One of Detroit’s favorite musical sons is being celebrated in a special way this weekend.
Emmy-winning music director and Grammy-winning music producer Don Was will be presented with an honorary degree from Wayne State University (WSU) during its graduation ceremonies, honoring his many decades of contributions to the music industry.
President of Blue Note Records and a host on WDET Public Radio, Was has worked with an incredible array of artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Wayne Shorter, Kris Kristofferson, Iggy Pop, The B-52s, Brian Wilson, Elton John, Garth Brooks and Ryan Adams, and is an active film composer, documentary filmmaker and performer with his band, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
On Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m., Was will also appear in conversation at WSU’s Schaver Music Recital Hall, where he will discuss jobs in the record and music production industries and how students can prepare to be competitive for those kinds of positions, and will take questions from students in attendance.
“There’s a real push (at WSU) to celebrate people who have had a major impact on the city of Detroit, and Don Was fits that to a T,” said music department chair and professor Dr. Jeffrey Sposato. “He really embodies what I’m hoping our students will be able to do in the future. One of my main priorities here has been to make sure that our students graduate having a lot of options in music in front of them. People may come in wanting one thing – they might consider themselves performers or music teachers, or something along those lines – and then they decide halfway through, that’s not the life they really want for themselves, but they still want a life in music.
“We’ve just revamped our entire curriculum, in fact, to make sure that our students can have exposure to the music business and music technology and other subjects in the area, and can graduate knowing that they are prepared to do a lot of different things. And Don Was really embodies that. He has been a composer, a performer, a filmmaker – and that’s the kind of opportunity I want our students to have, so he seemed to be a really fantastic representative of everything we’re trying to do.”
For the last five years, Was and Detroit radio icon Ann Delisi have co-hosted “The Don Was Motor City Playlist,” a two-hour, weekly program on WDET. Mary Zatina, general manager of WDET, also had great praise for Was.
“He is deeply rooted in Detroit,” Zatina said. “Don was born in Oak Park. He tells stories about growing up in the city. It’s full of stories about his life, his career records. He will sometimes genre hop through all kinds of music, and it’s just a beautiful tapestry of stories and reminiscences and observations about music. Sometimes, Don will talk about his work as a record producer, and he’ll talk about the versions of popular songs that didn’t make the album, and why the artist overruled him and said, ‘No, we like this cut better than that cut’ – and he has, from time to time, played us the cuts that ended up on the editing suite floor.
“He’s just a great guy, and we love him to bits. WDET pays all of its on-air talent, and we don’t pay him anything. He said, ‘Nope, I don’t need to be paid; this is just something I want to do for the community. So, he’s one of our on-air hosts who gives back through his hosting, too.”
Co-host Delisi said working with Was week after week “isn’t really like working, to be honest.”
“It is an absolute joy to work with someone who I have profound respect for, and who I’m lucky enough to call my dear friend,” she said. “He is a gifted storyteller, and he is the real deal when it comes to music and his passion for it. To be in his orbit, regarding the show, is the best gig I’ve ever had – and that is the absolute truth. I have done a lot of different jobs in my career, and this is at the top. When I paid tribute to him for his 70th birthday, one of the things that I said was, ‘Don Was is as kind as you would hope he would be, and as cool as you think he is.’ He really is just one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I’m lucky to call him my friend.”
This weekend’s graduation ceremonies are scattered across three days; more information can be found on Wayne State’s website.
“I couldn’t be more excited to see Don being honored this way,” Delisi said. “He is a Detroiter through and through. He loves this town and has been telling Detroit stories for years – he’s one of the best ambassadors Detroit has ever had. And for him to be recognized in such a profound way, on such a big stage in Detroit, feels absolutely perfect and absolutely much-deserved. Don Was, who has traveled the world and still is proud to call Detroit home and tell its stories in such a beautiful way.”
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit’s Don Was earns honorary degree from Wayne State
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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