John Braheny

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John Braheny

Occupation Writer, Singer/Songwriter, Journalist, Teacher and Consultant
Genres Folk-Rock
Official website

John Braheny, author of “The Craft and Business of Songwriting” (Writer's Digest Books) is not only an author; he is also Singer/Songwriter, Journalist, Interviewer, Educator, Songwriting and Music Industry Consultant and Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase (LASS).

Braheny is mainly known and referred to in the music industry, and, more specifically, in the songwriting community as "the songwriter's best friend" for his efforts to create education and discovery opportunities for songwriters, to help bring public attention to songwriting as an art form and to champion songwriters' rights.

John Braheny is Past-President of the California Copyright Conference and served on the Board of Governors of The L.A. chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (which presents the Grammy Awards) and the National Academy of Songwriters (NAS). He has presented songwriting seminars for universities and songwriters organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As Co-Founder/director (with Len Chandler) of the national non-profit service organization for songwriters (1971-'96), which BMI sponsored for 18 years, he organized the first on-going, organized weekly showcase exclusively for contemporary songwriter/performers in the Los Angeles area. During the early years of the organization they provided exposure and encouragement to an impressive list of later-to-be-successful new writers and writer/artists in all genres including Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, Janis Ian, Warren Zevon, Karla Bonoff, Stephen Bishop, Jules Shear, Wendy Waldman and one of the world's most successful contemporary songwriters, Diane Warren, for whom Braheny and Chandler critiqued over 150 songs when she was only 15. The live showcases evolved into an international membership organization whose members could submit songs on tape to industry professionals by mailing them in from anywhere in the world for the weekly Cassette Roulette and Pitch-A-Thon sessions.

Braheny and Chandler were responsible for innovating songwriter events and activities that serve as models for organizations all over the world. Among them:

  • The Songwriters Expo, which for 20 years, starting in 1977, was the largest and most comprehensive annual education and discovery event for songwriters in the world.
  • The first weekly series of live interview sessions with more than 600 industry professionals and hit songwriters.
  • Created Cassette Roulette and Pitch-A-Thon, the first weekly, open-to-anyone opportunities to get songs critiqued by publishers and heard by producers and record company reps.
  • The first Professional Membership category to provide private, in-house opportunities and personal referrals for exceptional songwriters. Among the successes of this program were hits by Tiffany and Starship.

As singer/songwriter John Braheny's most well known song is "December Dream," recorded by Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys for their second album. An unreleased version was also done by Fred Neil in the late '60s, and was issued about 30 years later on the compilation "The Many Sides of Fred Neil". Braheny also did, for the singer/songwriter genre, a quite eclectic and eccentric solo album, Some Kind of Change, on the small Pete label in 1970 that included his own version of "December Dream."

John currently lives with his wife JoAnn in South California where he continues to be consultant and teacher for aspiring and accomplished songwriters.

Contents

[edit] Discography

  • 1970 Some Kind of Change (Pete Label)

[edit] Bibliography

  • 2006 The Craft and Business of Songwriting: A Practical Guide to Creating and Marketing Artistically and Commercially Successful Songs (Writers Digest Books) ) now in its 3rd Edition
  • 1986 Songwriter's handbook (American Song Festival)
  • 1982 The American Song Festival songwriter's handbook (Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase)

[edit] References

[edit] External links