Music
Don Was
born 1952
· bassist, record producer, label executive
Detroit-born producer of Bonnie Raitt and the Rolling Stones, co-founder of Was (Not Was) and president of Blue Note Records, who still champions the Detroit music scene.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 74- Birth name
- Don Edward Fagenson
- Detroit years
- 1952–1980s, 2008–
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Don Was was born Don Fagenson in Detroit and grew up absorbing the city's blues and the jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. At Oak Park High School he sang and played guitar in a Detroit rock band called the Saturns, and after a year at the University of Michigan he dropped out to make music. With his school friend David Weiss he formed Was (Not Was), a Detroit band that mixed funk, rock, jazz and deadpan humor and scored hits including “Walk the Dinosaur”. That led to a career as one of the most sought-after producers of his time, working with Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many others, and since 2011 he has run Blue Note Records. He has never let go of his hometown: since 2008 he has led the house band at the annual Detroit All-Star Revue, in 2021 he launched the Don Was Motor City Playlist on WDET, and in 2025 he released an album with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
Highlights
- Co-founded Was (Not Was); hit “Walk the Dinosaur” (1987)
- Album of the Year Grammy as producer of Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time
- Grammy Producer of the Year (1994)
- President of Blue Note Records since 2011
- BAFTA for the Backbeat film score
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 3
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1960s–1970
Oak Park High School
Suburban high school where he fronted the rock band the Saturns.
Studied here · c. 1970–1971
University of Michigan
He spent a year here before dropping out to pursue music.
Worked here · 2021–
WDET 101.9 FM
Detroit's public radio station, home of his show Don Was Motor City Playlist since April 2021.