Hal Willner

Hal Willner (b. April 6, 1956, Philadelphia PA; d. April 7, 2020, NYC) was an American music producer working in recording, films, TV and live events. He is best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical styles (jazz, classical, rock, Tin Pan Alley). His first tribute album was Amarcord Nino Rota in 1981. Willner produced albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Bill Frisell, Steven Bernstein, William S. Burroughs, Gavin Friday, Lucinda Williams, and Laurie Anderson, among others. He also helped launch the career of Jeff Buckley. He served as a music supervisor on two Robert Altman films, and was sketch music producer for Saturday Night Live for 40 years.

Willner died in 2020 of complications related to Covid-19.