Natchez native Glen Ballard will soon have his name etched among some of the biggest stars in American entertainment history.
The six-time Grammy Award winner and Songwriters Hall of Fame member will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday. Ballard will receive the star in the category of recording during this year’s Walk of Fame ceremony.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor songwriter and producer Glen Ballard with a star on the Walk of Fame,” stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “His exceptional talent has left a huge mark on the music industry,” added Martinez.
Ballard famously produced and co-wrote Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill”, and in 2019, a musical version of Jagged Little Pill featuring all the songs from the album debuted on Broadway.
In addition to his Broadway hits, the Mississippian has written and produced songs for Wilson Phillips, Dave Matthews, Christina Aguilera, George Strait, Josh Groban, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Shakira, Katy Perry, Van Halen, Chaka Khan, Andrea Bocelli, Ringo Starr, George Benson, Patti Austin, Al Jarreau, Idina Menzel, and more.
His production credits include producing and arranging records for Annie Lennox, No Doubt, and P.O.D. Key songs in the Ballard catalog include “Man in the Mirror” for Michael Jackson which he co-wrote and arranged, “You Oughta Know,” “Hold On,” “The Voice Within,” “The Space Between,” and “Believe” for the feature film The Polar Express.
Through his Los Angeles-based production company, Augury, Ballard is developing a slate of projects in which music plays a central role. His most recent television project is the Netflix Original series The Eddy, a music-driven multicultural drama that debuted in 2020 about a jazz band trying to survive in chaotic modern-day Paris. Ballard wrote and composed original songs and music for the limited series and served as an executive producer alongside Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle, BAFTA and Tony award-winning writer Jack Thorne, and Emmy-winning producer/director Alan Poul.
Ballard wrote original lyrics and music for GHOST the Musical, which debuted in 2011 and has since been touring worldwide.
Augury is also a producer of the stage adaptation of 1985’s Back to the Future, having worked on the project’s development for more than 14 years. In collaboration with Grammy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated film composer Alan Silvestri, Ballard created original music and lyrics for the production, which includes 17 new songs and is directed by John Rando.
The show first opened in Manchester, UK at the Opera House in March 2020. Back to the Future: The Musical began its debut in London’s West End at the Adelphi Theatre. The musical was nominated for seven 2022 Olivier Awards, including Best Original Score, and won Best New Musical. It is also the winner of four 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical. Back to the Future: The Musical is now playing on Broadway where it opened in August 2023 at the Winter Garden Theatre, and continues its run in the West End and on a U.S. tour.
Ballard began writing songs and performing in local bands in Natchez in his early years and studied literature at Ole Miss before heading out to the West Coast. He worked for Elton John and later Quincy Jones in his first decade in Los Angeles, becoming a staff songwriter at Universal, which ultimately made him one of music’s most sought-after producers and songwriters.
The Mississippian will be given his star on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. central. The Walk of Fame ceremony will be broadcast live here.
