Robert Siers Cavallo (born March 21, 1963) is an American record producer and record executive.[1][2] He is among the biggest-selling producers in alternative music, having contributed to albums that have sold over 130 million units worldwide. He is also a three-time Grammy Award recipient.[3]
Cavallo plays multiple instruments and has professional credits for his bass, keyboard, organ, piano, guitar and percussion work.[2]
Early life
Cavallo was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to Los Angeles, California, with his family at age 10.[2] His interest in music began at age 11 after listening to his father's The Beatles collection.[5] He graduated from the University of Southern California, as a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, in 1985 with a B.A. in English.[5] Cavallo also attended the Dick Grove School of Music.[2]
Career
Cavallo worked with George Massenburg at The Complex Recording Studios early in his career. He joined Warner Bros. Records as A&R representative in 1987 and worked with Black Sabbath as one of his first assignments.[5][10] He also signed both the Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day during his first tenure at Warner Bros. Records.[5][11] Cavallo became senior vice-president of A&R of Hollywood Records in 1998.[12] He moved to Warner Music Group in 2002 and became chief creative officer of the company in 2009.[12] He was named chairman of Warner Bros. Records in 2011, and served in that position until December 2012.[12]
Cavallo-produced Fleetwood Mac album Say You Will went gold in the US, Canada and Britain.[2][33][34][35] Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 rankings.[36] Phil Collins' single "Can't Stop Loving You", off the Cavallo-produced album Testify, peaked at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.[2][37]
Two Cavallo-produced Goo Goo Dolls tracks, "Iris" and "Slide", were included in Billboard's top 100 pop songs 1992–2012.[38] "Iris" was the top pop song from 1992–2012 and "Slide" was ninth-best according to Billboard's list.[38]
In 2021, Rob Cavallo launched Done Deal Management with music technology platform Vydia.[41]
After producing Beth Hart’s critically-acclaimed “War In My Mind” album[42][43] in 2019, Cavallo pulled double duty in both producing and playing lead guitar in Hart’s 2022 “A Tribute to Led Zeppelin” album.[44]
Awards and recognition
Cavallo has won three Grammy awards: 1998 Producer of the Year; 2004 Best Rock Album for producing Green Day's American Idiot; and 2005 Record of the Year for producing Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".[6]
