Bennett Brier

SONGWRITER

Bennett Brier

Bennett Brier was born in Beaumont, Texas, he lived his teenage years in Houston, Texas, served as a VISTA volunteer in Arkansas, a union leader in Texas, and lived many years in Austin Texas. He retired to a life of musical creativity and freedom and aims to end up in creative, sunny California.

Bennett has composed music for over 50 years and has written over 200 songs to date. He is a member of BMI® the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) ®, and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Bennett’s songwriting was recognized by the Southern Songwriters Guild and by Songwriter’s Monthly magazine. He has performed in Austin in two duos: the Stragglers and the Mississippi Grasshoppers. He currently performs in Hudson Valley New York Open Mics in Beacon, Poughkeepsie, and Hyde Park.

Bennett blends folk, blues, country, rock, pop, and bluegrass influences into his work. If it must, his music can be classified as Americana, contemporary folk, AAA, Adult Contemporary, or folk-rock.

He cites his major musical influences as Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Butch Hancock and Nanci Griffith; the talented friends he’s played with over the years; and the sensational musicians he’s seen perform countless times in Austin and around the world.

Bennett says, “The greatest little club that ever was, was in Austin, called emmajoes, with a small “e”. For $3 dollars tops, night after night after night, I could watch and listen to folks like Nanci Griffith, Butch Hancock, Lyle Lovett, Townes Van Zandt, David Halley, Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore!”.

“When I was 17, I saw Bob Dylan perform twice the same night during his “comeback” tour and left those concerts overwhelmed and transformed by the raw poetry and timelessness of his music, words, and performance,” says Bennett. “Inspired by these shows, I learned to play guitar and began writing songs. One day I wrote something really good that seemed to come from a place I never knew existed. I realized then that maybe I could write songs that mean something to myself and to others.”

ANTHEM, his 1st album of original music released in 1999, was recorded with the help of outstanding musicians Van Wilks, Christine Albert, Jay Sims, Jeri Arsenault, Chris Maresh, Art Kidd, Conrad Deisler, ‘Tikki’ Tuggle, Deb Schnack, Richard Bowden, Joe “King” Carrasco, Gene Elders, Steve Zirkel, and Jessica Brier. ANTHEM received airplay in the US, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Italy, and Slovenia and was even pirated in Sweden. Bennett adds, “They say that you spend your whole life making your first album. I feel that with my first CD “Anthem”, for whatever it is worth, I’ve realized a lifelong dream to share, through my words and music, something timeless about myself.”

SCORPIO AND ME, Bennett’s 2nd album of original songs was released in September, 2010. Jay Sims sings lead vocals and Stephen Doster plays lead guitar on this album. SCORPIO AND ME has received and continues to get airplay across the globe from countries such as Belgium, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil, France, and Israel.

Bennett adds. “They say you spend your whole life making your first album.  With my second album, I offered more of myself as simply as I’ve long hoped to do.  First, with Anthem, and then, with Scorpio and Me, for whatever it is worth, I was lucky to share, through my words and my music, something timeless about myself.

I hope to create and release more music in the future to share and discover who I am and am becoming.

Do Bennett’s Songs

I am a non-performing songwriter who writes great songs. I am looking for performers or a band who want to add some great songs to their performing repertoires and possibly to record.

Quite a few songs from my 1999 debut ANTHEM and my 2010 release SCORPIO AND ME albums received radio play and positive reviews in the US and in Europe.

I’d love for people to hear my songs through your performances or recordings. Together, we can do something exciting and tangible, including gigs, publishing, or recording deals. I have almost 200 more songs and trust you got the chops!

If you like these songs and are interested in chatting further about performing or recording them, then yes, please do contact me! I am open to just about however you might wish to do my songs, mixing your art with their essence.

If you wish to pursue this further with me, please contact me and we’ll go from there! Ideally, I’d like to get a tape of your singing so I can hear what your music is about. Contact Bennett