Don Was on Blue Note, MC5 and the Detroit sound

February 19, 2025

Listen to an interview with the legendary producer and bassist Don Was. He’ll be performing in Central Indiana, with the Pan Detroit Ensemble on February 28 at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1952, Don Was rose to prominence in the 1980s, with the band Was (Not Was), the group’s music featured a surreal mix of funk, electronic dance music, new wave, and avant-garde jazz, along with an unexpected cast of guest performers that included Mel Torme, Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Sinatra Jr., Iggy Pop, and Leonard Cohen. Was (Not Was)  scored a top 10 hit in 1987, with the infection dance song “Walk the Dinosaur”. 

The notoriety Was gained with Was (Not Was) paved the way for his historic work as a record producer. Was has received 6 Grammy Awards for his work as a producer, including album of the year in 1989  for Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time and producer of the year in 1994. Was has produced dozens of significant recordings, including the B-52’s breakout album Cosmic Thing, along with notable work, from The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Brian Wilson, Wayne Shorter, and Waylon Jennings, to name a few. Since 2011, Was has served as president of the revered jazz label Blue Note Records.  

Throughout his life, Was has looked to the culture of his hometown Detroit as a reference point and source of inspiration for his work, that’s evident in his latest project the Pan Detroit Ensemble a group of veteran Detroit jazz and R&B musicians.