The former chief executive of meat-free food company Quorn is releasing his first album after switching to a new career in music.
Kevin Brennan, who led Stokesley and Billingham-based Quorn for 10 years, stood down last year to take on non-executive roles and spend more time playing with his band the County Affair.
Now the band, a duo first formed by Mr Brennan and childhood friend Tony Regan 40 years ago, is set to release an album called Off The Grid, and the duo are preparing to go on tour.
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The pair gave up a record deal in their early twenties for lucrative careers in marketing, with Mr Brennan rising to CEO of Quorn and Mr Regan following a career in advertising.
Having stepped away from the corporate rat race to pick up where they left off with their music, the band is set to tour the 海角视频 later this year have already sold out their forthcoming show at The Green Note in London on September 23.
The duo first met in the 1970s in Nottingham and as teenagers joined The Moonshiners, an Irish country band led by Mr Brennan鈥檚 father. They were playing up to three gigs each weekend whilst their schoolmates worked in shops and on paper rounds.
They then started their own band, The Rambling Boys, a band grounded in Irish country music, but the band parted ways when they left to study at different universities.
After graduating, however, they spent time in the US, working their way across Texas and San Francisco, where they became sought after by venues sometimes playing up to four-hour sets, four nights a week.
They were offered a record and management deal, but knocked the offer back as both had post-graduate jobs to return to in the 海角视频.
Mr Brennan went on to change the fortunes of many well known companies, having been part of firms that gave us Mumm Champagne, Wolf Blass new world wines and Carex liquid soap, as well as helping to globalise Kellogg鈥檚 Special K before steering Quorn to great success and a 拢500m acquisition.
Despite his busy work schedule while working with Quorn, Mr Brennan continued writing songs, and would send them to Mr Regan, who would build up a track by adding keyboards and vocal arrangements.
Reassessing their work-life balances to simultaneously leave their jobs, Mr Brennan gave an interview on his plans to Radio 5 Live, which was heard by music producer Tom Nichols, who has worked with the likes of Kylie Minoque, All Saints and Sugababes.
He struck a partnership with the band, which led to the new album, set for release on Sonnet Records on September 3, after being recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Tour dates to follow their gig in London are set to be announced soon.
Mr Brennan, who is still involved in business as a consultant, said: 鈥榃hat would be great would be if we could just spend our time on this.
鈥淲ith good songwriting and Tony鈥檚 distinctive voice we believe we can make this our next career, get respected in the industry, and have a lot of fun along the way.
鈥淚t took a 40-year gap to get us hungry again for a musical career. Having taken the plunge we can鈥檛 wait to get out on the road touring. We feel we have carved out a unique Americana sound for ourselves and just want to get out playing to as many people as we can.鈥
