John Brannen (born March 19, 1952) is an American

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...

heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The ge ...

, singer-songwriter whose song "Somebody" appeared on the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

album ''

Long Road Out of Eden ''Long Road Out of Eden'' is the seventh and most recent studio album by American rock band the Eagles, released in 2007 on Lost Highway Records as their first ever double album. Nearly six years in production, it is the band's first studio ...

''. Brannen is heralded as an "underground legend" and has been active as a songwriter and performer since the early 1980s.

Biography

Early life

Brannen was born into a prominent and storied Southern family in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, United States. His parents first met at a diplomatic function in China, where his mother worked for the American consulate. Brannen's father, a cotton broker of some note, died unexpectedly and under strange circumstances in Brazil shortly before John was born. After his father's death, Brannen's mother moved to the coastal town of Bluffton, South Carolina where she would later raise John with help from her father. It was through his maternal grandfather – a man of stature with a predilection for classic poets, especially

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

and

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

– that Brannen first came into touch with his passion for lyricism and, subsequently, music. By the time he turned eighteen, Brannen had hitchhiked across the United States, surfed extensively in Hawaii, and sailed the West Indies. It was around this period in time that he became acquainted with

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

, who he cites as "the voice," and his paramount influence. After a brief stint at

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

where he planned to major in political science, Brannen abandoned secondary education for a career in music.

Career

In the 1980s, Brannen spent time in New York City and Nashville before being wheedled into a move to the West Coast by

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, guitarist for

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

, who had become a friend and mentor of Brannen's. The move to Los Angeles quickly paid off, as Brannen landed an artist deal at the Capitol Records imprint, Apache Records. His Apache debut, ''Mystery Street'' found its way into the Top 20, and the music video for his first single "Desolation Angel" garnered considerable attention as an MTV Hip Clip. By 1993, in the wake of the success of ''Mystery Street'', Brannen was signed by the recently renamed

Mercury Nashville Records Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records Na ...

. His eponymous debut for Mercury Nashville contained the single "Moonlight and Magnolias," which became a Top 10 hit on VH1. In an effort to launch Brannen's career, Mercury Nashville chose him for one of three slots on the Triple Play Tour. The remaining two slots were filled by

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

and

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's '' Toby Keith'', 1994's '' Boomtown'', 19 ...

. In the wake of the Triple Play Tour, Brannen went on a self-imposed hiatus, settling in Charleston's

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

and "burying himself in the sand," as he has put it. Seven years passed between his eponymous Mercury Nashville debut and ''Scarecrow'', his 2000 release for Corazong Records. After ''Scarecrow'', Brannen was signed by Sly Dog Records. Since his return to the limelight in 2000, Brannen has been compared to Bruce Springsteen,

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

, and Jackson Browne. Of these comparisons, Springsteen is the most frequently posited. ''The Good Thief'' and ''Twilight Tattoo'', released in 2004 and 2006, respectively, are his most recent records. ''Twilight Tattoo'', which features "A Cut So Deep," a duet with

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

, was co-produced by Brannen and

David Z David Z may refer to: * David Z (producer) * ''David Z.'' or ''David Z. Norton'', a sister ship of the ''Robert S. Pierson'' {{disambiguation ...

. Most recently, Brannen has had success as the songwriter of "Somebody" which appeared on

album, ''

'', and was co-written with Brannen's longtime collaborator and friend,

Jack Tempchin Jack Tempchin is an American musician and singer-songwriter who wrote the Eagles song "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and co-wrote " Already Gone", "The Girl From Yesterday", "Somebody", and "It's Your World Now". Career During the Eagles' breakup per ...

Discography

* ''

Mystery Street ''Mystery Street'' is a 1950 black-and-white film noir featuring Ricardo Montalbán, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester, and Marshall Thompson. Produced by MGM, it was directed by John Sturges with cinematography by John Alton. The ...

'' (1988) * '' John Brannen'' (1993) * ''

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

'' (2000) * '' The Good Thief'' (2004) * '' Twilight Tattoo'' (2006) * ''

Bravado Bravado may refer to: * ''The Bravados ''The Bravados'' is a 1958 American Western film (color by DeLuxe) directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. The CinemaScope film was based on a novel of the same name, written b ...

'' (2010)

References

External links

Official website

Myspace

youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brannen, John American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from South Carolina Living people Musicians from Charleston, South Carolina 1952 births Musicians from Savannah, Georgia Musicians from Los Angeles Writers from Savannah, Georgia Singer-songwriters from California Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from South Carolina Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)