Brendan O'Brien

Who is Brendan O'Brien?

Brendan O'Brien is a record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician.

At age 14, O'Brien played guitar for the Atlanta-based cover band Pranks. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing and recording with the band Samurai Catfish. In the 1980s, he performed studio work with many local artists, including the Indigo Girls and the Downtown Executives, and played bass with The Georgia Satellites for a short time. He played guitar on the Atlanta Rhythm Section's 1989 album Truth in a Structured Form. His studio career was propelled by the success of the first Black Crowes album, Shake Your Money Maker, on which he played guitar and bass and engineered.

Along with his wife Robin and three daughters Jackie, Allie, and Hannah, O'Brien left his home base of Atlanta in the early 1990s to pursue his career in Los Angeles. He began working at Geffen Records under Rick Rubin, producing bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam. O'Brien returned to Atlanta in 1991.

In the mid 1990s, O'Brien became vice president of Epic Records and the Epic imprint 57 Records. He also played a Hammond organ for Bob Dylan's appearance on MTV Unplugged. In 1995 he joined Pearl Jam and Neil Young on keyboard for the Mirror Ball tour across Europe.