Jon Landau

Jon Landau is a former music critic who began working as Springsteen’s manager and co-producer in 1974. Born in 1947, Landau was there for the birth of rock 'n' roll — as well as, more directly, the birth of rock criticism, becoming a vanguard in the field. His career as a rock critic began in the early '60s, when he was still in high school . His early efforts as a record procurer began with Livingston Taylor and proto-punk legends MC5. Landau now has not only multi-platinum-album production credits to his name, but film and theater production, too, including the hottest ticket on Broadway. Landau hung up his critic's hat around 1977, around the time he was producing Jackson Browne's The Pretender and taking on the management role with Springsteen. Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, who hired Landau as a consultant, opening the door for his first production job. Landau was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 and serves on its board.