Dan Wilson of Semisonic

Dan Wilson of Semisonic

Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson (born May 20, 1961) is a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and visual artist. His songwriting resume includes "Closing Time", which he wrote for his band, Semisonic, "Not Ready to Make Nice" (co-written with the Dixie Chicks) and "Someone like You" (co-written with Adele). He earned a Grammy nomination for “Closing Time” (Best Rock Song) and won Grammys for Song of the Year (“Not Ready to Make Nice” in 2007) and Album of the Year (which he won in 2012 as one of the producers of Adele’s 21).

In addition to being the leader of Semisonic, Wilson has released several solo recordings, including the 2017 release Re-Covered. He was also a member of the Minneapolis psychedelic rock band Trip Shakespeare.

Background information
Birth name Daniel Dodd Wilson
Born May 20, 1961 (age 57)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres
Folk rock country alternative rock
Occupation(s)
Singer songwriter musician producer visual artist

Wilson is originally from St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Wilson attended Harvard University, where he studied visual arts with a focus on printmaking and from which he graduated B.A. summa cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies in 1983, while he resided in Dunster House. Wilson is an accomplished artist, and won the first Louis Sudler Prize for Outstanding Artistic Talent and Achievement in 1983. While in college, he began collaborating with his brother, singer-songwriter Matt Wilson, who also attended Harvard College. The Wilson brothers played in two bands, Animal Dance and the Love Monsters. After college, Wilson pursued his interest in drawing and painting, first in San Francisco and then in Minneapolis.

Wilson is married to Diane Espaldont. Wilson and his wife were contemporaries at Harvard University, where he studied visual arts and she studied government. Wilson's wife subsequently earned a M.A. from School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Together, they have one biological daughter, Corazon ("Coco") (b. 1997), who was born prematurely and has disabilities and for whom "Closing Time" was written before her birth, and Lily who was adopted at age 2 from the Philippines.