Rob Cavallo
Born 1963 · Age 63
Record producer and music executive known for producing Green Day and many major artists; Grammy-, Golden Globe- and Oscar-associated producer; chairman of Warner Bros. Records (named 2010).
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth (estimated)
Estimated birth year for Rob Cavallo (used to calculate ages in timeline).
Received first guitar from Zal Yanovsky
At age seven Cavallo received his first guitar from Zal Yanovsky (former lead guitarist of The Lovin' Spoonful), sparking early musical development.
Discovered The Beatles; began learning instruments
At age 11 Cavallo listened to his father's Beatles albums and learned vocal, guitar, drum and piano parts, recording and remixing them.
Began undergraduate studies at USC
Came to the University of Southern California in 1981 and chose an English major rather than classical music training.
Developed music 'checklist' in college
While at USC Cavallo developed a personal checklist for recognizing musical greatness based on literary study: melody, depth, hooks and context.
Graduated USC with degree in English
Graduated from USC Dornsife in 1985 with a degree in English; studied under novelist T.C. Boyle, who advised his undergraduate thesis.
Undergraduate thesis with T.C. Boyle
Worked with novelist T.C. Boyle on his undergraduate thesis while at USC; Boyle influenced Cavallo's approach to writing and cultural context.
Joined Warner Bros. Records as A&R representative
Joined Warner Bros. Records as an artist & repertoire (A&R) representative, beginning his professional career in the record industry.
Mixed first record with The Muffs
Was mixing his first record with punk rockers The Muffs when colleagues gave him a cassette that led to discovery of Green Day.
First meeting with Green Day (Berkeley)
In a small Berkeley apartment Cavallo listened to Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool perform and was deeply impressed.
Heard Green Day cassette on Ventura Freeway
After leaving the studio he put the cassette labeled 'Green Day' into his car stereo and realized their music resonated strongly with him.
Signed Green Day to Warner Bros./Reprise
Shortly after discovering the band, Cavallo signed Green Day to Warner Bros. Records imprint Reprise.
Produced Green Day's Dookie (release)
Dookie, the first album Rob Cavallo produced with Green Day, was released in 1994 and became a massive commercial success.
Dookie sales milestone
Green Day's Dookie sold approximately 15 million copies worldwide, a breakout commercial success that elevated Cavallo's profile.
Produced Green Day's Insomniac
Cavallo worked on Green Day's follow-up album Insomniac (mentioned as one of the albums he produced for the band).
Produced Green Day's Nimrod
Cavallo worked on Green Day's album Nimrod (cited among multiple albums he produced for the band).
Won Grammy 'Producer of the Year'
Cavallo won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 1998.
Produced Alanis Morissette's 'Uninvited' (movie soundtrack)
Cavallo produced singles for movie soundtracks including Alanis Morissette's 'Uninvited' from City of Angels (citation in profile).
Produced Phil Collins' 'You'll Be in My Heart' (Tarzan) involvement
Cavallo's work included producing singles for movie soundtracks; the profile cites Phil Collins' 'You'll Be in My Heart' from Tarzan as an example.
Grammy nomination — Producer of the Year
Cavallo was nominated for the Grammy Producer of the Year award in 1999 (follow-up nomination after his 1998 win).
Tarzan song won Oscar and Golden Globe (associated)
Phil Collins' 'You'll Be in My Heart' from Tarzan won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe; Cavallo's profile ties him to such award-winning soundtrack work.
Grammy nomination — Producer of the Year (2004)
Cavallo was nominated again for Producer of the Year in 2004.
Produced Green Day's 'American Idiot' (involvement)
Cavallo worked on Green Day's American Idiot (listed among the major albums he produced for the band).
Produced Paramore's Brand New Eyes (in-studio)
Worked in-studio with Paramore on their third album Brand New Eyes (mentioned in profile as released in 2009).
Produced Dave Matthews Band 'Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King' (involvement)
Cavallo worked with Dave Matthews Band on the 2009 album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (profile recounts studio-to-arena story).
Named chairman of Warner Bros. Records
Cavallo was named chairman of Warner Bros. Records in 2010, taking on a senior executive role while still producing.
Grammy nomination — Producer of the Year (2010)
Cavallo received a Producer of the Year Grammy nomination in 2010.
Profiled by USC Dornsife Magazine
USC Dornsife published a feature profile (Dec 16, 2011) on Cavallo describing his career, influences, and role as Warner Bros. chairman.
Green Day career sales milestone (cited)
Profile notes that Green Day had sold more than 65 million records worldwide (figure cited as of the article's timeframe).
Converted Hidden Hills garage into recording studio (by 2011)
By the time of the 2011 profile Cavallo had converted the garage of his Hidden Hills, Calif., home into a state-of-the-art recording studio.
Longstanding production discography cited
Profile references an 'epic' discography spanning hundreds of albums and work with artists including Goo Goo Dolls, Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, My Chemical Romance, Eric Clapton, David Cook, Shinedown, Paramore, Lindsey Buckingham and Dave Matthews Band.
Articulated 'gut feeling' A&R philosophy
Profile details Cavallo's A&R philosophy: combining 'checklist' criteria from literary study with a gut feeling to identify artists with greatness.
Continued active studio work despite executive role
Even after becoming chairman Cavallo continued to spend significant time producing and working in his studio.
Recognized as multiple award-winning producer
Profile and other summaries describe Cavallo as an Oscar-, Golden Globe- and multiple Grammy-winning producer (aggregate recognition included in career summary).
Key Achievement Ages
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