Jon Landau | |
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| Born | (1947-05-14)May 14, 1947 (age 77) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, music critic |
| Spouse(s) | Janet Maslin Barbara Downey |
| Children | 2 |
Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947)[1] is an Americanmusic critic,manager, andrecord producer. He has worked withBruce Springsteen. He is the head of the nominating committee for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,[2] and received that institution'sAhmet Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2020.[3]
Born inNew York City, Landau grew up inBensonhurst, Brooklyn and then inQueens before his family moved to theBoston suburb ofLexington, Massachusetts when he was 12.[4] He attendedLexington High School and thenBrandeis University, where he earned a degree in history with honors.[5]
Aligning himself with the growingunderground culture of late-1960s Boston, Landau carved out a niche while writing for the music magazineCrawdaddy. A failed performer yet a passionate, devoted fan, Landau championed the straightforward rock and roll that he loved, and wrote scathing reviews of what he saw as the overblown, pretentious San Francisco scene.[6]
As a critic, Landau wrote forRolling Stone from its first issue and for other publications. In Volume 1, Number 1 ofRolling Stone, published on November 9, 1967,[7] Landau comparedJimi Hendrix and his debut album,Are You Experienced, toEric Clapton andCream's debut album,Fresh Cream (both released months before, and both Hendrix and Cream having made huge American splashes as live performers that summer). The next few issues saw Landau staking out more traditional R&B and soul territory with profiles ofAretha Franklin,[8] andSam and Dave,[9] plus a posthumousOtis Redding appreciation.
Landau's 1974 article inThe Real Paper,[1] wherein he claimed, "I saw rock and roll's future and its name isBruce Springsteen!," is credited byNick Hornby[10] with fostering Springsteen's popularity. Landau was then hired by Springsteen, and is cited as co-producer on Springsteen studio records from 1975'sBorn to Run through 1992'sHuman Touch andLucky Town. Landau is considered to have influenced Springsteen artistically[11] as well as professionally.
In January 2024, it was announced that a film based on the making of Springsteen's 1982 albumNebraska was being made with Springsteen and Landau involved along withScott Cooper serving as the director and writer.[12] The film, which will be titledDeliver Me from Nowhere and will be based on the 2023 book written byWarren Zanes, will be produced by formerNetflix FIlms chairmanScott Stuber forA24. ActorJeremy Allen White will play Springsteen[13] andJeremy Strong will play Landau.[14]
Other artists that Landau has managed or produced includeMC5,Livingston Taylor,Jackson Browne,Natalie Merchant,Alejandro Escovedo,[15]Train,[16] andShania Twain.
Landau has been responsible for the liner notes forThe Atlantic Albums Collection byAretha Franklin (2015),Soul Manifesto: 1964–1970 byOtis Redding (2015), andThe Complete Atlantic Albums Collection byWilson Pickett (2017).
Landau was once married toThe New York Times film critic (and later book reviewer)Janet Maslin. He later married Barbara Downey, a formerRolling Stone editor. They have two children, Kate, former artist manager as of 2024 unemployed, and Charles working at a large tech compony. Landau and his wife own an art collection that includes work by Titian, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Donatello, Ghiberti, Géricault, Delacroix, and Corot. He also owns one of the largest private collections of Courbet. With the exception of his family and his work, the collection, featuring Italian painting and sculpture of the 13th through 17th centuries and mid-19th-century French romantic realist painting, is reportedly Landau's greatest interest in life.[17]
In 2011, Landau had a growth in his brain surgically removed. The surgery resulted in the loss of sight in one eye.[18]
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