Winner of 8 JUNO Awards, 17 nominations
When Daniel Lanois steps on to the Mile One Stadium stage to be introduced into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, he can reflect upon an illustrious and fascinatingly varied musical career. After all, how many producer/engineers can boast of having worked with Raffi, Ian Tyson, U2 and Bob Dylan?
Lanois’ creative journey has taken him from humble origins in a Hamilton, Ont. basement studio to membership in elite class of music producers. It’s fair to state that no other Canadian producer has achieved the international commercial success combined with peer and critical respect that he enjoys.
Reached at his current home in California, Lanois expressed pleasure at the honour. “We all need encouragement, and it is nice that people are thinking about me up there.
“It does feel like a bit of lifetime achievement award, but I fell I’m just getting started.”
Producing records for some of the most important artists in contemporary music has brought the 50-yar-old Lanois the most recognition, but he’s far from a one-trick pony. He brings an equal sensitivity and originality to acclaimed work as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and film composer.
Lanois was born in Hull, Que. to a French-Canadian family. They relocated to Hamilton in 1963, and Lanois’ obsessive interest in music soon asserted itself. High school friend Bob Doidge (now owner of the Grant Avenue Studio the Lanois made famous) recalls that he played bass while Lanois played guitar.
“We were in bands doing everything from Motown to psychedelia to folk, and then we played with people like Sylvia Tyson and Ray Materick. There was nothing else on our minds then but getting good at what we do. Dan was a very hard worker, and his success hasn’t surprised me at all.”
The recording process quickly fascinated Lanois. In 1971 he sold his beloved motorcycle to set up a rudimentary basement studio in his mother’s home in nearby Ancaster. His brother Bob had a real knack for the technical, and this facility (initially just four-track studio) soon lured some impressive clients.
“That was my university,” reminisces Lanois. “So many great artists cam through my mom’s basement- from Ian Tyson and Willie P. Bennett, to Rick James and Haitian gospel chorales and Raffi (whose first album was recorded there). It was an amazing education.” The Lanois brothers relocated to a house in Hamilton in 1976 and set up the now legendary Grant Avenue Studio. Daniel soon built a reputation as an engineer of real imagination and skill.
As a member of top Hamilton rock bands The Shakers and Teenage Head, Dave Rave got to see Lanois at work. “If there was a musical question or idea I or the band had, Dan could always address the issue and find a solution,” he says.
“Grant Avenue had more funk, attitude and atmosphere than the more expensive Toronto studios,” notes Billy Bryans, an in-demand producer who took such acts as Downchild there in the late ’70s and early ’80s. One of the studio’s clients, Queen Street avant-gardeists Time Twins, brought it to the attention of Brain Eno, and the transformed Lanois’ career. The glam rock star (Roxy Music) turned ambient music pioneer booked time there, sparking a ceative partnership that flourishes today. Lanois and Eno recently won a Grammy for co-producing U2′s All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
“We hit it off instantly,” says Lanois. “I soon became very useful to Brian because of my musicality. It was a very inventive time. I was humbled by his fabulous dedication to quite obscure projects. That’s when I realized I did not have to be a jack of all trades and should do only what my hart wanted.”
In the early ’80s, the pair worked closely together on albums by Jon Hassle, Harold Budd and Eno himself. Eno’s sound manipulation techniques and use of studio ambience had a profound influence on Lanois’ style as both a producer and musician.
“I call that my experimental ambient period,” says Lanois. “It was a memorable bedrock.”
Prior to Lanois’ graduation to the international arena, he produced and engineered hit albums for Parachute Club Martha and the Muffins (whose lineup included his sister Jocelyne).
A call from Eno to co-produce U2′s 1984 The Unforgettable Fire album was another life-changing event. It led to work with Peter Gabriel on the Birdy Soundtrack and 1986′s multi-million-selling So.
Lanois quickly became one of the most in-demand producers around. His now identifiable atmospheric studio sound reached full bloom on such landmark albums as Robbie Robertson’s self-titled debut, the Neville Brothers’ Yellow Moon, Bob Dylan’s triumphant Time Out of Mind comeback and Willie Nelson’s Teatro.
Lanois’ passion and commitment always spurred veteran artists to new heights. Harris told this scribe that the making of Wrecking Ball “was an inspirational experience. Daniel set us up in this wonderful big room where we could play together. There was a felling of performing, even though we were experimenting.”
“Daniel draws things out of people,” observes Doidge. “That is a big part of production. Most musicians and singers are very capable on stage, but the studio is a different thing. You need to get the person to believe in themselves again.”
“We are just miners of magic. My job is to catch those moments, recognize and amplify them. There is no formula.”
Lanois has created his own share of magical musical moments throughout his career. Solo albums Acadie (1989) and For The Beauty Of Wynona (1993) shimmer with an intimate beauty and confirm the continuing influence of his Canadian musical and cultural heritage. “I still go back to childhood memories and early inspirations in my songwriting,” he explains.
Of late, Lanois has put his superstar clients on hold to concentrate on to new solo records, one a collection of pedal steel instrumentals. Judging by excerpts he recently previewed, his muse is in inspired form.
Though the bulk of Lanois’ work over the past two decades may have been outside Canada, he has remained exceptionally supportive of his compatriots. In the ’90s, his Kingsway Studio in New Orleans played host to such Canadian bands as The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, and Junkhouse. In fact, Junkhouse main man Tom Wilson credits a Crescent City visit to his friend Lanois with “inspiring me to get back into the music business.”
Lanois’ phenomenal success has provided a positive example to a younger generation of Canadian producers and engineers. The likes of Michael Brook, Malcolm B%26urn and mark Howard have all benefited from working directly with him.
Lanois’ Canadian roots remain of paramount importance to him. “I’ve decided I can’t shake what I am. I’ll always be a French-Canadian kid.”
And a fitting entrant into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
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