Brian West (born March 12, 1971) is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, musician, engineer and mixer. He is a guitarist for the Canadian band

The Philosopher Kings The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian band. The band was most commercially successful in the late 1990s and have been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning one in 1996 for "Best New Group". Most of the band members, current and former, have also ...

. Formerly of the production team Track and Field, he is best known for his work with

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

, Maroon 5, Awolnation,

K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali Canadians, Somali-Canadian musician. He ...

, and Bono. He co-produced

Andy Grammer Andrew Charles Grammer (born December 3, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is signed to S-Curve Records. His debut album, '' Andy Grammer'', was released in 2011 and spawned the singles " Keep Your Head Up" and " F ...

's single ''

Honey, I'm Good "Honey, I'm Good" is the second single from American musician Andy Grammer's second studio album, ''Magazines or Novels'' (2014). It was first released in the US in November 2014 and began receiving radio airplay in February 2015. The song peaked ...

'' with Steve Greenberg and Nolan Sipe. His most recent release, "Salted Wound," sung by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, is on the ''

Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...

'' soundtrack. West has been nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, two Grammy Awards and has won seven

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

Life and career

West began his career as the lead guitarist for Toronto-based band

in 1994. After achieving some commercial success in the late 1990s and winning a Canadian Juno Award with the group,Canadian Press (1 February 1996). "Juno nominees reflect success of female singers". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. pp. D2. he began to produce music for other artists, partnering up with Kings lead singer Gerald Eaton to produce

's debut album, ''

Whoa, Nelly! ''Whoa, Nelly!'' is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released in North America on October 24, 2000, by DreamWorks Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1999 to 2000. It peaked at num ...

'' The project garnered a Grammy nomination for West's production and a win for Furtado, as well as several Juno Awards. Working as a production duo under the name Track and Field, together West and Eaton co-wrote and co-produced Furtado's follow-up album ''

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

'' and two albums with Somali Canadian rapper

K'Naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali Canadians, Somali-Canadian musician. He ...

, landing themselves several more Junos.Barclay, Michael (2003) "Furtado shocks skeptics; Folklore proves Nelly deserved Juno; she's not just a spunky flash in the pan", ''

Daily Mercury The ''Daily Mercury'' is an online newspaper which serves the Mackay region in Queensland, Australia. Print edition was later revived with a publication on Friday only. The newspaper is printed by Mackay Printing and Publishing and is ow ...

'', December 18, 2003, p. F6 Before long, West branched off into solo production, now producing and writing alongside such notable artists as Maroon 5, Awolnation, K'Naan, Nakia, and Bono. His work has been featured on soundtracks for a number of films, including ''

'', '' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'', ''

20 Feet from Stardom ''20 Feet from Stardom'' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the ...

'', ''

The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, r ...

'', '' Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'', and ''

Brokedown Palace ''Brokedown Palace'' is a 1999 American drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman and Lim Kay Tong. It deals with two American friends imprisoned in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling. Its ...

'', among others.

Selected discography

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards *2013 –

Best Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

(Maroon 5, ''Overexposed''): Nominated *2002 –

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

: Nominated

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

*2010 – Best Female Pop Vocal Album (Nelly Furtado, ''Mi Plan''): Won

*2010 –

Artist of the Year ''Artist of the Year'' is a television competition shown on the Sky Arts channel (formerly known as Artsworld and Sky Arts 1) which aims to find the best portrait and landscape painter every year. Overview Through several rounds of regional comp ...

(K'Naan): Won *2006 – Rap Recording of the Year (K'Naan, ''The Dusty Foot Philosopher''): Won *2004 – Single of the Year (Nelly Furtado, "

Powerless (Say What You Want) "Powerless (Say What You Want)" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado from her second studio album, ''Folklore'' (2003). The song was written and produced by Furtado, Gerald Eaton, and Brian West. It contains a sample of Malco ...

"): Won *2001 –

Best Producer Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

: Won

Juno Awards of 2001 The Juno Awards of 2001 were held in Hamilton, Ontario Canada during the weekend of 3–4 March 2001. The primary ceremonies were hosted by Rick Mercer at Copps Coliseum on 4 March 2001 and broadcast on CBC Television. Performers during the tel ...

*2001 – Best Single (Nelly Furtado, "

I'm Like a Bird "I'm Like a Bird" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, ''Whoa, Nelly!'' (2000). Released as the album's first single, it became ...

"): Won *2001 – Best New Solo Artist (Nelly Furtado): Won *1996 – Best New Group (The Philosopher Kings): Won Juno Awards of 1996 SOCAN Awards *2010 – SOCAN Award for No. 1 song (K'Naan, "Take a Minute"): Won

References

External links

Brian West discography on Discogs.comSweetwesty.com: Brian West official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Brian 1971 births Living people Canadian record producers Canadian rhythm and blues musicians Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners Musicians from Ontario People from Sarnia Sony Music Publishing artists 21st-century Canadian guitarists