Biography

Glen Ballard is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, which won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year, and was ranked by the Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Ballard is also well known for his collaborations with composer Alan Silvestri. He was involved in the recording and writing of Michael Jackson's albums Thriller and Bad. As a writer, he co-wrote songs including "Man in the Mirror" (1987) and "Hand in My Pocket" (1995). He is the founder of Java Records. Ballard won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "Believe" (The Polar Express (2004)). In 2011, he founded his own production company known as Augury, a Hollywood atelier focused on developing music-driven projects in film, television, and theatre. Ballard co-wrote the music and lyrics for Ghost The Musical with David A. Stewart and Bruce Joel Rubin, which opened in London's West End on 19 July 2011 and opened on Broadway in the spring of 2012.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tango Papa

Received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English, journalism and political science from the University of Mississippi (1975). The university inducted him into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame (2008) and awarded him the 2023 Medal for the Arts.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6253 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on July 11, 2024. Chynna Phillips, Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson and Roger Bart were guest speakers at the ceremony.

He established the Glen Ballard Music Composition and Production Scholarship with the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) to support education.

One of 105 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 2008.

Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (2023).