As the producer for musical legends Bob Dylan (Time Out of Mind, Oh Mercy), Peter Gabriel (So, Us), U2 (The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind), Willie Nelson (Teatro) and Emmylou Harris (Wrecking Ball), Daniel Lanois has established himself as a giant of modern music. Lanois’ career behind the boards began in 1970, when he set up a home studio with his brother Robert in their hometown of Hamilton, Ontario; after working with local musicians for several years, the brothers Lanois opened Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton.

In 1979, Brian Eno, who was beginning his experiments in ambient music, came to Grant Avenue to record. Eno and Lanois had an immediate chemistry, and when Eno was tapped to produce The Unforgettable Fire for U2 in 1984, he enlisted Lanois’ support as coproducer.

But before any of that, he played guitar. “Steel guitar is my first instrument,” Lanois says, “and it’s an anchoring point. It requires full dedication -- you have to put in the time, and that means you can’t do a lot of other things. It’s almost an arrogance, that focus. I think hanging on to that ability to devote that discipline to something should never wear off.”

Through his guitar playing -- described as everything from “avant garde” and “atmospheric” to “ethereal” and “otherworldly” -- Lanois has carved out a unique place in the sonic landscape, melding blues, folk, country and gospel into textured songs that are alternately mysterious, gregarious, terrifying and shy. His solo albums, including 1989’s Acadie, 1993’s For the Beauty of Wynona, 2003’s Shine, and 2005’s Belladonna, have all earned him critical acclaim. Whether wielding the guitar, pedal steel, dobro, or any of the countless other instruments in his arsenal, Daniel Lanois’ playing is an exploration: of the farthest reaches, and the most private spaces.