His ‘80s band Was (Not Was) scored a top 10 hit, “Walk the Dinosaur,” but Don Was has had an even greater impact on the music world as a producer. In 1989 he produced two big comebacks: Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning Nick of Time and “Love Shack” and other songs on the B-52’s Cosmic Thing . Then came work with Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson and—in a long, fruitful collaboration—the Rolling Stones. He’s got amazing stories detailing his Stones job interview and the origin of Cindy Wilson’s cry of “Tin roof! Rusted.” He also relates how he helps artists get to the essence of what they do best. Then there’s his own return to performing in Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble and how playing live helps him as a producer and as president of Blue Note Records (the subject of next week's episode).
