Legendary Producer Brian Ahern Passes At 81

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Legendary producer Brian Ahern passed away at age 81 on Monday (Nov. 9).

Ahern began his career in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he played guitar in three bands and regularly appeared on the Canadian TV stations CBC and CTV. Ahern later moved to Los Angeles, before relocating again to Nashville.

Ahern produced 11 albums for Emmylou Harris from 1975 to 1983, including Pieces of the Sky, Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner and Roses in the Snow.

Anne Murray credits him for encouraging her to pursue music, and he eventually produced 13 albums for her, including 1969’s This Way Is My Way, which featured her breakout hit “Snowbird.” He was also known for his work with Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Ricky Skaggs and Glen Campbell, among others.

Ahern also created the Enactron Truck, a mobile recording studio that allowed him to go directly to the artists. More than 40 Gold and Platinum-certified projects were recorded in the truck, including Willie Nelson’s “Stardust,” Bette Midler’s “The Rose,” Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were”.

Ahern was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He earned the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Producer/Engineer in 2010 and was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019.

Lauryn Sink
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