Mitch Dane is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter who resides in Nashville. His work with artists include

Jars of Clay Jars of Clay is a Christian alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay. (2005). Making the GradeiTunes Originals - Jars of Clay. AC Audio Essential Records. The ...

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, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Young Fables, Ole Lonesome, Swearingen and Kelli, Kenny Foster and many others. He was awarded a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for his work on Jars of Clay's ''11th Hour'', and nominated for Grammys for his work on four other albums. Dane also received

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

's "Most Played Song" award for "Nothing Without You", co-written with

Bebo Norman Jeffery Stephen "Bebo" Norman (born May 29, 1973) is a contemporary Christian musician from Columbus, Georgia, US. His most successful album to date is ''Myself When I Am Real'', which included hit songs "Great Light of the World" and "Falling Do ...

. He owns the recording studio Sputnik Sound with

Vance Powell Vance Powell is an American six-time Grammy Award winning record producer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, Arctic Monke ...

Personal life

Dane grew up in Southeast Missouri (

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540, making it the 17th-largest in the state. The city is one o ...

), where he spent his childhood making playhouses and treehouses. At age 14, Dane was involved in a motorcycle accident, rendering him

clinically dead Clinical death is the medical term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing, the two criteria necessary to sustain the lives of human beings and of many other organisms. It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a conditio ...

for several minutes until he was miraculously revived. His

esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...

trachea The trachea (: tracheae or tracheas), also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all animals' lungs. The trachea extends from ...

and

vocal cords In humans, the vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through Speech, vocalization. The length of the vocal cords affects the pitch of voice, similar to a violin string. Open when brea ...

were injured in the accident, prohibiting him from speaking for two years, a period Dane defines as when he "learned to really listen". His injuries required 33 surgeries, one of which removed a vocal cord, contributing to his distinct voice. Dane worked the story of his accident into his musical performances over the next 15 years until he pivoted and began audio engineering. Dane is married with two children and has lived in Nashville since 1989.

Musical Influences

As a producer, Dane has been cited as saying, "I like to collect the best aspects of every genre of music and bring them together in hybrid productions". Citing his childhood affinity for building treehouses, Dane states that he took the same approach when designing his studio: a place for people to be comfortable and to hang out. His demeanor has been described as "calm and focused".

Selected Production credits

As of December 2018 Mitch Dane has produced or engineered over 275 projects. Below is a selection of his production credits:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dane, Mitch American producers Record producers from Missouri Living people Grammy Award winners 1967 births Musicians from Missouri People from Cape Girardeau, Missouri