Brennan, Peter

Websites: No
Origin: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, UK → Campbellford → London, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Peter Brennan (December 10, 1951 – September 29, 2025) was a Canadian guitarist, producer, arranger, and musical director whose career bridged popular music, studio production, and large-scale orchestral collaboration. Best known as the founder and creative force behind Jeans ’n Classics, Brennan also played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in shaping the sound and direction of numerous Canadian artists from the early 1980s onward, particularly through his work at London, Ontario’s EMAC Recording Studios.

Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, Brennan moved to Canada as a child and grew up in Campbellford, Ontario. He later settled in London, Ontario, where he studied Music Composition and Theory at Western University. Although trained in a classical environment, Brennan later recalled feeling out of step with the rigid stylistic boundaries of the program, developing an early interest in music that crossed genres—particularly film scoring, rock, and orchestral hybrids. That restlessness would become a defining feature of his career.

After leaving Western, Brennan toured extensively as a guitarist and began working professionally as a musical director and arranger. One of his early high-profile roles was as musical director for the pop duo Gary and Dave (Gary Weeks and Dave Beckett), for whom he arranged material that resulted in commercial success, including chart-topping recordings. When the duo ultimately stepped away from music, Brennan redirected his focus toward production and studio work rather than front-line stardom.

By the early 1980s, Brennan had become a central figure at EMAC Recording Studios in London, Ontario, where he worked as a producer, engineer, arranger, and session musician. During this period, he developed a reputation for enhancing rock and pop recordings with orchestral textures—adding strings, arranging parts, and thinking beyond standard band formats. His studio work connected him with a wide range of local and regional artists, and it was through this hybrid approach that he first came to the attention of Orchestra London.

In 1990, Brennan was invited to collaborate with Orchestra London on a one-off concert combining orchestral performance with the music of Elton John and Billy Joel. Though he openly acknowledged having no prior experience scoring for a full orchestra, the project proved unexpectedly successful. What began as an experiment quickly evolved into a new musical concept, eventually formalized as Jeans ’n Classics—a collective of rock musicians performing alongside symphony orchestras, with Brennan serving as arranger, guitarist, and musical director.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Jeans ’n Classics grew from a local collaboration into an international touring organization. Following an important transitional period in the mid-1990s—marked by performances with orchestras in Thunder Bay, Calgary, and later the United States—the project expanded beyond its original association with Orchestra London. By the early 2000s, multiple Jeans ’n Classics ensembles were touring simultaneously across Canada and the United States, presenting orchestral interpretations of classic rock and pop repertoires. Brennan ultimately oversaw hundreds of original orchestrations and productions, with some seasons exceeding 80 performances.

Despite the scale of the enterprise, Brennan remained grounded in a musician-first philosophy. He emphasized collaboration, humility, and enjoyment over hierarchy, famously insisting on a simple guiding principle: there were “no jerks allowed.” Musicians who worked with him often remarked on his generosity, openness, and willingness to learn alongside others—a trait evident from the project’s earliest days.

Alongside his orchestral work, Brennan continued to produce and perform with local and national artists. Notably, he produced and contributed backing vocals to the 1987 single by Twice Shy, recorded at EMAC Recording Studios, exemplifying his dual role as both facilitator and creative participant in the Canadian independent music ecosystem. He was also associated with Auto Records, a small London-based label that supported regional artists during the 1980s.

In later years, Brennan’s achievements were formally recognized with numerous honours, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Forest City London Music Awards, and induction onto Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music “Wall of Fame.” Yet those closest to him consistently noted that he avoided the spotlight, preferring to support others and let the music speak for itself.

Peter Brennan passed away on September 29, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. In the wake of his passing, tributes poured in from musicians, orchestras, and collaborators across North America, reflecting not only the breadth of his musical impact but the depth of his kindness. His legacy endures in the countless performances he shaped, the artists he encouraged, and the enduring model he created for bridging popular music and orchestral tradition with integrity and joy.
-Robert Williston