John Leventhal Biography & Awards

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Artist Info

Biography

Producer John Leventhal enjoyed his greatest success in collaboration with a variety of acclaimed contemporary singer/songwriters. He first attracted notice working with longtime lover Shawn Colvin, co-writing and producing her Grammy-winning 1989 debut LP Steady On; Jim Lauderdale's Planet of Love followed in 1991, and a year later he reunited with Colvin for Fat City in addition to teaming with Rodney Crowell for Life Is Messy. In 1993 Leventhal paired with Rosanne Cash for The Wheel, becoming her husband a short time later; that same year he also produced Kelly Willis' self-titled third album, as well as Marc Cohn's The Rainy Season and David Crosby's A Thousand Roads. A similar flurry of activity followed in 1996, when he helmed Cash's superb 10 Song Demo and Kimmie Rhodes' West Texas Heaven; most notably, he also reunited with Colvin for A Few Small Repairs, co-authoring her hit "Sunny Came Home," which won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year honors at the 1998 Grammy Awards. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide