“One of America’s most prolific and successful pop and rock producers” – All Music
The timeless classic, Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah was released fifty years ago. Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble will be hitting the road in 2026. There, they will play the album in its entirety to celebrate its profound influence.
You could fill both a record store and a hat store with the albums Don Was has touched and the lids he’s donned. On the way, he’s earned six Grammys, an Emmy, a BAFTA, and the respect of musicians and fans worldwide. In nearly fifty years in the music business, Was has collaborated with an astonishing list of top-flight artists. Further, he works in pursuit of making a truthful, transcendent, healing and joyful noise. Here, he is producer, songwriter, recording artist, music supervisor, documentarian, musical director, radio host, multi-instrumentalist, and Blue Note Records President. Moreover, Was is enthusiastically and fearlessly genre fluid, moving freely across rock, pop, jazz, country, reggae, R&B, and world music.
Those sessions and shows have taken him all over the globe. There, he works with everyone from Gregg Allman to John Mayer to Zucchero and every letter in between. Furthermore, he brings out the best in Hall of Fame names like the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, and scores more.
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble includes long-time collaborators Dave McMurray on sax and Eminem’s Oscar-winning collaborator, keyboardist Luis Resto. Additionally, musicians include trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canaday, and percussionist Mahindi Masai. Also, guitarist Wayne Gerard, and powerhouse vocalist Steffanie Christi’an.
Recommended for fans of Grateful Dead, Was (Not Was), The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson.
