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Brett Dennen

b. 1979

American musician

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About Brett Dennen

Born 1979. Brett Dennen is an American singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist and singer.

Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, See the World was released in July 2021.

Early life Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a small farm town; he was homeschooled. He spent much of his time learning to play music. After becoming proficient in the guitar, he began writing his own songs.

Dennen learned to play guitar while attending Camp Jack Hazard, a residential summer camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

He attended Oakdale High School, and, in 2002, graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also began writing music with friends, eventually establishing a jam band in which he played mandolin alongside an acoustic guitarist, bassist, hand drummer, and flutist.

Dennen opened for John Mayer on his tour in 2008.

In 2008, "Darlin' Do Not Fear," from So Much More, was featured in the award-winning independent film Sherman's Way.

Dennen was named by Rolling Stone magazine as an "Artist to Watch," and in 2008, Entertainment Weekly called him one of its eight "Guys on the Rise".

In 2008, Dennen, along with Jason Mraz, contributed the song "Long Road to Forgiveness" to the Survival International charity album Songs for Survival. Earlier in the fall, Dennen toured Australia with Pete Murray. In late October, Hope for the Hopeless, Dennen's third album, was released. The song "Ain't Gonna Lose You" was featured on Grey's Anatomy and topped the iTunes folk charts. The record reached No. 6 on the digital charts, and was followed by a successful mini-tour.

On August 1, 2009, Dennen performed at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.

On October 9, 2009, Dennen appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. In 2010, Dennen played at the Oulipo Ballroom in Kentucky. He played a mixture of Paul Simon covers along with unreleased tracks from his upcoming album. His fourth album, Loverboy, was released on April 12, 2011. In 2009, Dennen's song "She's Mine" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie According to Greta; in 2010, Dennen's song "Darlin' Do Not Fear" was featured on the soundtrack for the TV show Parenthood.

Dennen's fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors was released on October 22, 2013, along with its first single, "Wild Child." On October 24, "Sweet Persuasion" was featured on the TV show Parenthood.

"Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)" is the theme song on the NBC comedy About A Boy. The song was also used in the series finale of Wizards of Waverly Place.

On March 13, 2014, he appeared on episode 67 of Live From Daryl's House, performing "Only Want You", "Wild Child", "Right As Rain", "When We Were Young", "What's Gunna Happen To Us", and "Don't Mess With Karma" with Daryl Hall and his house band.

In 2016, Dennen released his sixth studio album, Por Favor.

In January 2018, Dennen released a new single, "Already Gone." That same year, he released two EPs "simply to change it up." The EP Here's Looking at You Kid?, a song that he says is about "life," was originally inspired by his loyal fans over the years, but began to include his personal speculation about what fatherhood might be like.

2006 —

2007 26

2008 5

2009 —

17

8

2013 5

—

25

2016 30 Por Favor

3

17

4

39

Other contributions Children's Songs for Peace and a Better World (2003) Drink to Bones That Turn to Dust: A Toast to Oingo Boingo (2006) Don't Think Twice, It's Alright – Ted Lennon & Brett Dennen (2007) CLIF GreenNotes Protect the Places We Play (2008) Find It Here Songs for Survival (2008) Parenthood (television soundtrack) (2010) The Protector [USA Network] (2011) "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for "Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International" (2012) "Colours" for "Gazing With Tranquility – A Tribute to Donovan" (2015)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of California, Santa Cruz
Also known as
Brett Michael Dennen

People in Brett Dennen's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Brett Dennen's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Brett Dennen?

American musician

When was Brett Dennen born?

Brett Dennen was born on 28 October 1979 in Oakdale.

What is Brett Dennen's occupation?

Brett Dennen is a singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist and singer.

What nationality is Brett Dennen?

Brett Dennen is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Brett Dennen

· Wikidata: Q648640

· DBpedia: Brett Dennen

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Brett Dennen. https://biography.guide/brett-dennen/

MLA: "Brett Dennen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/brett-dennen/.

Chicago: "Brett Dennen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/brett-dennen/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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