MusicPro Magazine

What have you learned about the music business that surprised you or you didn’t expect?
Jennings: When Chapin [Mary Chapin Carpenter] first got signed, she and her manager, and I sat down and had a conversation and I said, “Look I don’t know anything about this but what I think, I mean again this one of [...]

John Jennings has long maintained a solid international reputation as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. A longtime member of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band, with whom he’s produced and recorded 11 Top Ten singles and 2 Grammy winning albums. His guitar playing and singing have graced numerous recordings by artists such as Kathy Mattea, George Jones and [...]

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Where do you go from here?
Fishing! (Laughs) What do they say? I’ve got a good career behind me. So, it’s been times when I think maybe now’s the time of my life where I can ease out of playing and start writing more, because I’ve always been a frustrated arranger. And I’ve felt that writing [...]

Where do you see yourself going from here?
What’s on the horizon for you?

Well, where we go from here really depends on the myriad of possibilities we try to pull in at one time. We are now opening up a new facility. For instance here at VCU music we have a renovated music center [...]

Of all the types of music you play, which type is your favorite?
Do you have a favorite?
Well, I think I listen to jazz more than I listen to anything else. I think the music I really like playing the most is playing with the Philharmonic. Not only because of the music but because, well [...]

What’s different now from when you first got started?

What isn’t different? Everything’s different. First of all, today there’s not as much in common with live people as there was when I got started. You had to make sure that everything was ready to go so that when you played some notes they were going to [...]

In your current role, what are you looking to improve upon or change?

I’m always looking for the next thing to work on and improve. At home I keep this big marker board or white board that I have divided into two categories, short term goals and long term goals and I encourage my students [...]

What did Bernstein say to you?

He never knew. He was too busy playing. So I managed to sneak in on that one. There have been many things that have happened, mostly in the concerts with the Philharmonic. Oh the usual things when people are falling off the bandstand, more crazy than funny. Or we’d make [...]

What have you learned about the music business that was a surprise?

I think when you get started in the music business everything’s a surprise. I was really fortunate growing up in New Orleans. I mean I was extremely fortunate! I had no idea how fortunate I was until I moved to upstate New York, [...]

What’s the funniest thing that happened to you
while performing in a group?

The funniest thing? You know, I put together a bunch of stories. My wife is going to write a book. There’s so many I wouldn’t know where to begin; the funniest thing? I’d have to really think, there’s been so many funny things. [...]

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It was probably from my mom when she told me the role of everyone in life is to raise civilized animals. Now I’m not really sure with what that has to do with making music, other than if you want to be employable, you probably have to be [...]

What does it take to be successful?
(Laughs) Luck! A lot of luck but again a lot of motivation, you have to hang in, you have to get rejected all over the place, but when I think of how tough it is to make it in music I think about actors or I think about [...]