Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

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, and

Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American music composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimal music and avant-garde scene of Southern California ...

. He collaborated with

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

to create the ambient genre and produce several albums for U2, including ''

The Joshua Tree ''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 by Island Records. In contrast to the ambient music, ambient experimentati ...

'' (1987) and ''

Achtung Baby ''Achtung Baby'' ( ) is the seventh studio album by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 by Island Records. After criticism of their 1988 documentary film and ...

'' (1991). Three albums produced or co-produced by Lanois have won the

Grammy Award 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 ...

for Album of the Year. Four other albums received Grammy nominations. Lanois has released several solo albums. He wrote and performed the music for the 1996 film '' Sling Blade,'' and provided several vocal tracks for ''

Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...

''.

Biography

Early life and career

Lanois was born in 1951 in Hull,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, to Jill and Guy Lanois. He began playing music at age nine with the penny whistle, before shortly after transitioning to the pedal steel guitar. Lanois started his production career when he was 17, recording local artists including Simply Saucer with his brother Bob Lanois in a studio in the basement of their mother's home in

Ancaster, Ontario Ancaster is a community in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1792, it immediately developed itself into one of the first significant and influential early Kingdom of Great Britain, British U ...

. Later, Lanois started Grant Avenue Studio in an old house which he purchased in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

. He worked with a number of local bands, including Martha and the Muffins (for which his sister Jocelyne played bass), Ray Materick,

Spoons Spoons may refer to: * Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup * Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons Film and TV * ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show *Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos' ...

, and the Canadian children's singer

Raffi Raffi Cavoukian (, born July 8, 1948), known professionally by the mononym Raffi, is an Armenian-Canadian singer-lyricist and author born in Egypt best known for his children's music. In 1992, ''The Washington Post'' called him "the most p ...

. Lanois attended Ancaster High School.

Producer

In 1981, Lanois played on and produced the album '' This Is the Ice Age'' by Martha and the Muffins. In 1985, he and two members of the band earned a CASBY award for their work on the band's (by then going by "M + M") 1984 album '' Mystery Walk''. Lanois worked collaboratively with

on some of Eno's own projects, one of which was the "Prophecy Theme" for David Lynch's

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of Frank Herbert's ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

''. Eno invited him to co-produce U2's album ''

The Unforgettable Fire ''The Unforgettable Fire'' is the fourth studio album by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and released on 1 October 1984 by Island Records. The band wanted to pursue a new musical direction followi ...

''. Along with Eno, he went on to produce U2's ''

'', the 1987

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...

winner, and some of the band's other works including ''

'' and ''

All That You Can't Leave Behind ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' is the tenth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and was released on 30October 2000 through Island Records worldwide and through Interscope Records in the Unit ...

'', both of which were nominated for the same award but did not win. Lanois once again collaborated with U2 and Brian Eno on the band's 2009 album, ''

No Line on the Horizon ''No Line on the Horizon'' is the twelfth studio album by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite, and was released on 27 February 2009. It was the band's first record since ''How to Dis ...

''. He was involved in the songwriting process as well as mixing and production. Lanois' early work with U2 led to him being hired to produce albums for other top-selling artists. He collaborated with

on his album '' Birdy'' (1985), the soundtrack to

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...

's film of the same name, and then spent most of 1985 co-producing Gabriel's album ''So''. The album was released in 1986 and became his best-selling release, earning

multi-platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

sales and a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Lanois later co-produced Gabriel's follow-up, '' Us'' which was released in 1992 and also went platinum.

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

recommended Lanois to

in the late 1980s; in 1989, Lanois produced Dylan's '' Oh Mercy''. Eight years later, Dylan and Lanois worked together on '' Time Out of Mind'', which won another Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1997. The iconic Neve 8068, featured on the cover of Time Out of Mind, has a home at the historic The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Purchased by Teresa Knox, it was carefully restored to factory settings. In his autobiographical '' Chronicles, Vol. 1'', Dylan describes in depth the contentious but rewarding working relationship he developed with Lanois. ''

Wrecking Ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...

'', his 1995 collaboration with

, won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 1998, he produced and appeared on

's album '' Teatro.'' Lanois was working on

's record '' Le Noise'' in June 2010 when he was hospitalized after suffering multiple injuries in a motorcycle crash in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. He has since recovered. Lanois' production is recognizable and notable for its 'big' and 'live' drum sound, atmospheric guitars and ambient reverb. ''Rolling Stone'' called Lanois the "most important record producer to emerge in the Eighties."

Recording artist

As well as being a producer, Lanois is a songwriter, musician and recording artist. He has released several solo albums and film scores; his first album, '' Acadie'' was released in 1989. A number of Lanois' songs have been covered by other artists, including Dave Matthews, Jerry Garcia Band,

, Tea Party, Anna Beljin, Isabelle Boulay, and

. His albums have had some success, particularly in Canada. Lanois plays the guitar, pedal steel, and drums. '' Belladonna'', an instrumental album released in 2005 was nominated for 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 ...

. Lanois' song "Sonho Dourado" was included in the 2004

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...

film, '' Friday Night Lights''. In 2005 with the re-release of his first solo album, ''Acadie'', a late-1980s version of the song appears on the additional tracks called "Early Dourado Sketch". Lanois had performed the song numerous times in the intervening years, including on a Toronto television program in 1993 where it was credited as "Irish Melody" on a recording of the performance. Though the melody does indeed feel Irish, the title is Portuguese and means ''golden dream''. Lanois also provided an instrumental score for '' LOUDquietLOUD'', a 2006 documentary about the Pixies. Lanois premiered a documentary entitled ''Here Is What Is'' at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

in 2007. The film chronicles the recording of his album of the same name and includes footage of the actual recording. The album ''

Here Is What Is ''Here Is What Is'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian songwriter and record producer Daniel Lanois. It was first released on December 15, 2007, through Red Floor Records as a high-quality download, and later released on CD on March 18, 2008. ...

'' was released, first by download, then on compact disc, in late 2007 and early 2008. Soon after that, Lanois released a three-disc recording called ''Omni''. In October 2009, Lanois started a project called Black Dub which features Lanois on guitar, Brian Blade on drums, and

Daryl Johnson Daryl E. Johnson (August 11, 1946 – November 25, 2023) was an American professional football defensive back who played in the American Football League (AFL), the National Football League (NFL), and the World Football League (WFL). He was a m ...

on bass, along with multi-instrumentalist/singer Trixie Whitley. They released a self-titled album in 2010. In 2014, Lanois played with

as a sideman and opening act on a tour focused on the ''

'' material he produced.

Solo career

On October 28, 2014, Lanois released an album titled ''Flesh and Machine'' on

ANTI- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...

Records, based on Brian Eno's ambient albums. The instrumental album consists primarily of original atmospheric and process-based sounds, blending pedal steel guitar and a variety of digital and analog sound processing devices. He was assisted by the drummer Brian Blade. In 2016, he released the album ''Goodbye to Language'' with Rocco Deluca. The collaborative album ''Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois'' was released on Venetian Snares' label Timesig in May 2018. Lanois also contributed to the composition and production of the soundtrack for the 2018 video game ''

'', released by

Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...

. He was given seven composition credits, including one for the song "Table Top".

Awards

Lanois was invested in the Order of Canada in 2018. Lanois has received seven

Grammy Awards 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 with various artists, including

, U2,

and

, and several Juno Awards and nominations. Daniel Lanois star on Walk of Fame

In 2005, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In June 2013, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Box sets

Soundtracks

* ''Trip: Soundtrack Collection'' (self-released, 1993) – compilation * '' Sweet Angel Mine'' (1996) * ''Lost in Mississippi'' (1996) * '' Sling Blade'' (1996) * '' All The Pretty Horses'' (unreleased, 2000) * ''

'' (2018) – game

Videography

Production credits

Collaborations

, '' So'' (Charisma, 1986) *

, ''

'' (1987) *

, '' Oh Mercy'' (1989) *

, '' Us'' (1992) *

, ''

'' (1995) * Ron Sexsmith, '' Ron Sexsmith'' (1995) *

, '' Time Out of Mind'' (1997) *

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

, '' A Painter Passing Through'' (1998) *

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before ...

, ''

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

'' (1998) * Joe Henry, '' Fuse'' (1999) *

, '' Up'' (2002) * Solomon Burke, '' Don't Give Up on Me'' (2002) *

, '' Stumble into Grace'' (2003) * Brandon Flowers, ''

Flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

'' (2010) *

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, '' Thanks for the Dance'' (2019) * Annie Barbazza, ''Vive'' (2020)

References

External links

*
Entry at discogs.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanois, Daniel 1951 births Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian rock singers Canadian folk guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian rock guitarists Canadian ambient musicians Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian record producers Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Musicians from Gatineau Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Canadian people of Acadian descent Living people Canadian audio engineers Pedal steel guitarists Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year winners Grammy Award winners All Saints Records artists Warner Records artists Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners Anti- (record label) artists Governor General's Award winners

Biography

Early life and career

Producer

Recording artist

Solo career

Awards

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Box sets

Soundtracks

Videography

Production credits

Collaborations

See also

References

External links