Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd Wilson (born May 20, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, visual artist and record producer who has been called the songwriter's songwriter.[2] His songwriting résumé includes "Closing Time", which he wrote for his band, Semisonic; "Not Ready to Make Nice", co-written with The Chicks; and "Someone Like You", co-written with Adele. Wilson's work earned him a Grammy nomination for "Closing Time" (Best Rock Song) and garnered him Grammy wins for Song of the Year ("Not Ready to Make Nice" in 2007) and Album of the Year as a producer for Adele's 21 in 2012.
For other people with the same name, see Dan Wilson.
Dan Wilson
Daniel Dodd Wilson[1]
May 20, 1961
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- visual artist
- Vocals
- guitar
- bass
- keyboards
- drums
Ballroom Music, Pleasuresonic Recordings
Wilson has collaborated with a diverse[3] range of acclaimed artists, including Pink, Celine Dion, Leon Bridges, Mitski, Claud, Halsey, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, My Morning Jacket, Dierks Bentley, John Legend, Joy Oladokun, Laufey, and many others.
In 2012, Wilson produced the song "Treacherous” which he co wrote with Taylor Swift for Swift's fourth studio album Red, resulting in an additional Album of the Year Grammy nomination. In 2021, Wilson produced the re-recorded version of "Treacherous" for Swift's second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version).
On November 10, 2023, Wilson received Grammy nominations for Song of the Year for "Butterfly",[4] which he wrote with Jon Batiste, and Best Country Song for “White Horse",[5] which he co-wrote with Chris Stapleton.
In January 2024, "It Never Went Away", the song Wilson co-wrote with Jon Batiste for the documentary American Symphony, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.[6]
On February 4, 2024, Wilson won the Grammy for Best Country Song for “White Horse",[5] which he co-wrote with Chris Stapleton.
In addition to being the leader of Semisonic, Wilson has released several solo recordings, including the 2017 release Re-Covered. He was also a member of the Minneapolis psychedelic rock band Trip Shakespeare.[7]
Early life and education[edit]
Wilson is a native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Wilson attended Harvard University, where he studied visual arts with a focus on printmaking[8] and from which he graduated B.A. summa cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies in 1983,[9] while he resided in Dunster House. Wilson is an accomplished artist, and won the first Louis Sudler Prize for Outstanding Artistic Talent and Achievement in 1983.[10] While in college, he began collaborating with his brother, singer-songwriter Matt Wilson, who also attended Harvard College. The Wilson brothers played in two bands, Animal Dance and the Love Monsters. After college, Wilson pursued his interest in drawing and painting, first in San Francisco and then in Minneapolis.
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
In 1987, Wilson joined the Minneapolis psychedelic band Trip Shakespeare, which his brother Matt Wilson had founded with bassist John Munson and drummer Elaine Harris. The original three members had already released one record, Applehead Man, and now as a quartet, with Wilson on guitar, piano, sharing lead vocal duties with Matt Wilson—with whom Wilson also co-wrote many of the songs—and Munson, the band released three more albums (Are You Shakespearienced?, 1988, Gark Records; Across the Universe, 1990, A&M Records; Lulu, 1991, A&M Records) and one EP (Volt, 1992, Twin Tone).
Since Trip Shakespeare's breakup in 1992, Wilson has continued to collaborate with his brother, including the release of two live albums (Minneapolis 2010 and Minneapolis 2013).
Personal life[edit]
Wilson is married to Diane Espaldon. Wilson and his wife were contemporaries at Harvard University, where he studied visual arts and she studied government.[9] Wilson's wife subsequently earned a M.A. from School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Together, they have one biological daughter, Corazon ("Coco") (b. 1997), who was born prematurely and has disabilities and for whom "Closing Time" was written before her birth,[32] and Lily (b. 2007), who was adopted at age two from the Philippines.