• August 1, 1958
• Michael Penn's younger brothers are famous actors: Sean and Chris Penn. Michael didn't get the acting gene but does have a talent for music - he's an acclaimed singer-songwriter who plays a variety of instruments and also does production work. Unlike his brothers, performance isn't his thing - he's subdued on stage, just trying to get the song across.
• Penn's biggest hit is his debut single, "No Myth." The video did very well on MTV and won him the award for Best New Artist In A Video, beating Lenny Kravitz, Bell Biv DeVoe, The Black Crowes, Jane Child, Alannah Myles and Lisa Stansfield.
• Michael Penn was born in New York City but raised in Los Angeles. He went to Santa Monica High School, where one of his classmates was Terri Nunn, frontwoman of the band Berlin.
• For much of the '80s, Penn was in a band called Doll Congress with Patrick Warren, a keyboard player that became one of his main collaborators. On "No Myth," Warren played the Chamberlin, which activates tape loops when the keys are pressed.
• He married the singer-songwriter Aimee Mann in 1997. They've often performed together and have worked on each other's albums.
• He had a small role in the 1997 movie Boogie Nights playing Nick the Engineer, who records Dirk Diggler (played by Mark Wahlberg) singing "The Touch" in the studio.
  
  The film's director, Paul Thomas Anderson, worked closely with Aimee Mann on his 1999 film Magnolia.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Hip To Be SquareHuey Lewis & the News

Members of the San Francisco 49ers, including Dwight Clark, Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, sang backup on "Hip to Be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News.

Try AgainAaliyah

Until December 5, 1998, a song had to be issued as a single to make the Hot 100. Aaliyah's "Try Again" was the first tune to top the chart based on airplay alone, without any sales figures being included.

Bug A BooDestiny's Child

In the 1999 Destiny's Child song "Bug A Boo," they complain about a guy who bugs them on MCI, AOL, and their pagers.

Papa Was A Rollin' StoneThe Temptations

The first line of "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" is "It was the 3rd of September," which is the day lead singer Dennis Edwards' father died.

Hey MamaDavid Guetta

The bedrock of David Guetta's Nicki Minaj-featuring single "Hey Mama" is a sample of "Rosie," a 1940s prison recording from folk archivist Alan Lomax that songwriter Esther Dean first showed the French DJ on YouTube.

Most HighJimmy Page and Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy Award; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant earned their first trophies in 2000 for "Most High," a song they wrote together that explores the role of religion in society.

Editor's Picks

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.