Don Was

Don Ferguson first became known to music audiences as a founding member of Was (Not Was), which he formed with childhood friend David Weiss in his hometown of suburban Detroit under the stage names Don Was and David Was. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Was (Not Was) released four studio albums that showcased their unique blend of soul, funk, R&B, rock, and dance music combined with satirical and unusual lyrics. Their 1988 album, What Up, Dog?, spawned the US and UK hit singles "Spy in the House of Love" and "Walk the Dinosaur." As an in-demand, highly acclaimed, and commercially successful producer since the late 1980s, Was has been honored with multiple Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award for his production work, which includes collaborations with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, Brian Wilson, Ziggy Marley, and countless others. Albums produced by Was have achieved dozens of multi-platinum, platinum, and gold certifications and have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. As president of Blue Note Records, the preeminent jazz record company that recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, Was is both the company's leader and an ambassador for its music, charged with presenting the label's artists to a global audience. Was is also a steward of Blue Note's singular and historic catalogue of music and is burnishing the label's historic legacy through his involvement with ongoing and extensive reissue campaigns that serve audiences in both the analog and digital realms.