Refrigeration mechanic's tune included on Jay-Z release

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- The physical plant staff at Northeastern State University has a creator of music in their midst.

Brandon Linney, a refrigeration mechanic for NSU, also programs music and markets it to artists and several are buying.

"Rita Ora has a release coming out now in the United Kingdom and soon in the U.S.," Linney said. "The title of the track I've been involved with is Been Lyin' and is more or less a pop-R&B mix. I originally wrote the track in my little pre-production studio at my house here in Tahlequah."

The album is Ora's debut and will be released on Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.

Linney, a native of Lafayette, La., who graduated from Markoma Bible Academy, has been programming music since his early teens and initially worked on Christian music projects.

"I spent about seven or eight years writing Christian music and wrote for such artists as Toby Mac and Michael W. Smith," Linney said. "I started doing catalog music for television, commercials and film about 10 years ago.

Now 36, Linney said most of his chosen compositions today are pop, but he is making another foray into Christian music through a praise album project with K5 Presents.

A drummer and piano player, Linney doesn't require a five-piece band any more than he needs a Los Angeles address to avail his music to artists.

"My role is basically to start songs from scratch," he said. "I lay down melodies and build the track around it by programming drums, piano, bass, synthesizers and whatever else and arrange the structure of the song. The artist can buy the rights to a song and write words or make changes. It provides a baseline from which to work."

Furthermore, the digital age allows Linney to market his tracks globally from the comfort of northeast Oklahoma. He can post it for listening on SoundCloud He is also involved with Superpop Co. in Los Angeles.

"They are a subcontractor with Extreme Music, which is one of the biggest filtered catalogs in the world," Linney said. "One of my songs was placed there and licensed during the London Olympics. It was played during the run for gold by Gabby Douglas and the U.S. women's gymnastics team. It's really a love song, but the chorus is 'I'm ready to jump' so it could be played to gymnastics."

Linney said a brother in the business also is of tremendous help.

"I owe a lot to my brother Michael," he said. "I've been doing some co-production with him and he pursues music full-time. That is actually how the Ora deal developed. He was in session with her and played the song that was picked up."

One may wonder how a refrigeration mechanic becomes a music programmer, or vice versa. Linney said the music industry fluctuates and songs are chosen at an inconsistent pace.

"There was a year where I tried to pursue music exclusively," he said. "We made it, but I have a wife and two daughters and it was a rocky road. A big worry for us was not having health insurance. I still need a day job."

To complement his musical endeavors, Linney found employment after high school with a construction firm, which trained him to work with heating and air conditioning. Over time, he worked on larger commercial contracts.

"I was actually working on NSU's Tahlequah campus when I was informed by my company that I was being laid off right in the middle of a job," he said. "I finally found new employment on the NSU website."

Now an employee for two years, Linney said working at NSU has been a pleasant consequence of his abrupt severance from his previous employer.

"I really enjoy the environment at NSU," he said. "I enjoy the people, they work with you and you feel like you are part of an extended family."

Through the ups and downs of programming music, Linney said he has always had the support of his wife Jaryn, whom he met at Markoma.

"She never tried to talk me out of this," he said. "Some people don't understand it that a person can have access to the international music world and still live in Tahlequah. Jaryn always knew what I was doing and gave me credit. I'm thankful for her."

Linney credited persistence and dedication for his achievements in music.

"Whatever your goals, when you put the time into it you will see the fruits of your labor," he said.