Story • Truths Stranger than Fiction
“This is my own, true story of how you can come within inches of achieving your dreams—only to find how incredibly far you are from actually doing so. No matter what you aspire to, this is testament to why you must keep trying, against all odds.
“My songs and lyrics are intensely personal. Yet, people tell me they relate to them easily. Born in California and raised there and in Massachusetts, I’ve loved music since I can remember. As a teen, I began playing drums, then guitar. Never learning to read or write music, I play by ear. A reluctant performer, I prefer to write and record. My musical journey began in the ‘60s and ‘70s during the golden era of Jazz and R&B, and the birth of Classic Rock—long before CDs, cell phones and the Internet. There’ve been far too many twists and turns along the way to share. Here are but a few of the highlights.
“I formed a band called FreeWheel, every member of which went to Berklee College of Music or New England Conservatory but me. However, I was the group’s primary songwriter. We got airplay on WBCN-FM but broke up soon thereafter. I continued gigging around Boston as a singer/guitarist for college money. One of the venues I played was The Hampshire House, before it became Cheers after the hit TV series that it inspired. A generous soul heard my songs and offered to underwrite my voice lessons and first demo recording. I studied voice with the late Dante Pavone—who consulted to, and coached, a who’s who of greats. One of the session players on my first (1971) recording was the late Jimmy Hodder, who soon thereafter became Steely Dan’s drummer, playing on their first three albums—then with Linda Ronstadt and Sammy Hagar, among others.
Me during my first (1971) recording sessions & my (then) session drummer, Jimmy Hodder—who months later joined Steely Dan.
“I sent that demo to major record labels including to Joel Dorn at Atlantic Records, the Grammy Award winning producer of Roberta Flack’s hauntingly beautiful version of Killing Me Softly. I was living at home and commuting to Massachusetts College of Art and Design at the time. When I got home one day, my mother said, “A Mr. Dorn called for you—we had a lovely conversation!” I just about died. My heart was racing. I tried returning his call to no avail. Dorn called back—not once, but repeatedly—as luck would have it, never when I was home. Mom would say, “Oh, that nice Mr. Dorn called again—what a nice chat we had!” Clearly, the Gods of Rock were hell-bent on torturing me. Apparently, Dorn enjoyed chatting up my Mom—it just doesn’t get any weirder. At least he was trying to reach me. Finally, I spoke with Joel Dorn, who was kind enough to soften the bad news with encouragement. “Your material’s not quite what we’re looking for, but keep working at it.”
Stevie Wonder on tour with The Rolling Stones (July ‘72)
“In 1972 en route to a hotel bar gig, I bumped into Stevie Wonder, literally—one of the most embarrassing, yet pivotal moments of my life [see Acknowledgements – Special Thanks for the full story]. Stevie happened to be staying at that hotel while on tour as the opening act for The Rolling Stones. An hour after our awkward first meeting during my first happy hour set, Wonder came into the bar where I was playing with his entourage and sat down. I started playing my own songs instead of Top 40 stuff—and got fired promptly. Stevie’s (then) bass player Scotty Edwards came over to me as I was packing up my equipment and said, “Stevie would like you to join us.”
“In a dream-like state, I practically levitated to Stevie Wonder’s table. And so began an incredible period in my life, during which Stevie went out of his way to further my songwriting aspirations. He introduced me to The Fifth Dimension, Roberta Flack, The Spinners, and to the late, great Donny Hathaway. Despite these extraordinary opportunities, and the almost surreal nature of those experiences, I had no delusions about the likelihood of my material ever being recorded by a major artist. Still, when nothing came of it, it was nonetheless crushing. I’m forever grateful to Stevland Hardaway Morris, (aka) Stevie Wonder for believing in my songs—having doubted my own musical abilities countless times before and since. I continued writing songs and recording demos over the next decade.
“Another incredibly unlikely opportunity came my way late in 1980. Several members of Sha Na Na and I had the same accountant. John knew how badly I wanted to do another studio demo, and that I couldn’t afford the orchestration that I was envisioning. The Grease album was so profitable for Sha Na Na that they needed more tax write-offs. Our mutual CPA suggested that they underwrite my next demo, since the likelihood of success on such ventures was, and still is, nil. That second, major foray of mine into recording my songs wasn’t funded because someone believed in my music. Rather, my demo was paid for on the calculated risk that it would fail. You just can’t make this stuff up. Regardless, I desperately wanted to succeed as a songwriter.
I co-produced those sessions with Marc Parmet, a long-time friend and multitalented musician. After a monumental recording effort with a world class rhythm section, horn section, strings and woodwinds backing me, followed by meetings with major record labels in ‘81, my last big attempt at commercial success failed to attract a record deal—to the financial delight of my backers. That time however, my disappointment was more than crushing. I felt hollowed out. Yet, I remain thankful for the Extraordinary Musicians & Recording Personnel who contributed to that effort, and in particular for the genius of Doug Timm—the late, gifted arranger who helped breath life into my songs. Please visit the Acknowledgements, honoring Doug and all who’ve contributed to my music in immeasurable ways.
“I’ve worked as voice-over talent and occasionally as a producer, but haven’t performed live for some time. In 2001 I wrote and recorded the theme music for, and coproduced the pilot for, a PBS TV series. Unfortunately however, the venture didn’t get fully funded. Throughout my career, I’ve put most of my energies into my design work, specializing in branding. Many of my clients are in broadcasting, entertainment and the performing arts—so I’m still immersed in the ‘biz’ but in a different way.
“Refocusing on my music after a long hiatus, I’m writing new songs.
“I had my analog master recordings restored and resurrected as digital files. In retrospect, my 1980/‘81 recordings felt over-produced, so I rethought every aspect of them. Working with Tommy Nagy, (pronounced Naghe with a soft “g”), also a long-time friend and gifted musician, we’ve co-produced new versions of my songs from those sessions, and one song from my early ‘70s sessions—removing entire sections, re-recording parts, and adding others. Tommy has also brilliantly reengineered, helped to restore, and has remixed my newly digitized, early tracks—musically proving the old adage, less is more.
“Tommy and I are co-producing my newest material to share with you soon. But before I sign off for now, I’d like to share the latest news from my musical travels.
“The talented, Paris-born, harmonica player Yvonnick Prené, who DownBeat Magazine calls “Virtuouso” recently accompanied me on my second single release, Lady In Waiting. Along with Doug Timm’s arrangement, Prené’s singular style and timeless quality help bring this song alive as never before.
“It’s now Spring 2024 and I just released two more songs: Distant Places and Mister Magic.
“Distant Places is a ‘musical time machine’ if there ever was one, featuring the original rhythm section from my early ‘70’s sessions including the late Lou Cassella on pedal steel guitar and Steely Dan’s Jimmy Hodder on drums. Additionally, I recently re-recorded my vocals accompanied by Heather Joseph, front singer with The Heavy Hitters, a popular New England band. Check out her incredible vocal chops on the outro.
“Mister Magic features the arranging genius of Doug Timm, along with a harp, strings, and woodwinds—performed by members of The Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestras. This song is further enhanced by the plaintive, soulful accompaniment of the late virtuoso bassoonist, Frank Nizarri.
“I hope you enjoy my music. Please let me know if you’re interested in recording one of my songs!”
— Brian Penry