Don Was: podcast appearances and interviews

Don Was, born Don Edward Fagenson on September 13, 1952, is an American musician, bassist, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker, and radio host. He has served as the president of Blue Note Records since 2011, overseeing the historic jazz label. As a record producer, he has received six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 1989 for Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time and Producer of the Year in 1994. His work has contributed to nearly 100 million albums sold by a diverse array 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. Don Was gained prominence in the 1980s as a member of the band Was (Not Was). Besides his production career, he directed and produced the documentary film I Just Wasn't Made for These Times about Brian Wilson, which won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival. As a film composer, he earned the 1994 BAFTA Award for Best Original Score for the film Backbeat. In recognition of his contributions to music and television, he received the 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for CBS's The Beatles: The Night That Changed America. In addition to his work in the studio, he toured as a member of Bob Weir's Wolf Bros from 2018 until Weir's death in 2026.