Glen Ballard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (1953-05-01)May 1, 1953 (age 72) Natchez, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop,rock,R&B |
| Occupations | Songwriter,lyricist,record producer |
| Instruments | Keyboards,synthesizer,guitar |
| Years active | 1971–present |
Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an Americansongwriter,lyricist, andrecord producer.[1] He is best known for co-writing and producing onWilson Phillips' debut and sophomore albums,Wilson Phillips andShadows and Light, as well as co-writing and producing onAlanis Morissette's 1995 albumJagged Little Pill[2] andDave Matthews Band's 2001 albumEveryday. As a songwriter, he co-wrote songs including "All I Need",[3] "Man in the Mirror",[4] "Hold On",[5] "Hand in My Pocket", and Josh Groban's "Believe". As a producer, he has worked withNo Doubt,Shelby Lynne,Goo Goo Dolls,P.O.D.,Annie Lennox and others.
Ballard founded the production company Augury in 2011.[6] In collaboration withAlan Silvestri, he wrote the score for amusical adaptation ofBack to the Future. He was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2023.[7]
Ballard grew up inNatchez, Mississippi, where he began playing the piano and writing songs at an early age.[8] He began playing guitar and playing in a band called the Unknowns beginning in the fourth grade.[9][10] While attending theUniversity of Mississippi, where he was a member ofSigma Alpha Epsilon, he released a solo album. He earned a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, and political science, graduating in 1975.[5][11]
After college, Ballard moved to Los Angeles with $400 and the phone number of the only person his uncle knew in L.A., a golf pro at theBel-Air Country Club, whom Ballard called and asked if they knew anyone in the music business. The only person they knew wasTutti Camarata, the owner ofSunset Sound Recorders, who invited Ballard to a recording session. Camerata offered Ballard some studio time, which Ballard used to develop his songwriting,arranging, and production skills. He began working for a division ofRocket Records and continued learning about the music business. In 1978 Ballard wrote a song for Rocket artist Kiki Dee, which led to his being signed as astaff songwriter forMCA Music Publishing.[1][8]
Ballard wrote, played, and produced an increasing number of songs and projects in the 1980s, contributing to albums by thePointer Sisters,Paula Abdul,Camilo Sesto, and others. He co-wrote and produced the title track "All I Need" onJack Wagner's 1984 debut albumAll I Need.[3] He also co-wrote the song "You Look So Good in Love", a hit forGeorge Strait in 1983 and one of Strait's biggest hits.[9]
When a song Ballard co-wrote was included onGeorge Benson's 1980 albumGive Me the Night,Quincy Jones took notice of his abilities, and in 1985 Jones hired Ballard as a songwriter and producer for hisQwest Records label.[3] In 1987, when Jones invited a group of songwriters to his home to write hit songs forMichael Jackson'supcoming album,Siedah Garrett and Ballard co-wrote "Man in the Mirror".[8][9] The song topped theBillboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and was certified3× Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12] It was nominated forRecord of the Year at the31st Annual Grammy Awards.
In 1989, producerRichard Perry introduced Ballard toWilson Phillips, and they collaborated in hisEncinohome studio to produce a four-songdemo that included the song "Hold On", co-written by Ballard. The demo earned the group a record deal, and Ballard produced the trio's commercially successfuldebut album, released in 1990.[3][5][13] "Hold On" was the album's lead single and won theBillboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990. It became a worldwide hit, earning two nominations at the33rd Annual Grammy Awards. In 2017,Billboard ranked the song 15th on its list of "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time".[14]
Ballard and Garrett collaborated with Jackson to write the song "Keep the Faith" from his 1991 album,Dangerous, and the song "I Never Even Told You", included onthe soundtrack for the 1993 animated filmBatman: Mask of the Phantasm. In 1992, Ballard worked with Wilson Phillips on their second studio album,Shadows and Light.
In March 1994, Ballard's publishing company introduced him toAlanis Morissette, and the two worked together at Ballard's home studio to write and record demos of the songs that becameJagged Little Pill. Ballard and Morissette took the demos to various record labels that passed. In January 1995, they approachedGuy Oseary atMaverick Records, who signed Morissette.[15] Released in June 1995, the album was the best-selling album of 1996, and wonGrammy Awards forBest Rock Album andAlbum of the Year. It is one of thebest-selling albums of all time, and ranked byRolling Stone as one ofthe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Morissette again collaborated with Ballard on her 1998 follow-up,Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.[16]
Other artists with whom Ballard co-wrote and/or co-produced projects in the 1990s includeCurtis Stigers,Lea Salonga,Van Halen,Aerosmith, andThe Corrs. In 1997, he launched Java Records as a joint venture with Capitol Records.[9] He wrote the screenplay for the 1999 filmClubland, a music-driven film about an aspiring musician in Los Angeles.
In 2000,Dave Matthews flew to Los Angeles to meet with Ballard with the intention of finishing material for an upcomingDave Matthews Band album, and ended up co-writing 12 new songs with Ballard in 10 days. Ballard produced the album,Everyday, which was released the next year.[9] In 2001, Ballard's Java label moved from Capitol to the Island/Def Jam family of labels.[1]
In 2001 a 17-year-oldKaty Perry, then known as Katy Hudson, moved to Los Angeles to work with Ballard due to his past work with Morissette, one of her major inspirations.[17] In 2004 she signed to Ballard's Java Records label and began work on a solo record to be released in 2005, but the record was shelved after the label was dropped.[18] Ballard introduced her toTim Devine atColumbia Records, where she was signed as a solo artist.
Ballard worked withLisa Marie Presley to develop her debut 2003 albumTo Whom It May Concern, co-writing five of its tracks. He also produced or co-produced albums byNo Doubt,[19][9]Shelby Lynne,Goo Goo Dolls,P.O.D.,Annie Lennox,Anouk, andIdina Menzel. Together withDave Stewart he established Sly-Fi, a production partnership.[20]
Ballard co-wrote several songs for film withAlan Silvestri, including "Believe", performed byJosh Groban inThe Polar Express (2004), which won the2006Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[15] Ballard and Silvestri again collaborated on "Gently as She Goes" and "A Hero Comes Home", performed byRobin Wright andIdina Menzel) inBeowulf (2007); "Butterfly Fly Away", performed byMiley Cyrus andBilly Ray Cyrus inHannah Montana: The Movie (2009); and "God Bless Us Everyone", performed byAndrea Bocelli inA Christmas Carol (2009).
In 2010, Ballard reunited with Wilson Phillips forthe trio's first Christmas album. Other artists with whom Ballard co-wrote and/or co-produced projects in the 2010s includeStevie Nicks andAnastacia. He co-wrote songs on albums byRingo Starr, as well as "Shine Your Way", performed byOwl City andYuna) in the 2013 filmThe Croods.
In 2011 Ballard founded his own production company, Augury, focused on developing music-driven projects in film, television, and theater.
Ballard co-wrote the music and lyrics forGhost the Musical withDavid A. Stewart andBruce Joel Rubin. The stage musical adaptation of the1990 film of the same name opened in London's West End in 2011 and on Broadway in 2012.[15]
On January 31, 2014, it was announced thatBack to the Future: The Musical, a stage musical adaptation of the1985 film, was in production.[21] Ballard and Silvestri co-wrote the musical's original music and lyrics, which were combined with songs from the film. The musical premiered in Manchester on February 20, 2020, ahead of a 2021 West End transfer,[22][23] and won theLaurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022. It opened on Broadway in 2023.
In 2019,Jagged Little Pill, ajukebox musical inspired by the1995 album of the same name opened on Broadway after a successful limited engagement in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The show included not only songs fromJagged Little Pill but also other songs co-written by Ballard and Morissette, including "Thank U", "That I Would Be Good", and "So Pure" from 1998'sSupposed Former Infatuation Junkie. At the rescheduledTony Awards for 2020, the show garnered 15 nominations and two awards, in addition to winning theGrammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Ballard was involved in the development of the 2020Netflix TV seriesThe Eddy, co-writing the music and serving as an executive producer.[24][25]
He again collaborated with Silvestri to co-write four new songs forthe soundtrack of Disney's2022 live-action film adaptation of Pinocchio.[26]
Ballard established the Glen Ballard Music Composition and Production Scholarship with theLos Angeles College of Music to support music education.[27]
Ballard established recording studios, named Aerowave Studios, in Hollywood and Encino.[1] Additionally, Ballard and David Stewart had a joint creative studio in Los Angeles named High Window.[20]
In 1997, Ballard was namedASCAP Songwriter of the Year for co-writing "Hand In My Pocket", "Ironic", "You Learn", and "You Oughta Know" with Morissette.[36] The same year, he was also named Songwriter of the Year by theNational Academy of Songwriters.[36]
In 2008, Ballard's alma mater, the University of Mississippi, inducted him into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame. In 2023, the university awarded him the 2023 Medal for the Arts.[37]
In 2023, Ballard was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame. The same year, he was selected as aHollywood Walk of Fame class of 2024 honoree in the category of recording.[38] His honoree star was unveiled during a ceremony held on July 11, 2024 in the presence ofWilson Phillips who each honoured his contribution to their career and considering him band's unofficial fourth member.[39]
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