Acclaimed Michigan producer Glenn Brown: ‘Three Albums That Changed My World’

The celebrated producer, studio owner and multi-instrumentalist reveals the impact that Jimi Hendrix, Return to Forever and Peter Gabriel had on his own career. Check out and sample his album picks.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: All musicians and recording engineers can trace their inspiration to key recordings that influenced their careers. Writer Ross Boissoneau today showcases music that changed the world for well-known East Lansing producer, studio owner and musician Glenn Brown. Scroll down for a Spotify playlist of his picks, and bend an ear to one of his own tracks from an upcoming album.

You might think of Glenn Brown as a musical chameleon. Part musician, part producer. Engineer and sound design consultant too.

And talk about changing colors – he’s worked with rock, rap, jazz, folk, country and alternative artists, including among many others Jeff Daniels, Spinal Tap, Dr. Dre, Kid Rock, Jeremy Kittel and Airborne or Aquatic?, the lattermost of which he is a member, playing guitar and keyboards.

“I’ve been a music producer my whole life,” says Brown, who boasts 30 years of experience and more than 1,000 album credits. He’s been chief engineer at three major Michigan recording studios and today helms GBP Studios, an East Lansing recording facility where he produces, engineers and masters recordings for acts across the country.

He came to his vocation after starting guitar at age 9.

“I ended up working in studios at 15,” he says, along the way picking up bass, keyboard, even trumpet. “I told Walter White (onetime lead trumpet for Maynard Ferguson and today a bandleader and in-demand studio musician) I had been a high-note trumpeter. He held out his horn with a new mouthpiece and I blew a high F,” Brown says slyly, prompting White to exclaim, “Holy s–t!”

Among many others, he’s worked with bluegrass superstar and Michigan native Billy Strings, winning a Grammy Award for his production work on 2019’s “Home.”

“I was at The Intersection for the Jammie Awards. Billy walks up to me, he’s a kid, I didn’t know who he was. Billy liked the Greensky Bluegrass ‘Handguns’ album. He said, ‘That’s a masterpiece. One of these days we’re gonna be working together.’ I said, ‘I look forward to that day.’”

That eventually led to Brown working on “Turmoil & Tinfoil” in 2017, before the pair reunited on “Home” two years later.

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1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Are You Experienced?” (1967) – That was one of the first and most important albums. It blew my mind. He was playing guitar in a different way, planting seeds of “I’ve gotta be in the studio.” My exposure was hearing some of the songs on the radio – “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze.” My mom took us to New York in 1968 and I bought the album in New York City. I wore that record out, learned every riff as far as I could. It was so inspirational. The psychedelic nature was mind-blowing. It really changed my life. That’s gotta be No. 1.
Listen: “Purple Haze”

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2. Return To Forever, “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” (1973) – I was starting to become a pretty good guitarist. I was playing pretty well for my time, for how old I was. I was playing with different people, with a jazz drummer. He hipped me to a bunch of jazz stuff. I went to see Return to Forever in November 1973. The record had just come out. I was in the third row. It changed my life – Bill Connors was right in front of me. I could (normally) tell you what scale someone was playing in. He was playing in modes, forms I didn’t know existed. So I learned lots of different scales, modes, altered forms across the neck.
Listen: “Hymn of the 7th Galaxy”

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3. Peter Gabriel, “So” (1986) – I listened to lots of progressive bands. Yes, Genesis, King Crimson. They were influential – “Fragile,” then I went back to “The Yes Album.” But Peter Gabriel – oh my God. I spent a day at his Real World studio. That was a highlight. I got to play his 1962 Telecaster and his big drum, a gigantic djembe. He sampled that in the Fairlight and pitched it down. I saw the band in the fall of 1986. That album still holds up. It’s really beautiful, creative, moved me in so many ways. The guy is just a superstar.
Listen: “Sledgehammer”

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Currently Loving: Glenn Brown & Intergalactic Spiral, “Astrodesia” (March 2026) – I work on so much music. Right now I’m working on my own album. It’s a world music fusion, rock and jazz. I’ve been listening to that in my car. It’s done, I’m just working on the art. At the same time I’ve mastered a lot of great people. Some of those are just awesome. I just did Koipondcondo, “ii: Dare” is a really nice record. Nathan Walton, Jason Avdek. Charlie Millard is awesome, definitely one of my favorites.
Listen: “Groundhog”

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ALBUMS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: Glenn Brown’s Playlist on Spotify