Dennis Brown -

Dennis Brown (Feb. 1, 1957 — July 1, 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter who emerged with the 1970/71 Studio One albums No Man Is an Island and If I Follow My Heart, followed by five albums through 1975 on assorted labels. In 1977, he released the popular album Wolf & Leopards on D.E.B. Music, then proliferated on A&M, Trojan, and Greensleeves over the subsequent two decades.

Background

Dennis Emmanuel Brown was born on February 1, 1957, at Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. His father, Arthur Brown, wrote plays and acted on Jamaican stages, while elder brother Basil Brown performed comedy. Brown attended Mrs Brown Infant School and Central Branch Primary on Slipe Road, where he first sang in public at a school concert around age nine. He grew up near the Orange Street record district and listened closely to American soul singers and Jamaican vocalists, with Delroy Wilson a primary model.

Brown joined the Fabulous Falcons at about age eleven and became the Kingston dance band’s resident vocalist. He sang current Jamaican hits at the Tit for Tat club and appeared on stage shows with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, where promoters billed him as the “Boy Wonder.” A National Arena appearance also placed Brown on a bill with Lee, who continued to book the young singer for package shows.

Basil Brown linked Dennis with producer and record-seller Derrick Harriott, who auditioned the young singer at the King Street record shop. Harriott took Brown to Dynamic Sounds for his first studio session, where Brown recorded an original called “Obsession,” which Harriott retitled “Lips of Wine.” Harriott then taught Brown the Van Dykes song “No Man Is an Island,” rehearsed at the rear of the King Street shop. When Harriott left Jamaica for the United States, Brown took the song to Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One.

Brown recorded “No Man Is an Island” for Dodd and continued through a succession of Studio One sessions. He also sang backing parts with Horace Andy and Larry Marshall on sessions for Alton Ellis, who taught Brown guitar on Dodd’s instrument. Across the Studio One run, Brown recorded roughly thirty songs, including tracks for his first album.

Discography:

No Man Is an Island (1970)
If I Follow My Heart (1971)
Super Reggae & Soul Hits (1972)
Superstar (1972)
Deep Down (1974)
The Best of Dennis Brown (1974)
Just Dennis (1975)
Wolf & Leopards (1977)
Visions of Dennis Brown (1978)
Westbound Train (1978)
Joseph’s Coat of Many Colours (1979)
Live at Montreux (1979)
Words of Wisdom (1979)
Spellbound (1980)
Foul Play (1981)
Love Has Found Its Way (1982)
Stage Coach Showcase (1982)
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1982)
Satisfaction Feeling (1983)
The Prophet Rides Again (1983)
Judge Not (1984 • Dennis Brown / Gregory Isaacs)
Love’s Gotta Hold on Me (1984)
Two Bad Superstars (1984 • Gregory Isaacs / Dennis Brown)
History (1985)
Revolution (1985)
Slow Down (1985)
Wake Up (1985)
Brown Sugar (1986)
Hold Tight (1986)
No Contest (1989 • Gregory Isaacs & Dennis Brown)

Sources

National Library of Jamaica — “Dennis Brown.” Gives the February 1, 1957 birth at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Mrs Brown Infant School, Central Branch Primary on Slipe Road, the artistic family background, and the Orange Street setting. (National Library of Jamaica)
Jamaica Gleaner — “Vintage Voices | Dennis Brown a hero among heroes among heroes.” Connects Arthur Brown to Dennis Brown’s early stage interest, places him at Central Branch Primary, dates the first Harriott studio activity to the late 1960s, and gives Harriott’s account of obtaining the Van Dykes record and rehearsing “No Man Is an Island” with Brown. (Jamaica Gleaner)
Jamaica Observer — “Harriott remembers the ‘Crown Prince’.” Harriott identifies himself as the first producer to record Brown, places the session at Dynamic Sounds, names “Lips of Wine,” and explains how Brown subsequently recorded “No Man Is an Island” for Coxsone Dodd. The article also identifies Rupert Bent, Jackie Jackson, and Esmond Jarrett on the first Harriott session. (Jamaica Observer)
United Reggae — “Interview: Derrick Harriott (Part 2).” Harriott explains that he knew Basil Brown first, auditioned Dennis, took him into the studio, changed “Obsession” to “Lips of Wine,” and taught him the Van Dykes song that Brown later carried to Studio One. (United Reggae)
Chuck Foster — Roots, Rock, Reggae: An Oral History of Reggae Music from Ska to Dancehall. Preserves Brown’s own account of stage appearances with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, his “Boy Wonder” billing, his position as resident Falcons vocalist, the Tit for Tat connection to Dodd, and his Studio One backing-vocal activity. (FlipHTML5)
United Reggae — “Interview: Fil Callender (Part 2).” Callender identifies himself on rhythm guitar for the early Studio One recordings “No Man Is an Island” and “If I Follow My Heart.” (United Reggae)
United Reggae — “Interview: Leroy Sibbles in Kingston (Part 2).” Sibbles states that he played bass across the No Man Is an Island album sessions while serving as a Studio One arranger. (United Reggae)
The Wire — “Version to version: Dennis Brown ‘No Man Is An Island’.” Establishes the source song as the Van Dykes recording written by Rondalis Tandy and separates it from the unrelated Whitney–Kramer song of the same title. (The Wire)
Roots Archives — Dennis Brown discography. Lists No Man Is an Island as a Studio One album from 1970 and If I Follow My Heart from 1971. (Roots Archives)