Photo: Ron Baker (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kingsnake) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Don Was is one of those guys who somehow became the most trusted pair of hands in the music business without most casual listeners even knowing his name, and I find that kind of cool in its own right. Growing up in Detroit clearly gave him an ear for soul and groove, and when Was (Not Was) broke through in the eighties you could feel that influence in every weird, funky corner of their records. But his production work is where the legacy really sits — the Rolling Stones trusted him with multiple albums, Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time brought him Grammy gold, and he guided artists across country, rock, and R&B with a producer's instinct for getting out of the way of a great performance. Now running Blue Note Records, he's keeping one of jazz's greatest institutions alive and relevant. Quietly indispensable is the best way I can put it.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Don Was
- Name (Japanese)
- ドン・ウォズ
- Reading
- どん・うぉず
- Born
- September 13, 1952 (age 73)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Dragon
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Occupation
- actor / musician / singer / songwriter / record producer
2. Background
- High school
- Oak Park High School
- University
- University of Michigan
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Don Was born?
Born September 13, 1952 (age 73).
Where is Don Was from?
Don Was is from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
What does Don Was do?
Don Was works as actor, musician, singer, songwriter, record producer.
Actor — see all → · Musician — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.