Mitch Dane is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter who resides in Nashville. His work with artists include Jars of Clay,

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, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Young Fables, Ole Lonesome, Swearingen and Kelli, Kenny Foster and many others. He was awarded a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for his work on Jars of Clay's ''11th Hour'', and nominated for Grammys for his work on four other albums. Dane also received

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

's "Most Played Song" award for "Nothing Without You" co-written with Bebo Norman. He owns the recording studio Sputnik Sound with Vance Powell.

Personal life

Dane grew up in Southeast Missouri ( Cape Girardeau), where he spent his childhood making playhouses and treehouses. At age 14, Dane was involved in a motorcycle accident, rendering him

clinically dead Clinical death is the medical term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing, the two criteria necessary to sustain the lives of human beings and of many other organisms. It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a conditio ...

for several minutes until his was miraculously revived. His

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

trachea The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a Cartilage, cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air-breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends ...

and

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...

were injured in the accident, prohibiting him from speaking for two years, a period Dane defines as when he "learned to really listen". His injuries required 33 surgeries, one of which removed a vocal chord, contributing to his distinct voice. Dane worked the story of his accident into his musical performances over the next 15 years until he pivoted and began audio engineering. Dane is married with two children and has lived in Nashville since 1989.

Musical Influences

As a producer, Dane has been cited as saying "I like to collect the best aspects of every genre of music and bring them together in hybrid productions". Citing his childhood affinity for building treehouses, Dane states that he took the same approach when designing his studio; a place for people to be comfortable and to hang out. His demeanor has been described as "calm and focused".

Selected Production credits

As of December 2018 Mitch Dane has produced or engineered over 275 projects. Below is a selection of his production credits:

References

American producers Record producers from Missouri Living people Grammy Award winners 1967 births {{US-music-bio-stub