Brendan O'Brien (born June 30, 1960) is an American record producer,

mixer Mixer may refer to: Electronics * DJ mixer, a type of audio mixing console used by disc jockeys * Electronic mixer, electrical circuit for adding signal voltages * Frequency mixer, electrical circuit that creates new frequencies from two signals ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

, and musician. He has worked with many groups and artists during his career, such as

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...

, Soundgarden,

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...

, and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

.Austin L. Ray
"All Those Yesterdays: Brendan O'Brien Reminisces on the Evolution of Pearl Jam and the Making of ''Backspacer'',"
''Paste'' Magazine, September 18, 2009."Grammy Winning Producer Brendan O'Brien Gives Advice To New Artists,"
Renman Music & Business, August 28, 2012. His career blossomed as a young guitarist with a local Atlanta band by the name of Pranks, signed by what was then Century Artists Management. The management company had what many considered the best of Atlanta and the surrounding region in those days, including the likes of

Mother's Finest Mother's Finest is an American rock band founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by the vocal duo of Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock in 1970 when the pair met up with guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and bassist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay. Thei ...

, Ezra Pound and a dozen other "super-regional" acts. In the late 1970s, he moved on to writing, performing, and recording with the band Samurai Catfish. O'Brien became a successful local engineer, considered to be the go-to guy to "make a record in a few days for $1500". His studio career was propelled by the success of the first

Black Crowes Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

album, '' Shake Your Money Maker'', which he engineered and for which he also performed guitar, bass, and "a potpourri of instruments". The following year he produced and mixed

' debut album ''

Core Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber), the signal-carrying portion of an optical fiber * Core, the centra ...

'' and engineered and mixed

breakthrough album ''

Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album ''M ...

''. These two records launched his career as an in-demand, multi-platinum producer, engineer and mixer. He produced and mixed nearly the entire catalog of

and

. Most of his productions were engineered by Nick DiDia, whom he worked with throughout most of his career. O'Brien often engineered and recorded his own sessions with the help of various assistant engineers. A majority of the records that he produced and/or mixed were made at Southern Tracks Recording Studio near his home, in Atlanta, from the late 1980s until its closure. In the mid-1990s, O'Brien became vice president of

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

and the Epic imprint 57 Records.Sandler, Adam
"O'Brien's Epic Deal,"
Variety. He also played a

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...

for Bob Dylan's appearance on ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

''. In 1995, he joined

and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

on keyboards for the '' Mirror Ball'' tour across Europe.Andy Greene
"Q&A: Pearl Jam Producer Brendan O'Brien on the Making of 'Lightning Bolt,'"
''Rolling Stone'' Magazine, July 31, 2013. In 2002, he won a

Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...

for his work on

's '' The Rising''."Past Winners Search"
Grammy.com In 2009, he was awarded the

Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

."Past Winners Search"
Grammy.com In 2015 he produced ''

Higher Truth ''Higher Truth'' is the fourth studio album by American rock musician Chris Cornell, and the final album to be released during his lifetime and his final album of original material. It was released on September 18, 2015. Recording Cornell chose p ...

'', the final release by

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave ...

. He produced the Italian bluesman artist Zucchero Fornaciari's 2016 album ''

Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

'' and received production credits for track three of the 2017 EP ''

Cold Dark Place ''Cold Dark Place'' is an EP by American metal band Mastodon. It was released digitally and on CD on September 22, 2017 via Reprise Records, and a limited-edition ten-inch vinyl followed on October 27. Three of the tracks were recorded during th ...

'' by the progressive metal band

Mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of the ...

. The most recent album he produced was

's ''

Power Up POWER UP (the "Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up") is an American non-profit organization and film production company with the stated mission "to promote the visibility and integration of gay women in entertainment ...

''.

Selected discography

Below is a selection of albums Brendan O'Brien has worked on as a producer, engineer, or mixer. *

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

- '' In the Spirit of Things'' (engineer) (1988) *

Atlanta Rhythm Section Atlanta Rhythm Section (or ARS) is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). The band's current l ...

- '' Truth in a Structured Form'' (engineer) (1989) * Springhill - ''Southern Eulogy'' (producer, engineer, guitarist) *

- '' Shake Your Money Maker'' (engineer) *

King's X King's X is an American rock band that originated in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri. They were first called The Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for ...

- '' Dogman'' (producer) *

- '' Ten'' (mixer) *

Temple of the Dog Temple of the Dog was an American rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of the bands Malfunkshun ...

- ''

'' (mixer) *

- ''

'' (engineer) *Black Crowes - '' The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion'' (engineer) *

Jackyl Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me ...

- ''

'' (producer, engineer, mixer) *

The Jayhawks The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influential ...

- '' Hollywood Town Hall'' (engineer, mixer) *

- ''

'' (producer, mixer) *Pearl Jam - '' Vs.'' (producer, engineer) *

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...

- ''

Get a Grip ''Get a Grip'' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released in April 1993 by Geffen Records. ''Get a Grip'' was the band's last studio album to be released by Geffen before they returned to Columbia Records. ''Get a Gr ...

'' (mixer) *

Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him re ...

- '' 14 Songs'' (mixer) *Pearl Jam - '' Vitalogy'' (producer, engineer) (1994) * Soundgarden - ''

Superunknown ''Superunknown'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. It is the band's second album with bassist Ben Shepherd, and features new producer Michael Beinhorn. Soundgarden began ...

'' (mixer) (1994) *Stone Temple Pilots - ''

Purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters ...

'' (producer) (1994) *

- '' Mirror Ball'' (producer) (1995) *

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

- ''

100% Fun ''100% Fun'' is the fifth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1995. Release The album was met with moderate commercial success and favorable reviews. The single "Sick of Myself" reached #2 ...

'' (producer, mixer) *Pearl Jam - ''

No Code ''No Code'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996 through Epic Records. Following a troubled tour for its previous album, ''Vitalogy'' (1994), in which Pearl Jam engaged in a much-publicized ...

'' (producer, mixer) *Stone Temple Pilots - '' Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop'' (producer, mixer) *

- '' Evil Empire'' (producer) * Michael Penn - '' Resigned'' (producer) *Matthew Sweet - ''

Blue Sky on Mars ''Blue Sky on Mars'' is the sixth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1997. Cover The cover of the album features an image by Viking 1, the first spacecraft to land on Mars; the album's liner ...

'' (producer) *Pearl Jam - '' Yield'' (producer, mixer) *Rage Against the Machine - ''

The Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...

'' (producer, mixer) *Limp Bizkit - ''Significant Other'' (mixer, songwriter) *Limp Bizkit - ''

Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water ''Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water'' is the third studio album by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, released on October 17, 2000, by Flip and Interscope Records. Title The first part of the title is a slang term for the h ...

'' (mixer) *Stone Temple Pilots - '' No. 4'' (producer, mixer) *

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

- '' Issues'' (producer, mixer) * Lifehouse - '' No Name Face'' (mixer) *

The Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guit ...

- '' Conspiracy of One'' (producer) *

- '' Defy You'' (producer) *Pearl Jam - '' Binaural'' (mixer) *

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

- '' Drops of Jupiter'' (producer, mixer) *

Papa Roach Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther. After t ...

- '' Lovehatetragedy'' (producer) *Pearl Jam - ''

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo.1 St.2 c.5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled and o ...

'' (mixer) *

- '' The Rising'' (producer) (2002) *Train - '' My Private Nation'' (producer, mixer) *The Offspring - ''

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

'' (producer) *

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...

- '' Shine'' (producer, mixer) *

Audioslave Audioslave was an American rock supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello (lead guitar) ...

- ''

Out of Exile ''Out of Exile'' is the second studio album by American rock supergroup Audioslave, released on May 23, 2005, internationally, and a day later in the United States, through Epic Records and Interscope Records. It is the band's only album to char ...

'' (mixer) *Bruce Springsteen - ''

Devils & Dust ''Devils & Dust'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album (after ''Nebraska'' and ''The Ghost of Tom Joad''). It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in ...

'' (producer, mixer) *Train - '' For Me, It's You'' (producer, mixer) * The Nightwatchman - '' One Man Revolution'' (producer) *Bruce Springsteen - '' Magic'' (producer, mixer) * Velvet Revolver - '' Libertad'' (producer) (2007) *The Nightwatchman - '' The Fabled City'' (producer) *

- ''

Black Ice Black ice, sometimes called clear ice, is a thin coating of glaze ice on a surface, especially on streets. The ice itself is not black, but visually transparent, allowing the often black road below to be seen through it. The typically low level ...

'' (producer) (2008) *

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and A ...

- ''

'' (producer) *

- ''

Crack the Skye ''Crack the Skye'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009, through Reprise, Sire and Relapse Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 41,000 copies in its ...

'' (producer) *Pearl Jam - ''

Backspacer ''Backspacer'' is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on September 20, 2009. The band members started writing instrumental and demo tracks in 2007, and got together the following year to work on an album. It was ...

'' (producer) *

Anberlin Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, a ...

- '' Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place'' (Producer) (2010) *The Nightwatchman - '' World Wide Rebel Songs'' (mixer) *

Incubus An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...

- '' If Not Now, When?'' (producer) *

The Fray The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. Their debut album, '' How to Save a Life'' released in 2005, was certified double platinum by the RIAA and platinum in Australia ...

- ''

Scars & Stories ''Scars & Stories'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band The Fray. It was released on February 7, 2012. Background ''Scars & Stories'' was recorded beginning in March 2011, and concluded in July 2011. Unlike their debut alb ...

'' (producer) *

Third Day Third Day was a Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee (both of whom were the only constant members) and Billy Wilkins. Drummer David Carr was the ...

- ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

'' (producer) *

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wi ...

- ''

Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray ''Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray'' is the fifth studio album by South African rock band Seether. It was the only Seether album to have Troy McLawhorn as the lead guitarist. He departed from the band just before the album's release, once ...

'' (producer) *

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

- '' Battle Born'' (producer, engineer, mixer) *

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...

- '' Conventional Weapons '' (2012 - 2013) *Pearl Jam - ''Lightning Bolt'' (producer, mixer) *AC/DC - ''

Rock or Bust ''Rock or Bust'' is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 28 November 2014. ''Rock or Bust'' is the group's first album to feature rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, replacing founding member Malcolm Young, who ha ...

'' (producer) (2014) *Seether - ''

Isolate and Medicate ''Isolate and Medicate'' (stylised as ''isolate and medicate'') is the sixth studio album by South African rock band Seether. It was released on 1 July 2014 by The Bicycle Music Company, in association with Concord Music Group and Spinefarm Record ...

'' (producer) *Bruce Springsteen - '' High Hopes'' (producer, mixer) *

Blackberry Smoke Blackberry Smoke is an American rock band from Atlanta. The lineup consists of Charlie Starr (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), and Brandon Still (keyboards). In 2020, they a ...

- '' Holding All the Roses'' (producer) * Wakrat - '' Wakrat'' (engineer, mixer) (2016) * Prophets of Rage - '' Prophets of Rage'' (producer, mixer) *Mastodon - '' Emperor of Sand'' (producer) (2017) *

- ''

'' (producer) (2018) *AC/DC - ''

'' (Producer, mixing) (2020)

References

External links

* Brendan O'Brienon

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Brendan 1960 births Living people Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Grammy Award winners Musicians from Atlanta