Even in these days when ProTools and GarageBand are on every musician’s home computer, the best music is still produced by professionals like Brendan O’Brien. Musicians think of the record producer as coach, motivator, manager, and maybe even babysitter. Brendan describes his job in broader terms. He is responsible for capturing the best recordings of the best performances of the best musicians that can be brought to the song. Any way you define it, the producer plays an integral part in the artist’s product, and Brendan O’Brien is one of the best.

Brendan was born in Atlanta, GA, and is a multi-instrumentalist who was an accomplished guitar player at 14. He played in a regional band called Pranks.

Pranks – Brendan O’Brien second from right

Brendan began to make the transition from stage to studio after starting a family in his early 20s. He had always been interested in how records were made, and not playing clubs every night allowed him to take a job working days in a recording studio in Atlanta. Brendan learned on the job, watching and listening to engineers and producers like Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper and others). Brendan described himself in those days as the go-to guy for any band in the Atlanta area who had $1,500 and wanted a day in the studio. He can write, compose, engineer, mix, produce and even help perform. He sings and plays guitars, bass, keyboards, hurdy-gurdy, Marxophone, harmonica and percussion.

Brendan O’Brien in studio with Brandon Boyd (Incubus)

The Black Crowes breakthrough hit album Shake Your Money Maker (1990) was also Brendan’s big debut. He engineered and mixed the album, and is credited as performing “on a potpourri of instruments”. He has gone on to produce 14 #1 Billboard 200 albums, and has been awarded 2 Grammys.

Among the artists Brendan has worked with are: Kansas,The Black Crowes, Queen, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Neil Young, Stone Temple Pilots, Counting Crows, Trey Anastasio, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello/Nightwatchman, Incubus, The Killers, Aimee Mann, The Wallflowers, AC/DC, Train, Audioslave, Aerosmith, Soundgarden, The Offspring, Korn, Gaslight Anthem, My Chemical Romance, Wolfmother, Blackberry Smoke, Susan Tedeschi, Paul Westerberg, Dave Navarro, Mick Jagger, Sons of the Sea, and Danzig.

Brendan O’Brien with Pearl Jam

Brendan has performed on these and many other projects: Shake Your Money Maker (The Black Crowes), Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged, Neil Young/Pearl Jam Mirror Ball tour, Holding All the Roses (Blackberry Smoke), The Fabled City (Rage Against the Machine), Back to the River (Susan Tedeschi), One Man Revolution (Tommy Morello/Nightwatchman), Sons of the Sea, Devils & Dust (Bruce Springsteen), Rebel, Sweetheart (The Wallflowers), Shine (Trey Anastasio), Enjoy Every Sandwich (Warren Zevon), Films About Ghosts: The Best of the Counting Crows, The Essential Bruce Springsteen, The Rising (Springsteen), Shangri-La Dee Da (Stone Temple Pilots), Trust No One (Dave Navarro), Bachelor No. 2 Or, The Last Remains of the Dodo (Aimee Mann), No. 4 (Stone Temple Pilots), Tiny Music . . Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (STP), Mirror Ball (Neil Young), and Wandering Spirit (Mick Jagger).

Happy Birthday to Brendan O’Brien!

Brendan on the Hammond B3, Bob Dylan MTV Unplugged