Jump to content

Greg Wells

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 88.145.147.198 (talk) at 18:20, 24 January 2019 (Songwriting and production credits). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Greg Wells
Wells in studio
Wells in studio
Background information
Born (1968-09-21) 21 September 1968 (age 56)
OriginPeterborough, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
  • Piano
  • organ
  • keyboard
  • synthesizer
  • drums
  • percussion
  • guitar
  • bass
Years active1998–present
Websitewww.gregwells.net

Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer[1] based in Los Angeles. Wells has songs on over 120 million albums sold and streaming numbers in the billions. He has produced and written with Adele, Dua Lipa, The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Grace VanderWaal, Rufus Wainwright, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Twenty One Pilots, Kid Cudi, Deftones, Creeper Lagoon, Mayer Hawthorne, Theophilus London, Weezer, OneRepublic, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Pharrell Williams, The All-American Rejects, Otep, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach, Celine Dion, Crash Test Dummies,[2][3] Elton John, Jars of Clay, and the Count Basie Orchestra.

A renowned musician, there are feature articles about Wells' drumming in Modern Drummer,[4] as a pianist in Keyboard, as a synth programmer in Electronic Musician, as a songwriter in American Songwriter and Billboard, and as a producer, mix engineer, and music maker is featured on the cover of Mix with Ryan Tedder in the May 2017 edition.

Early life

Wells grew up in the small city of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, the son of a United Church of Canada minister.[5] At age 11, he developed Perthes' disease and was in a wheelchair unable to walk for two years. Wells attended Adam Scott CVI,[6] learned to play several instruments,[4] and joined many musical ensembles in his hometown from the local orchestra to club bands to being a church organist/choir director, as well as DJ-ing dances and running a weekly radio show on Trent University Radio CFFF-FM. He studied classical piano, drums, pipe organ, orchestral percussion and music theory at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music and attended the Humber College Jazz Music Program in Toronto on drums, piano, and guitar.[4]

Career

After moving from Peterborough to Toronto at age 17, Wells worked as a live and studio musician with Canadian music legends Rob McConnell and Kim Mitchell.[7] He joined the Kim Mitchell Band at age 19. Wells recorded keyboards and backing vocals on Mitchell's, Rockland, toured Canada several times with the band, and won the award for Best Keyboardist at the 1990 Toronto Music Awards as a result of his work with Mitchell (and Wells performed with Mitchell at the awards show on drums).

Wells was awarded a Canada Council arts grant to study in Los Angeles[4] with Clare Fischer, famed composer and string arranger for Prince. He traveled to Los Angeles at age 21 with the intention of returning to Canada, but Fischer began recommending Wells as a pianist. Wells joined k.d. lang's band soon afterward,[3] performing with her on the 1993 Grammy Awards where she won Best Pop Female Vocal.

Working with the support of music manager Miles Copeland and music publisher Barbara Vander Linde at Rondor Music, Wells started producing records and writing songs. His first recorded song as a songwriter was with Aerosmith on Nine Lives, which was followed by "The Reason" on Celine Dion's album, Let's Talk About Love. Wells continued to branch out, producing Rufus Wainwright and Otep. Songwriter Kara DioGuardi started collaborating with Wells in 2003 and partnered with him in several pop projects. Wells then produced, mixed and played most of the instruments on Mika's debut album Life In Cartoon Motion.

In 2007, Wells produced both Timbaland's and OneRepublic's version of the song, "Apologize, one of the biggest hit songs in the history of commercial radio. Wells met and began working with Katy Perry and has written and produced on most of her albums.[8] The two continue to collaborate in 2018 as Wells produced and co-wrote Cozy Little Christmas, which reached #1 on the AC chart in the US.

Wells has designed best selling music software, creating the "El Rey" compressor plugin with Acustica Audio and Studio DMI, and a signature series of plugins with Waves Audio.

Wells is a member of the Mix with the Masters based in France.

The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, produced and mixed by Wells, is the biggest selling worldwide album of 2018.

Philanthropy

Wells donates three annual music scholarships to the Humber College Music Program where he attended in Toronto.[9] Wells also gives away a new drum kit from his Instagram and Twitter account every 3 months[10] to people around the globe who want drums but don't own any, and partners with Roland Corporation to give away a keyboard every three months.[11]

Awards

Wells has received three Grammy nominations for his work with Katy Perry, The Greatest Showman Soundtrack, and Mika. Wells received the Pensado Giant Award at the 2017 Pensado Awards for achievements in the field of record-making.[12]. In June 2015, Wells was awarded an honorary degree from his alma mater music college, Humber College in Toronto. Wells was nominated as producer of the year at the 2000 Canadian Juno Awards.[13]

Personal life

Wells is married to Swedish songwriter Nina Woodford. He has five children. He works out of his studio in Los Angeles that he built called Rocket Carousel Studio.

Songwriting and production credits

Notes

Title Year Artist Album Songwriter Producer
"Naked" 1997 Jon Bon Jovi Destination Everywhere checkY
"The Reason" Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love checkY
"It's Killing Me" 1998 DC Talk Supernatural checkY
"Polite" 1999 Bijou Phillips I'd Rather Eat Glass checkY
"I'm a Mountain" checkY
"Little Dipper" checkY
"Grace" Jars of Clay If I Left the Zoo checkY
"She's a Mystery" 2000 Bon Jovi Crush checkY
"Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" 2001 Rufus Wainwright Poses checkY
"Reveal" 2003 Celine Dion One Heart checkY
"Desperately" Michelle Branch Hotel Paper checkY
"Where Are You Now?" checkY
"Lay Me Down" checkY checkY
"Strong Enough to Break" Hanson Underneath Acoustic checkY
"Hey" checkY
"I'm Ready" 2004 Cherie Cherie checkY
"Beautiful Soul" Jesse McCartney Beautiful Soul checkY
"Stumble" Natasha Bedingfield Unwritten checkY checkY
"French Kisses" Jentina Jentina checkY checkY
"Kinda Love" Darius Live Twice checkY
"Ever (Foreign Flag)" 2005 Team Sleep Team Sleep checkY
"Princeton Review" checkY
"Our Ride to the Rectory" checkY
"Elizabeth" checkY
"Ever Since WWII" checkY
"11/11" checkY
"Supergirl" Hilary Duff Most Wanted checkY checkY
"Flirt" The Pussycat Dolls PCD checkY checkY
"Mother Mother" The Veronicas The Secret Life Of... checkY
"Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" Lindsay Lohan A Little More Personal (Raw) checkY checkY
"Black Hole" checkY checkY
"I Live for the Day" checkY
"My Innocence" checkY checkY
"If You Were Me" checkY checkY
"Who Loves You" checkY checkY
"A Beautiful Life (La Bella Vita)" checkY
"Apologize" 2006 OneRepublic Dreaming Out Loud checkY
"Good Day" Jewel Goodbye Alice in Wonderland checkY
"Relax, Take It Easy" Mika Life in Cartoon Motion checkY
"Screwed" Paris Hilton Paris checkY checkY
"Not Leaving Without You" checkY checkY
"Ni Freud Ni Tu Mamá" Belinda Utopia checkY checkY
"Pudo Ser Tan Fácil" checkY checkY
"Noche Cool" checkY
"Grace Kelly" 2007 Mika Life in Cartoon Motion checkY
"Apologize (Remix)"
(featuring OneRepublic)
Timbaland Shock Value checkY
"Lollipop" Mika Life in Cartoon Motion checkY
"My Interpretation" checkY
"Love Today" checkY
"Any Other World" checkY
"Billy Brown" checkY
"Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" checkY
"Stuck in the Middle" checkY
"Happy Ending" checkY
"Over My Shoulder" checkY
"Ring Ring" checkY
"Erase" checkY
"Your Sympathy" checkY
"No Work, All Play" Hilary Duff Dignity checkY checkY
"Indiana" Jon McLaughlin Indiana checkY
"We Got the Party"
(solo / featuring Jonas Brothers)
Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus
/ Jonas Brothers
checkY checkY
"Hook Me Up" The Veronicas Hook Me Up checkY
"Takes One to Know One" Belinda Utopía² checkY
"If We Were" checkY checkY
"Stop and Stare" OneRepublic Dreaming Out Loud checkY
"Say (All I Need)" checkY
"Mercy" checkY
"Goodbye, Apathy" checkY
"All Fall Down" checkY
"Tyrant" checkY
"Prodigal" checkY
"All We Are" checkY
"Someone to Save You" checkY
"Ur So Gay" Katy Perry One of the Boys checkY checkY
"Running with the Devil" 2008 Alexz Johnson Weight checkY
"Swallowed" checkY
"Mail Man" checkY checkY
"Saving the Train" checkY checkY
"Weight" checkY
"We Rock" Various artists Camp Rock: OST checkY checkY
"Waking Up in Vegas" Katy Perry One of the Boys checkY
"Mannequin" checkY
"Fingerprints" checkY checkY
"Gotta Find You" Joe Jonas Camp Rock: OST checkY
"Why Did I Ever Like You" P!nk Funhouse checkY checkY
"I Do Not Hook Up" 2009 Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted checkY
"When It All Goes Away" David Hodges The Rising EP checkY
"Fearless" Colbie Caillat Breakthrough checkY
"Discount Store" Dan Bryk Non-album single checkY
"We Are Golden" Mika The Boy Who Knew Too Much checkY
"Blame It on the Girls" checkY
"Rain" checkY
"Dr. John" checkY
"I See You" checkY
"Blue Eyes" checkY
"Good Gone Girl" checkY
"Touches You" checkY
"By the Time" checkY
"One Foot Boy" checkY
"Toy Boy" checkY
"Pick Up Off the Floor" checkY
"Lady Jane" checkY
"Lover Boy" checkY
"Lonely Alcoholic" checkY
"As a Blonde" Selena Gomez & the Scene Kiss & Tell checkY checkY
"Just One of Those Things" Jamie Cullum The Pursuit checkY
"Love Ain't Gonna Let You Down" checkY
"Mixtape" checkY
"Brick by Brick" Katy Perry MTV Unplugged EP checkY checkY
"Strut" Adam Lambert For Your Entertainment checkY checkY
"Pick U Up" checkY checkY
"Broken Open" checkY checkY
"Down the Rabbit Hole" checkY checkY
"Can't Let You Go" checkY
"No One Else" Allison Iraheta Just Like You checkY checkY
"Gave It All Away" 2010 Boyzone Brother checkY
"Love Is a Hurricane" checkY
"Ruby" checkY
"Too Late for Hallelujah" checkY
"Separate Cars" checkY
"One More Song" checkY checkY
"Right Here Waiting" checkY
"Nothing Without You" checkY
"Til the Sun Goes Down" checkY
"Time" checkY
"Let Your Wall Fall Down" checkY
"Hey You" Miranda Cosgrove Sparks Fly checkY
"Pearl" Katy Perry Teenage Dream checkY checkY
"Not Like the Movies" checkY checkY
"Where's My Sex?" Weezer Hurley checkY
"One and Only" 2011 Adele 21 checkY
"Guns for Hands" Twenty One Pilots Regional at Best checkY
"Holding On to You" checkY
"Ode to Sleep" checkY
"Car Radio" checkY
"Forest" checkY
"Glowing Eyes" checkY
"Kitchen Sink"
(featuring Zack Joseph)
checkY
"Lovely" checkY
"Trees" checkY
"Elle me dit" Mika The Origin of Love checkY
"I Do" Colbie Caillat All of You checkY
"Before I Let You Go" checkY
"Dream Life, Life" checkY
"What Means the Most" checkY
"Maria" checkY
"Angel at My Door" NEEDTOBREATHE The Reckoning checkY
"The Greeks Will Inherit the Earth" I Fight Dragons KABOOM! checkY
"My Future is a Big Wide Open Space" Wax Eviction Notice checkY
"Isabella" Dia Frampton Red checkY
"The Broken Ones" checkY
"Dreamer" 2012 Elizaveta Beatrix Runs checkY
"Meant" checkY
"Armies of Your Heart" checkY
"Snow in Venice" checkY
"Nightflyers" checkY
"Orion" checkY
"Beatrix Runs" checkY
"Odi et Amo" checkY
"Victory" checkY
"Goodbye Song" checkY
"Beekeeper's Daughter" The All-American Rejects Kids in the Street checkY
"Kids in the Street" checkY
"Someday's Gone" checkY
"Fast and Slow" checkY
"Heartbeat Slowing Down" checkY
"Walk Over Me" checkY
"Out the Door" checkY
"Bleed into Your Mind" checkY
"Gonzo" checkY
"Affection" checkY
"I for You" checkY
"Drown Next to Me" checkY
"Do Me Right" checkY
"Just Be" Paloma Faith Fall to Grace checkY
"My Oh My" Tristan Prettyman Cedar + Gold checkY
"Origin of Love" Mika The Origin of Love checkY
"Stardust" checkY
"Make You Happy" checkY
"Underwater" checkY
"Overrated" checkY
"Step with Me" checkY
"Popular Song"
(featuring Priscilla Renea or Ariana Grande)
checkY
"Emily" checkY
"Karen" checkY
"I Was Gonna Marry You" Tristan Prettyman Cedar + Gold checkY
"Second Chance" checkY
"Say Anything" checkY
"Quit You" checkY
"Bad Drug" checkY
"Come Clean" checkY
"Glass Jar" checkY
"When You Come Down" checkY
"Deepest Ocean Blue" checkY
"The Rebound" checkY
"Never Say Never" checkY
"Migrane" 2013 Twenty One Pilots Vessel checkY
"House of Gold" checkY
"Semi-Automatic" checkY
"Screen" checkY
"The Run and Go" checkY
"Fake You Out" checkY
"Truce" checkY
"Tomorrow" Wax Continue checkY
"Stupefied" checkY
"Toothbrush" checkY
"She Used to Be Mine" checkY
"Adventure Time" BRY Grow EP checkY
"Where Does This Door Go" Mayer Hawthorne Where Does This Door Go checkY
"Small Clone" checkY
"Designer Drug" checkY
"The Same" Birdy Fire Within checkY checkY
"By the Grace of God" Katy Perry Prism checkY checkY
"Choose Your Battles" checkY checkY
"To Find You" 2014 Lea Michele Louder checkY
"Boum Boum Boum" Mika No Place in Heaven checkY
"Legends Never Die"
(featuring Katy Perry)
Ferras Ferras EP checkY checkY
"Running Behind" 2015 Holychild The Shape of Brat Pop to Come checkY
"Talk About You" Mika No Place in Heaven checkY
"Last Party" checkY
"Nasty Girls" Holychild The Shape of Brat Pop to Come checkY
"Money All Around" checkY
"Diamonds on the Rebound" checkY
"Regret You" checkY
"U Make Me Sick" checkY
"All She Wants" Mika No Place in Heaven checkY
"Oh Girl You're the Devil" checkY checkY
"No Place in Heaven" checkY
"Good Wife" checkY
"Rio" checkY
"Ordinary Man" checkY
"Promised Land" checkY
"Black Heart" Carly Rae Jepsen Emotion checkY checkY
"Even If" Ella Eyre Feline checkY checkY
"Wasted Time" 2016 Keith Urban Ripcord checkY checkY
"Stay" Theophilus London Non-album single checkY
"Too Good to Last"
(featuring Terence Blanchard)
Kandace Springs Soul Eyes checkY
"Queen of Swords" Idina Menzel Idina checkY checkY
"Light the Sky" Grace VanderWaal Perfectly Imperfect EP checkY
"Astronautti" Koli-C Non-album single checkY
"Small World" Idina Menzel Idina checkY checkY
"Everybody Knows" checkY checkY
"Show Me" checkY checkY
"Cake" checkY checkY
"Extraordinary" checkY checkY
"Perfect Story" checkY checkY
"Everything" BRY BRY checkY
"I Don't Know My Name" Grace VanderWaal Perfectly Imperfect EP checkY checkY
"Clay" checkY
"Beautiful Thing" checkY checkY
"Gossip Girl" checkY
"Deep Water" 2017 Alisan Porter I Come in Pieces EP checkY
"Kiss You While I Can" Rascal Flatts Back to Us checkY
"Garden" Dua Lipa Dua Lipa checkY checkY
"Beneath the Streetlights and the Moon" JP Cooper Raised Under Grey Skies checkY checkY
"This Is Me" Keala Settle The Greatest Showman: OST checkY
"The Greatest Show"
(with Keala Settle, Zac Efron and Zendaya)
Hugh Jackman checkY
"Just a Crush" Grace VanderWaal Just the Beginning checkY
"A Better Life" checkY
"Lungs" checkY checkY
"Machine Heart" Kelsea Ballerini Unapologetically checkY
"Come Alive"
(with Keala Settle, Daniel Everidge and Zendaya)
Hugh Jackman The Greatest Showman: OST checkY
"The Other Side"
(with Zac Efron)
checkY
"Rewrite the Stars"
(with Zendaya)
Zac Efron checkY
"From Now On" Hugh Jackman checkY
"This Is Me" Kesha The Greatest Showman: Reimagined checkY
"Coming Back Around" 2018 Ferras Non-album single checkY checkY
"Hold Me Down" Family of the Year Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime checkY
"Bad Love" The Aces When My Heart Felt Volcanic checkY checkY
"Let Her Go" Family of the Year Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime checkY
"My Wave"
(featuring Shy Carter)
Keith Urban Graffiti U checkY checkY
"Latchkey Kids" Family of the Year Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Nighttime checkY
"Bitter Mind" checkY
"I'm the One" checkY
"Girl Who Washed Ashore" checkY
"The Coast" checkY
"Where Was I" checkY
"Raw Honey" checkY
"Mexico" checkY
"Put It to Bed" JHart TBA checkY
"Cozy Little Christmas" Katy Perry Non-album single checkY checkY
"A Million Dreams" Pink The Greatest Showman: Reimagined checkY
"The Greatest Show" Panic! at the Disco checkY
"A Million Dreams (Reprise)" Willow Sage Hart checkY
"The Other Side"
(with Ty Dolla Sign)
MAX checkY
"This Is Me" (The Reimagined Version)
(with Kesha and Missy Elliot)
Keala Settle checkY

References

  1. ^ GRAMMY.com
  2. ^ James H. Marsh (1999). The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. pp. 583–. ISBN 978-0-7710-2099-5.
  3. ^ a b Larry LeBlanc (February 27, 1999). "Dummies Hand In their Latest Set". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 18–21. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Features: Greg Wells". Modern Drummer, Stephen Belans, July 2016.
  5. ^ "Musician returns to church that seeded career". Peterborough Examiner, By Jessica Nyznik, March 7, 2016
  6. ^ "Peterborough’s music pedigree a secret no more". My Kawartha, Dec 12, 2014 by Paul Rellinger.
  7. ^ Larry LeBlanc (February 27, 1999). "Dummies Hand In their Latest Set". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 18–21la. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ Jo Berry (March 31, 2011). Katy Perry: California Gurl. Orion Publishing Group. pp. 29–. ISBN 978-1-4091-3362-9.
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ [4]
  13. ^ Larry LeBlanc (February 12, 2000). "Morissette leads Canada's Juno nomination list". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 45–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ^ Belmont and Belcourt Biographies (March 2012). Adele: An Unauthorized Biography. Price World Publishing. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-1-61984-065-2.
  15. ^ Billboard.com delivers Music Chart Coverage- Find Digital Music Charts Archived May 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine