The Brennans (Jo & Ryk)

Jo & Ryk Brennan in 1979.

Helen Frieda (Jo) Clayton was married to George W. Brennan of Mount Pleasant near Brantford Ontario. Jo Brennan was known locally as the Queen of the Auto Harp, and with her son Richard (Ryk) composed the hit 'Strawberry Wine' on her instrument of choice. 

As the label's 23rd and final act, Jim Allison had high hopes with their 1978 instrumental, ‘Strawberry Wine.’ He hoped it would be as big as 'Music Box Dancer', which was racing up the Canadian charts and was already #1 in Ottawa.  It’s thought that the Brennan’s recorded six songs with Jim Allison, in hopes of releasing three individual singles, 'Strawberry Wine/Dee-I-Diddle-I-Day,' 'Blue Grass/One Legged Sailor,' and 'Pokey’s Reel/Flannigan’s Reel.'

Jo Brennan started playing at age four (1927) on the piano her father bought her as a wedding gift to her mother. Jo was the youngest of eight children and although each member played an instrument none before her thought to try the piano. It was not until Jo was in her late thirties (1961) that she taught herself how to play the organ. 

Her first professional job was in 1965 in the Paris Hotel. Since 1971 she's performed at all the Ex-Imperial pub shows. Although performing alone bothered Jo to some extent, she said she wasn’t the least bit nervous when she performed with her sister Gladys for servicemen during the later part of the Second World War (1943). 

Jo Brennan has had a couple of her own songs recorded by The Rhythm Pals and country singer Bill Long, and since she didn't read music she writes her songs on the organ and then posts the tape of it to her music publishing house, Universal Music Publishing Canada. By 1975 she was collaborating with her twenty year old son Ryk in writing songs. He played the organ at the Marlie and Forrester hockey games held at the civic for the past year. 

Jo plays the auto harp, organ, piano, harmonica, accordion, bass, cello and violin, while her husband George plays the violin in the Brantford Symphony Orchestra. The Brennan’s have lived in Mount Pleasant for about 22 years. (1953)  (Wendy Rosen – The Brantford Expositor - 1975)

After releasing ‘Strawberry Wine,’ (Strawberry Wine/Dee-I-Diddle-I-Day, TBR 2000, Burford Music Pub, CAPAC), the song somehow made its way to CKRM in Regina, where it became a #1 hit in early 1979.  Jo and Ryk temporarily moved to Regina and recorded four brand new songs to compliment the six they had already cut with Thunderbird, resulting in a ten track album for NikNak Records issued in July 1979. 

Once the hysteria calmed down in Regina, Jo and Ryk returned to Brantford. Fourteen years later, in 1993 they issued a cassette called 'Strawberry Wine.' The 12 track tape included 6 tracks from the 1979 album, as well as six brand new tracks including the new hit single, ‘Dandelion Wine.’ 

After Ryk Brennan's death in 1995, Jo issued a CD of newly recorded material, all cover songs with the exception of a newer version of 'Strawberry Wine.'  Lynn Russwurm of Elmira was The Brennan's manager and promoter for a time.

Jo and George Brennan were married about 1947, and had a baby daughter named Lynn who was born and passed away in 1949. Richard George 'Ryk' Brennan was born on Nov 14 1955 and passed away on May 7 1995. Jo Brennan was born in 1923 and passed away on Tuesday Nov 15^th 2005, surrounded by her family and friends, in her 83^rd year. George William Brennan was born in Greenock, Scotland, on February 21, 1921 and passed away peacefully at Hardy Terrace, Mount Pleasant on Monday, February 4th, 2008 at the age of 86.