Rockstar and entrepreneur reigniting soul music for a new generation
Dan Auerbach is a fine example of a man who made a name for himself through determination and hard work and used that recognition to amplify artists from underrepresented groups, largely due to economic barriers. His long and storied career as a world-renowned musician and producer has afforded him the influence to greatly impact diversity in modern music, allowing greater equity to exist in the industry today.
Coming from a lower middle-class family in Akron, Ohio, an became fascinated with guitar at a young age, citing the works of blues artists such as R.L Burnside and Junior Kimbaugh as primary influences. After dropping out of college with debt, Dan reunited with a childhood friend, Patrick Carney, to record bar demos. The duo subsequently formed The Black Keys, a blues-based rock band which went on to sell millions of records and win several Grammy awards. In the band’s early years, they self-produced their albums with little to no money, often composing on portable mixers and tape machines in dubious environments, such as dirty basements or tire factories. Through relentless touring and a constant stream of new content, The Black Keys became a worldwide sensation by the end of the 2000s [1].
In 2014, while the band was on hiatus, Dan moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and founded Easy Eye Sound out of an old telephone office. A studio and record label, Easy Eye Sound began producing promising artists, both young and old, with a studio band famously composed of old Nashville session musicians. One notable artist that found success through Dan’s efforts is Robert Finley, a 69-year-old legally blind blues musician who had recently been discovered busking in Arkansas by the Music Maker Relief Foundation. After connecting with Finley, Dan helped produce records like Goin’ Platinum and Sharecropper’s Son, both achieving critical and commercial acclaim [2].
Dan’s label has also helped shine light on forgotten artists whose work has been lost to time, or perhaps even shunned by previous managers or communities. Forever On My Mind by Son House is a collection of re-discovered unreleased tracks recorded by the delta blues pioneer, introducing a new generation to a man who played in a time when blues was met with great adversity [3]. Dan’s work as a patron to old and forgotten artists has also helped the likes of Tony Joe White [4] and Link Wray, both now-deceased musicians that came to prominence in the 50s and 60s with guitar-driven folk and blues.
Dan’s production has also created a new avenue for female artists to become stars through Easy Eye Sound. Artists like Yola and Shannon Shaw have made grand entrances nto the world of popular music as of late, with Yola now having four grammy nominations.
Even the chart-topping artists of today get a new level of representation with Dan, and can express themselves more creatively, without the fear of big label meddling. CeeLo Green recently recorded a soul album with Dan, called CeeLo Green Is Thomas Calloway, a noticeable departure from his previous works [5].
Dan’s story is one of perseverance, success, and of paying it forward. His ongoing passion for roots, soul, and blues music has allowed a new generation of recording artists from many different backgrounds to get a foothold in American popular music, and has helped greatly diversify the world of music as we know it.
Works Cited
[1] Rolling Stone. “The big come up: The black keys relive their accidental start,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hd6XcOw8Ag&t=540s (accessed June 12, 2024).
[2] PBS NewsHour. “What the black keys’ Dan Auerbach is doing in Nashville,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx42Tub-Sqo&t=325s (accessed June 12, 2024).
[3] Easy Eye Sound. “Forever on my mind [easy eye sound exclusive orange marble vinyl]” https://easyeyesound.com/collections/son-house/products/forever-on-my-mind-easy-eye-sound-exclusive-orange-marble-vinyl (accessed June 12, 2024).
[4] Easy Eye Sound. “Tony Joe White – smoke from the chimney [standard black vinyl]” https://easyeyesound.com/collections/tony-joe-white/products/tony-joe-white-smoke-from-the-chimney-standard-black-vinyl (accessed June 12, 2024).
[5] Easy Eye Sound. “CeeLo Green is Thomas Callaway [vinyl]” https://easyeyesound.com/collections/ceelo-green/products/ceelo-green-is-thomas-callaway-vinyl (accessed June 12, 2024).
About The Author
Justin Vreeland is a 21-year-old undergraduate student in Sound Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. He is also a songwriter and recording artist, continuously playing blues-rock and folk music around the greater Savannah area, from small bars to the area’s largest festivals, sharing stages with the likes of Everclear, Spin Doctors, and Tantric. Justin has been heavily involved in the production of music since high school, and through his time at SCAD has been able to refine and expand his craft in the world of sound, venturing into composing, sound editing, and foley editing and recording.
