Daniel Lanois

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Daniel Lanois

Background information
Born	September 19, 1951 (1951-09-19) (age 56), Hull, Quebec, Canada
Label(s)	Anti, Red Floor Records
Associated acts	Bob Lanois
Website	www.daniellanois.com

Daniel Lanois (born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer and singer-songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists including Bob Dylan, The Parachute Club, U2, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Scott Weiland, Robbie Robertson, the Neville Brothers, Chris Whitley, Ron Sexsmith and Nash the Slash.

1 Biography
2 Musical Instruments
3 Discography
4 Production credits
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Biography

He started his production career working in his own studio with his brother Bob Lanois in the basement of their mother's Ancaster, Ontario home. The most notable artist to record in their basement studio was Simply Saucer. Later Daniel would create a studio in an old house he purchased known as Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton, Ontario.^[1] He worked with a number of local bands, most notably Martha and the Muffins (for whom his sister Jocelyne played bass), Ray Materick, as well as the Canadian children's singer Raffi.

After working collaboratively with Brian Eno on some of Eno's own projects, his career was given a huge boost when Eno invited him to co-produce U2's album The Unforgettable Fire. Along with Eno, he went on to produce U2's The Joshua Tree, the 1987 Grammy Winner for Album of the Year. Bono of U2 recommended Lanois to Bob Dylan in the late 1980s; in 1989 Lanois produced Dylan's Oh Mercy, widely considered one of Dylan's greatest later albums. Eight years later Dylan and Lanois worked together on Time Out of Mind, Dylan's first studio album of original material since 1993, which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1997.

In 1993, Lanois participated in the Another Roadside Attraction tour in Canada, and collaborated with The Tragically Hip, Crash Vegas, Hothouse Flowers and Midnight Oil on the one-off single "Land" to protest forest clearcutting in British Columbia.

In his autobiographical Chronicles, Vol. 1, Dylan describes in depth the contentious but rewarding working relationship he developed with Lanois. Dylan's account goes a long way to explain why Lanois is held in high regard by serious musicians.

Wrecking Ball, his 1995 collaboration with Emmylou Harris, received almost unanimous critical praise (many critics placed the album on their year-end "best albums of the year" lists), and revived the aging country artist's career, bringing her to the attention of much younger rock audiences; it would go on to win a 1996 Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

As well as being a producer, singer and songwriter, Lanois plays the guitar, pedal steel and drums. His wide range of talents are put to use on many of the albums he produces, where he often leaves his atmospheric and emotionally resonant signature sound.

In 2005 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. He worked on Dashboard Confessional's 2006 album, Dusk and Summer, but the producing duties were later taken over by Don Gilmore.

Both Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews have been known to regularly cover his songs during their live performances.

Lanois has premiered a documentary entitled "Here Is What Is" at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9th, 2007. The film, co-produced by Adam Vollick, includes footage of the actual recording of the album bearing the same name. The film also shows Lanois' usual collaboators such as Emmylou Harris, Billy Bob Thornton, U2, Brian Eno and Brian Blade. There are also a guest appearances by Garth Hudson and Brady Blade Sr. Subsequent concert performances showcasing the new material were held in Toronto on the 10th and 11th, with Brian Blade on drums. While the CD version of Here Is What Is was planned to be released in spring 2008, Lanois decided to make it available as a high-quality download on December 15th 2007, via his new Red Floor Records label.

[edit] Musical Instruments

Since the late 1990s, Lanois's main stage guitar has been a 1953 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top with the original P-90 pickups, modified for a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge. He also owns and has recorded with several '50s and '60s Fender guitars, including a 1958 Stratocaster. His main stage amplifier is a Vox AC/30, often driven by the preamp of a Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay unit and Chandler Tube Driver. A late '50s Fender Bassman 4x10 combo has also been part of both his road and recording kits. His collection of acoustic guitars features examples dating back to the 1920s, including models from Martin, Gibson and Guild.