T-Bone Burnett

T-Bone Burnett

Joseph Henry "T-Bone" Burnett (born January 14, 1948) is an American musician, songwriter, soundtrack and record producer. His nickname came from Texas guitarist T-Bone Walker, which "caused some wincing when he first started to perform, but he stuck with it."

Burnett was a touring guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue. After the tour ended, Burnett and two other members of the backing band formed The Alpha Band, followed by his first solo album in 1980.

Burnett has produced artists such as Roy Orbison, Lisa Marie Presley, John Mellencamp, Los Lobos, Counting Crows, Elton John & Leon Russell, Elvis Costello and his wife Diana Krall, Natalie Merchant and The Wallflowers as well as Tony Bennett and k.d. lang on the A Wonderful World album. Burnett won Grammy Awards for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and for his work with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his songwriting contribution to the film Cold Mountain, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart.

He founded the record label DMZ, an imprint of Columbia, and was involved with Mark Heard and Tonio K in the short-lived What? Records. He also oversaw the music for the films Walk the Line and The Big Lebowski.

Burnett's songs have been covered by such artists as k.d. lang ("Till the Heart Caves In"), Los Lobos, Sixpence None the Richer ("Carry You"), Tonio K, Emmylou Harris, Mark Heard ("Power of Love"), Arlo Guthrie, Warren Zevon, Peter Case, and B. J. Thomas.