Jeff Trott

Last updated

Jeff Trott
JeffTrott 2015.jpeg
Trott in 2015
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Robert Trott
Born San Mateo, California, U.S.
Origin San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
  • instrumentalist
Instruments
Website www.jefftrott.com

Jeffrey Robert Trott is an American songwriter and record producer from San Francisco, California. He is perhaps most well-known for his collaborations with American singer Sheryl Crow, having co-written some of her biggest hits, including "If It Makes You Happy", "Everyday Is a Winding Road", and "Soak Up the Sun"; he also produced tracks on her albums C'mon, C'mon , Wildflower , Be Myself , and Threads . [1] Trott won the BMI Songwriter of the Year award in 1998. [2]

Contents

Early years

Trott was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and got his start in a post-punk band called the Lifers. He then joined another San Francisco band, Wire Train, first appearing on their third and final album for Columbia Records, 1987's Ten Women , after which the label dropped the band. During this time, Trott was invited to join the successful UK band World Party in the studio, and appeared on their critically-acclaimed 1990 album Goodbye Jumbo . [3] Wire Train went on to release two more albums on MCA Records, Wire Train (1990) and No Soul No Strain (1992).

Career

Writing

Trott's songwriting collaborators include Gemma Hayes, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, John Paul White (of the Civil Wars), Augustana, Rob Thomas, Guster, Natasha Bedingfield, Michelle Branch, Meiko, Liz Phair, Roger Daltrey (The Who), Joe Cocker, Stevie Nicks, Counting Crows, and Marc Broussard. [3]

Producing

Trott's credits as a producer include Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Augustana, Joshua Radin, Meiko, Pete Francis (of Dispatch), and Griffin House. In 2009, Trott produced the Samantha Stollenwerck album Carefree, which featured members of Beck's band, including Brian LeBarton, Roger Manning Jr., Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker, and Lyle Workman. He also produced Heartstrings , the 2014 debut album by actress/singer-songwriter Leighton Meester. More recently, Trott and Frank Rogers co-produced 2019's Imperfect Circle by Hootie & the Blowfish.

Movie and television

Trott scored Kevin Watkins' 2008 animated short film Hose. [4] He produced the soundtrack for the indie movie Janie Jones , featuring Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola, in 2011. [5]

His work has gotten many placements in hit television shows like Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy , as well as in singing competition shows such as American Idol , The Voice , and The X Factor . [6] [7]

In 2012, Sheryl Crow was invited by journalist Katie Couric to write the theme song for her then-new talk show, Katie . [8] The song, titled "This Day", was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Original Song. [9]

Solo project

In 2000, Trott recorded and produced his first solo album, Dig Up the Astroturf, [10] with Keith Schreiner, an electronic musician and producer based in Portland, Oregon. His stated reason for making a solo record was to understand "every aspect of making a record, mastering, artwork, branding and PR in order to know firsthand what an artist goes through during the process of making a record." [11] The CD was released on Trott's own indie label, Black Apple.

Accolades

BMI Songwriter Award

The BMI Awards are annual award ceremonies for songwriters in various genres organized by Broadcast Music, Inc. The main pop music award was founded in 1952. The 63rd Annual BMI Pop Awards were held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on May 13, 2015. [12]

YearAward nameResult
1998BMI Songwriter AwardWon

Daytime Emmy Awards

The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles–based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. [13] Jeff Trott and Sheryl Crow have received one nomination in the category Outstanding Original Song. [14]

YearNominated workAward nameResult
2013"This Day"Outstanding Original Song (shared with Sheryl Crow)Nominated

Grammy Awards

YearNominated workAward nameResult
2023 "Forever" Best American Roots Song (shared with Sheryl Crow)Nominated

Discography

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow (1996)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2"A Change Would Do You Good"Crow, Jeff Trott, Brian MacLeod 3:50
4"Sweet Rosalyn"Crow, Trott3:58
5"If It Makes You Happy"Crow, Trott5:23
8"Everyday Is a Winding Road"Crow, MacLeod, Trott4:16
10"Oh Marie"Crow, Trott, Bill Bottrell 3:30
11"Superstar"Crow, Trott4:58
12"The Book"Crow, Trott4:34

The Globe Sessions (1998)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1"My Favorite Mistake"Crow, Trott4:08
2"There Goes the Neighborhood"Crow, Trott5:02
4"It Don't Hurt"Crow, Trott4:49
5"Maybe That's Something"Crow, Trott4:17

C'mon C'mon (2002)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2"Soak Up the Sun"Crow, Trott4:52
3"You're an Original"Crow, Trott4:18
8"Lucky Kid"Crow, Trott4:02
11"Abilene"Crow, Trott4:45

Wildflower (2005)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
3"Good Is Good"Crow, Trott4:18
4"Chances Are"Crow, Trott5:16
6"Lifetimes"Crow, Trott4:12
7"Letter to God"Crow, Trott4:04
8"Live It Up"Crow, Trott3:42
9"I Don't Wanna Know"Crow, Trott4:28
11"Where Has All the Love Gone"Crow, Trott3:40

Detours (2008)

No.TitleWriters(s)Length
4"Peace Be Upon Us"Crow, Trott, Bottrell, Mike Elizondo 4:22
5"Gasoline"Crow, Trott, Bottrell5:07
10"Diamond Ring"Crow, Trott4:10

Feels Like Home (2013)

NoTitleWriter(s)Length
2"Easy"Crow, Chris DuBois, Trott4:10
3"Give It to Me"Crow, Trott3:57

Be Myself (2017)

NoTitleWriter(s)Length
1"Alone in the Dark"Crow, Trott3:40
2"Halfway There"Crow, Trott3:59
2"Long Way Back"Crow, Trott5:07
4"Be Myself"Crow, Trott4:22
5"Roller Skate"Crow, Trott3:19
6"Love Will Save the Day"Crow, Trott4:58
7"Strangers Again"Crow, Trott3:51
8"Rest of Me"Crow, Trott3:52
9"Heartbeat Away"Crow, Trott5:35
10"Grow Up"Crow, Trott3:27
11"Woo Woo"Crow, Toby Gad, Trott3:14

Threads (2019)

NoTitleWriter(s)Length
2"Live Wire"Crow, Trott5:09
7"Cross Creek Road"Crow, Trott4:46
13"Wouldn't Want to Be Like You"Crow, Trott3:35
15"Nobody's Perfect"Crow, Trott4:43

Counting Crows

Hard Candy (2002)

No.TitleWriter (s)Length
14"4 White Stallions"Trott, John Vickery, Patrick Winningham4:21

Marc Broussard

Carencro (2004)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2"Rocksteady"Broussard, Trott, Mike Elizondo, David Ryan Harris 4:03

Augustana

Augustana (2011)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5"Borrowed Time"Trott, Dan Layus 3:10

Joe Cocker

Fire It Up (2012)

NoTitleWriter(s)Length
2"I'll Be Your Doctor"Trott, Victoria Horn, Steve McMorran3:30

Hootie & the Blowfish

Imperfect Circle (2019)

NoTitleWriter(s)Length
1"New Year's Day"(Tofer Brown, Hootie & the Blowfish, Eric Paslay, Trott)3:32
5"Turn It Up"(Hootie & the Blowfish, Paslay, Trott)3:21
9"Lonely on a Saturday Night"(Hootie & the Blowfish, Paslay, Trott)3:10

Others

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheryl Crow</span> American musician (born 1962)

Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and actress. She is noted for her optimistic and idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released twelve studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture", and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Nicks</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1948)

Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.

<i>Cmon, Cmon</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Sheryl Crow

C'mon, C'mon is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on April 8, 2002, in the United Kingdom and April 16, 2002 in the United States. Lead single "Soak Up the Sun" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of her biggest hits since "All I Wanna Do". The album was arguably her most pop-influenced to date, a big departure from the folk and rock sound on her previous release, The Globe Sessions.

Wire Train was a San Francisco-based alternative rock band, who released six albums in the 1980s and 1990s.

<i>Sheryl Crow</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 24, 1996, by A&M Records. Unlike its predecessor Tuesday Night Music Club, which was written by a casual collective formed by Crow and several other musicians, Sheryl Crow was entirely produced by Crow, who wrote most of the songs alone or with only two collaborators. Recorded largely at Kingsway Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana, the album covers topics of American life, relationship breakups, and moral and ethical issues, while encompassing a variety of music genres such as rock, blues, alternative rock, country, and folk.

<i>The Globe Sessions</i> 1998 studio album by Sheryl Crow

The Globe Sessions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 21, 1998, in the United Kingdom and September 29, 1998, in the United States, then re-released in 1999. It was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album at the 1999 Grammys, winning the latter two awards. The Globe Sessions reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, while peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of two million as of January 2008. The album was recorded at and named for the sessions recorded at Globe Recording Studio in New York owned by Robert FitzSimons and Tracey Loggia.

<i>The Very Best of Sheryl Crow</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Sheryl Crow

The Very Best of Sheryl Crow is a greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on October 13, 2003, in the United Kingdom and November 4, 2003, in the United States. The album was a commercial success, reaching No. 2 on both the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200, selling four million units in the US as of January 2008. The album also received a platinum accreditation by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales of over one million copies in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doyle Bramhall II</span> American guitarist

Doyle Bramhall II is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.

<i>Wildflower</i> (Sheryl Crow album) 2005 studio album by Sheryl Crow

Wildflower is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, first released September 27, 2005. Although the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as previous albums, having also peaked at No. 25 on the UK Album Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soak Up the Sun</span> 2002 song by Sheryl Crow

"Soak Up the Sun" is a song by American singer Sheryl Crow. She and her longtime co-writer Jeff Trott wrote the song following a conversation they had during a plane flight, when they discussed the changing weather as they flew to New York City from Portland, Oregon. Crow was recovering from surgery at the time, inspiring her and Trott to write a happy song that would cheer her up. In the song, Crow has no money to afford any luxuries or necessities, but she decides that wallowing in her sadness is not a productive activity, so she reflects on what she currently has and "puts on a happy face" that she plans to spread to others. Crow chose to release the song as the lead single from her fourth studio album, C'mon, C'mon (2002), as she wanted to enliven people living in a post-9/11 society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve McQueen (Sheryl Crow song)</span> 2002 single by Sheryl Crow

"Steve McQueen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. It is the lead track from her fourth studio album, C'mon, C'mon (2002). It was released as the second single from the album on July 1, 2002. The song reached No. 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a dance hit, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Crow's fourth win in the category. The single's music video was directed by Wayne Isham and features Crow racing around in various vehicles, recreating scenes from Steve McQueen movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There Goes the Neighborhood (Sheryl Crow song)</span> 1998 single by Sheryl Crow

"There Goes the Neighborhood" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. The song was released as the second single from her third studio album, The Globe Sessions (1998), on November 23, 1998, and won an award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001.

<i>Trouble in Shangri-La</i> 2001 studio album by Stevie Nicks

Trouble in Shangri-La is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released in 2001, it was her first new solo album since 1994's Street Angel. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, Nicks' highest peak since 1983's The Wild Heart, with sales of 109,000 copies in its first week. The album remained in the top 10 in its second week holding the #9 spot and sold 76,000 copies. The album spent a total of 20 weeks on the Billboard 200. It achieved Gold status within six weeks of its release for shipping 500,000 copies in the U.S. As of February 2011, the album has sold over 663,000 copies in the US. Three singles were released: "Every Day", "Planets of the Universe", and "Sorcerer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheryl Crow discography</span>

The discography of Sheryl Crow, an American singer-songwriter, consists of 12 studio albums, four live albums, two EPs, seven compilation albums, one box set, 54 singles, six promotional singles, 13 video albums, 61 music videos, 21 B-sides and 19 soundtrack contributions. She has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has sold 16 million certified albums in the United States. Billboard named her the 5th Greatest Alternative Artist of all time.

<i>Augustana</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Augustana

Augustana is the third studio album by the American rock band Augustana, released on April 26, 2011 on Epic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shanks</span> American record producer and songwriter

John Matthew Shanks is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist.

<i>Feels like Home</i> (Sheryl Crow album) 2013 studio album by Sheryl Crow

Feels like Home is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released in the US and Japan on September 10, 2013, in Europe on September 13, and in the UK on January 27, 2014. The album is Crow's debut country music record and also is her first release through Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and was produced by Crow and Justin Niebank. The album was ranked by Billboard as one of the ten best country albums of 2013.

"Sorcerer" is a 1984 song written by American singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks. It was written in 1972 during her time with Buckingham Nicks. The song was produced by Jimmy Iovine and given to Marilyn Martin for her contribution to the 1984 soundtrack album Streets of Fire.

<i>Be Myself</i> 2017 studio album by Sheryl Crow

Be Myself is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. The album was released on April 21, 2017, by Wylie Songs and Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Crow and Jeff Trott, who also worked with Crow on her self-titled 1996 album and 1998's The Globe Sessions, it features a return to a more rock-driven sound following Crow's 2013 country album, Feels Like Home.

References

  1. "Jeff Trott Interview – Hit Songwriter & Producer". Songwriter Universe | Songwriting News, Articles & Song Contest. September 29, 2005. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  2. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 23, 1998.
  3. 1 2 "Jeff Trott : Songwriter Interviews". songfacts.com. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. TheNetCave.com, NetMan Inc. (May 27, 2008). "KIDS FIRST! News » Blog Archive » Kevin Watkins and His Animation "Hose"". kidsfirst.org. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  5. Holden, Stephen (October 27, 2011). "'Janie Jones' With Abigail Breslin – Review". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  6. "Music Review: "Rule The World" by Max Gomez". JollyBuzz. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  7. "'The Voice' 2015 results: How did Michigan's Joshua Davis do? Watch his duet with Sheryl Crow". MLive.com. May 20, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  8. "Hear It Here First! Katie Theme Song Revealed – Katie Couric". Katiecouric.com. July 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  9. "Sheryl Crow Receives Daytime Emmy Nomination – Music News – ABC News Radio". Abcnewsradioonline.com. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  10. "Dig up the Astroturf – Jeff Trott | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  11. "In Music We Trust – INTERVIEW: Jeff Trott: From Sheryl Crow's Songwriter to a Solo Career". inmusicwetrust.com. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  12. "BMI Film & TV Awards: Overview". IMDb . Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  13. "All Awards". Television Academy. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  14. "Sheryl Crow Receives Daytime Emmy Nomination – Music News – ABC News Radio". ABC News Radio. Retrieved April 10, 2016.