Biography

Austin got his start in the industry by way of Klymaxx member Joyce Irby. Under her guidance, he was enlisted as a producer for her company Diva One Productions. Austin produced the lead single of Irby's debut for Motown Records as well as the songs "My Music" and "I Will Always Love You" for Troop's 1989 album Attitude.

In 1990, Austin branched out on his own. His work on Motown led him to work on albums by other acts signed to the label - the first being the little known group Glasswurk. Austin later helmed the bulk of the debut albums for the Motown signees Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men.

Austin was later recruited by L.A. Reid and Babyface to work on a couple of projects for their record label, LaFace Records. The duo recruited him to work on the debut album for TLC. From there, he was granted a deal for his short-lived group Highland Place Mobsters, which was Austin joining the members Glasswurk who were formerly signed to Motown.

After his success with other acts, Austin was recruited by After 7 to produce a few songs on their second album, Takin' My Time. Austin then worked with Madonna on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. In the 2000s, Austin worked with pop acts and produced hit singles like TLC's "Unpretty", Pink's songs "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill" and Gwen Stefani's 2004 single "Cool".

United Arab Emirates incident

In July 2006, Austin was arrested and held in a United Arab Emirates prison on drug charges. After U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch interceded on Austin's behalf, the UAE consulate in Washington, D.C. placed calls to Lionel Richie for a character reference.

Richie recounts for the New York Times:

It was, 'Tell me what kind of guy is Dallas Austin.' I said, 'Listen, this is a great guy. He's done a great job for the community. A gangster, a hoodlum, a thug, he's not.'

Austin pleaded guilty in court, apologized for his actions, and was subsequently granted a royal pardon by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Personal life

Austin has 3 children in total from various partners, and has been romantically linked with model Jessica White in 2014.

Austin's oldest son Cypress Rankin-Austin was born in 1994 during his relationship with attorney Lee Hopson (née Rankin).

On June 2, 1997, TLC singer Chilli gave birth to another son, Tron Austin.

Record labels founded by Dallas Austin

• Rowdy Records: Founded by Austin in 1992. The label was distributed by Arista Records and later, Motown Records when it was reactivated in 2005. Artists signed to the label were Illegal, Da King & I, Y'all So Stupid and Monica. Later artists during the reactivation include Colin Munroe and Da Backwudz. Rock act Fishbone signed to Rowdy after being dropped from Columbia Records.
• Limp Records: A short-lived label founded by Austin in 1993 and distributed by EMI Records. Only two albums were issued by the label: A View to a Kill by Shadz of Lingo and The Pendulum Vibe by Joi.
• Freeworld Entertainment: A short-lived label founded by Austin in 1998 and distributed by Capitol Records. Two artists were signed to the label: singer Lysette and teenage singer Sammie, who released his debut From the Bottom to the Top in 2000. After Freeworld was folded, Sammie released his follow-up album several years later on Austin's other label Rowdy Records.

Recording studio

Austin owned a personal recording studio named D.A.R.P. Studios, whose acronym meant Dallas Austin's Recording Projects.

Discography

Main article: List of songs produced by Dallas Austin

[ Source: Wikipedia ]