Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Brennan.
Hi Jon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Wow…well I could / should write a book…. My parents are from Kentucky…so I also feel like I am. But my father was an FBI agent for 28 years so we transferred alot. I was born in Wisconsin and moved to Phoenix when I was 2 where I lived my years up to the 4th grade. Then to Baltimore, Maryland for grades 4-6 and next was Eastern Kentucky. Pikeville, KY to be exact for the 7 & grade before moving to Western KY where I call home….. Owensboro, Kentucky. This is where I went to high school and consider my hometown and where I am “from”.
I was raised in a conservative Christian household that went to church every single week and loved the Lord. I have a younger sister and an older brother. I’m the middle kid like my mom was 🙂 Mom sang in the choir and is very musical. My father loved country music, gospel and bluegrass music and always had it playing in the garage and in the car. This is where I learned to love country music. Dad’s favorites were Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and George Jones. My father passed away in 2019. My mom is now in her 80s and lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
While living in Owensboro, when I was 15 I began sining at open mic on Friday nights at Goldie’s Opryhouse. Goldie made me a permanent part of her Friday & Saturday night shows where I developed my stage performance, charisma and improved vocally over the next 20 years ! This is where I spent my Friday and Saturday nights at a teenager. It was where I performed but also was a little income for me. I decided. Wanted to be a country music singer during this time. So in 1992 when I graduated from Daviess County High School in Owensboro, KY I moved to Nashville to attend Belmont College (soon to be Belmont University). This was expensive for my family but a great place t one for my country music artist goals.
Halfway through my first semester I was approached by MTV to be on their new idea for a show…. a reality show. No one had ever heard of a reality show, this was the world’s first. Season 1 was in New York City and they were looking for an aspiring country music singer for season 2 which would shoot in January in Los Angeles. The Real World is “The True Story of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped to find out what happens when people stop begin polite and start getting real… The Real World”. I became famous for my line in the opening… “True Story” . This is people from diverse and various backgrounds and walks of life. It was very real and authentic (back then)…. So much to say here. We did 22 episodes on MTV in the 90’s….so it was huge. Suddenly I was famous. Not rich, but famous. Ha.
I got done with the taping in California and immediately returned to Nashville to use this new found fame to achieve my country music goals. Wynona Judd’s manager was managing me, Garth Brooks’ booking agent was booking my shows, and I was signed to Capitol Records. The record label decided they did not know what a reality star was and wasn’t sure how to make a MTV star into a country artist. The signed Trace Adkins and dropped me off the label. I had been opening for Alabama, Kenny Chesney, George Jones, Diamond Rio, Joe Diffie and Tim McGraw. Suddenly it all fell apart. I returned to Owensboro, KY to regroup and formulate a plan to try again. Soon I was asked to lead music in a new church where I spent the next 5 years leading worship music and serving as a youth pastor.
From there I went to Birmingham, Alabama in a similar role and then onto St. Petersburg, Florida continuing in ministry. I spent 10 years in and out of Kenya and Uganda in East Africa doing missions for my father was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. As he battled cancer I came back to the USA to be with him until he passed in 2019.
Now I am back in Nashville quite a bit older and more seasoned and singing better than ever before. I have a new record label, CDX Records and a new manager, Joe Kelly. My current song is “Tell Me That There Ain’t A God” written by Greg Barnhill who wrote “Walkaway Joe” for Trisha Yearwood and Don Henley and “House of Love” for Amy Grant and Vince Gill. This song is number 7 on the Traction True Indie radio chart and number 46 on the Music Row country chart which is a national radio chart. The music video was recently #1 on the American Country Network.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh my goodness so many ups and down and detours. Rejections and victories. Do overs and start agains. One step forward and two steps back. It has been a journey for certain. So many things to type.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m known as the squeaky clean kid from the reality show. They know my Christian values and love for country music. This is one thing that sets me apart. My music has a very positive and often Christian spin to my country sound. I specialize in authenticity and traditional sounding country music. Retro sounding….. 90’s sounding.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
People love authenticity and nostalgia. I offer both. Alot of people from my generation remember me as the kid next door. They have known me since 1993 are eager to cheer me on . Recent reunions on tv and other articles and posts online have updated them on my continued effort. I feel like the public knows I have not “made it”, not achieved my goals. The rare journeying with me through social media.
Pricing:
- current song and video is $15 download from my website jonbrennan.com
- 0ther merchandise is available at jonbrennan.com/merch
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jonbrennan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonbrennan_com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonbrennancountry/
- Twitter: https://x.com/jonbrennan_com
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/jonbrennan_com
- Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/67TAdjpa8RZaKDop00GwvW
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonbrennan.com
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jonbrennan
