Legendary Country Music Producer Who Worked With Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, and George Jones Dies at 81

With a career spanning decades, Brian Ahern used his talents as a record producer to work with stars like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, and several others. But nothing compared to his partnership with Anne Murray. Together, they produced a dozen albums. The only artist to come close was Emmylou Harris, who was married to Ahern for numerous years. They recorded 11 albums. And thanks to his talents in the studio, he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Sadly, after decades in music, Ahern passed away at 81. 

While being cared for at a home in Minnesota, it was reported that on Monday, Ahern passed away. With fans remembering the legacy he left behind, Anne Murray lived it. Murray’s life drastically changed when she first met Ahern on the set of Singalong Jubilee. Although Murray didn’t make the cut on the show, Ahern stayed in contact. 

According to Murray, she had little interest in exploring a music career. At the time, she was working as a teacher. But Ahern wasn’t about to let her waste her talent. “He was at me, writing letters, begging me to come to Toronto to do an album. Well, I couldn’t see the point in that at all. Finally, I gave in and I gave up teaching and went to Toronto and we did an album together.”

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Brian Ahern’s Biggest Fans Remebmer The “Human-Sized Dollhouses”

The years that followed brought stress, pain, and hardships, but Murray and Ahern never stopped. And for Murray, she thanked the producer for never giving up. “Brian’s confidence in my ability was enough to carry me through those early years.”   

Eventually, both their careers took them in different directions. Still, that didn’t diminish the love they had for music and each other. Insisting that Ahern was a brilliant musician, Murray promised, “Sometimes you have to read his mind … but he taught me a lot in the studio. I learned a lot from him as he was learning too, but he was so smart that he got to the point pretty quickly.” 

It wasn’t just Murray recalling her past with Ahern. His daughters, Shannon and Meghann Ahern, shared their favorite pastimes with their father. For Shannon, she never forgot the human-sized dollhouses. “He would just take us everywhere, and he would build me like a human-sized dollhouse out of the studio baffles (soundproofing equipment), so I would have a way to play and keep myself quiet while he was working.” 

By all measures, Ahern lived a rich life. He recorded legends, launched careers, and made history. Yet, for all the famous faces, nothing compared to the memories he shared with his daughters. 

(Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)