-	-	43
1990	Are you okay?	24	22nd	35	35	99
2004	The Collection	-	-	-	-	-
2004	(The Woodwork) Squeaks (Expanded)	-	-	-	-	-

Singles

year	Singles	Chart placements
		AT	CH	DE	UK	US
1987	Walk The Dinosaur	9	-	48	10	-
1988	Spy In The House Of Love	-	-	-	21st	16
1989	Anything Can Happen	-	-	-	-	75
1991	How The Heart Behaves	-	-	-	-	-
1990	Papa Was A Rolling Stone	15th	-	14th	12	7th
1992	Shake your head	-	-	77	4th	-

Web links

• Don was in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hollywood Reporter