NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — He's an original reality star from Kentucky, who rose to fame on 'The Real World: Los Angeles' and used that to jumpstart a country music career. It felt like destiny for my former youth pastor... until it wasn't.
After decades apart crisscrossing the country, Jon and I met up along Broadway to talk country and catch up.
Nashville was where it all began for the Owensboro, Kentucky native. His life changed in 1993 when a new television concept came calling.
"I was a freshman at Belmont University with dreams of becoming a country music star, and that’s when MTV said ‘we need a country guy,'" Jon said. He's talking about The Real World, which was casting for its second season. Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks were blowing up the charts, but Brennan as the conservative, Christian cowboy from Kentucky... stopped being polite and started getting real... gaining real fame each week on cable TV.
Brennan never went back to Belmont.
"I started touring and opened for big, big acts. Alabama, Tim McGraw, George Jones." Capitol Records signed him and he'd made it... or so he thought. Like a country music song about heartbreak: It fell apart -- fast.
"My manager, who was managing Wynona Judd at the time, got drunk and cussed me out. My booking agent, who was Garth Brooks booking agent had a heart attack and suddenly died -- like suddenly, unexpectedly and the record label dropped me," Jon said. The dream was dead. But, as in the Bible -- where Brennan’s faith is placed -- he resurrected his music career... in the church.
A Kentucky church is where we first met and worshipped together. After stops in Alabama, Florida, and even east Africa — after the death of his Dad and after 25 years out of country music, that "Christian Cowboy" felt a calling.
"I said... nah, you ain’t done singing yet. And I thought...write that song."
He did.
He did it for his Dad, but also for himself, because he ain't done with the dream.
"No matter where my ministry or my travels took me over the last 25 years, I was always thinking that if I could get back to Nashville, if I could just record a great song, then it might all happen for me again," Jon said.
The real world for Brennan now is driving Uber to help make ends meet while he waits for that next "big break." While reality fame is fleeting and Nashville's changed a lot in three decades, it's fun for him when fans still recognize the big country boy from MTV who's not done with that boyhood dream.
