Don Was

Don Was
Don Was
	Don Was Nashville, Tennessee (2010)
Background information
Birth name	Don Edward Fagenson
Born	September 13, 1952 (age 71); Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Rock; new wave; blues;
Occupation(s)	Musician; producer; record executive;
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar; guitar; vocals; piano;
Years active	1971–present
Member of	Wolf Bros
Formerly of	Was (Not Was)

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.

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.