Daniel Lanois has come a long way from his first recording studio – the laundry room in his mother’s house. Born in Hull, Quebec, Lanois came from a musical family. His mother sang and his father and grandfather played the fiddle. Moving to Hamilton, Ontario with his mother, Daniel learned to play the guitar and began playing gigs locally with other musicians. Beginning with a rudimentary cassette player, Daniel and his brother Robert began recording their music. They quickly branched out and offered local bands a place to record.
The brothers upgraded their equipment to a four-track machine offering engineering and production assistance, as well as songwriting and arranging. Gaining a solid reputation, the Lanois brothers opened Grant Avenue Studio in the early ’80s.
Recording material by Ian Tyson, Martha & The Muffins, Simply Saucer and Raffi, Lanois’ big break came when Brian Eno did some recording at his studio. Eno taught him the techniques of guitar and studio ambience and sound manipulation. When Eno was tapped to produce an album for U2, The Unforgettable Fire, Eno and Lanois served as co-producers. The results of that album impressed another star, Peter Gabriel. Asked to co-produce the soundtrack to Gabriel’s film Birdy, Gabriel and Lanois went on to produce So and Us, Gabriel’s most successful albums. Lanois continued to work with U2: He co-produced The Joshua Tree with Eno and was the principal producer for Achtung Baby, which earned him a Grammy.
Lanois earned high praise for co-producing Robbie Robertson’s eponymous solo debut in 1987 and, in 1989, for his work at the boards on Bob Dylan’s comeback album, Oh Mercy. These successes were followed by The Neville Brothers’ Yellow Moon, considered to be a breakthrough for the New Orleans soul group.
