William Eugene McEuen (1941 – September 24, 2020) was a film producer and record producer famous for working with Steve Martin and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. His younger brother is John McEuen, banjo player and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Career

McEuen is credited with earning the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band their first recording contract with

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. He also co-wrote eight songs with the band. McEuen has five production credits, which include Steve Martin's ''

A Wild and Crazy Guy ''A Wild and Crazy Guy'' is an album by American comedian Steve Martin released in 1978. It reached number two on ''Billboards Pop Albums Chart. The album was eventually certified double platinum. It contains the hit novelty single "King Tu ...

'',

Steven Wright Steven Alexander Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jok ...

's '' I Have a Pony'' and three albums by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Writing in 1974 in reference to '' Stars & Stripes Forever'', Cashbox stated: "'William E. McEuen Presents' once again becomes an honored phrase as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band bows their latest album..." Through

Aspen Film Society Aspen Film Society was an American film production company formed in 1976 by actor, writer, comedian, and musician Steve Martin and film and record producer William E. McEuen, with backing from Paramount Pictures. The company's films include '' T ...

, the production company he co-founded in 1976 with Steve Martin, McEuen has also acted as producer or

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

for multiple movies, most notably as producer with 1979's '' The Jerk'', 1983's '' The Man with Two Brains'', and

for 1985's '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' and '' The Big Picture''. McEuen was twice been nominated for 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 ...

, in 1970 for

Best Album Cover The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dire ...

(for '' Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy'') and in 1975 for Best Album Package (for ''

Symphonion Dream ''Symphonion Dream'' is the ninth album by American country music band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They were joined by guest musicians Leon Russell and Linda Ronstadt, along with actor Gary Busey, who was credited as "Teddy Jack Eddy", and play ...

''). In 1978 McEuen was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Short Film with ''

The Absent-Minded Waiter ''The Absent-Minded Waiter'' is a 1977 American comedy film, comedy short film starring Steve Martin, Buck Henry and Teri Garr. It was written by Martin and directed by Carl Gottlieb. The film was produced by William E. McEuen, who would go on t ...

''. McEuen died on September 24, 2020, in Kona, Hawaii.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McEuen, William E. 1941 births 2020 deaths American producers