News : Remembering the Crown Prince & The making of a reggae superstar

[Roots Archives]

While puttering in the garden of his home on July 1, 1999, bass player Lloyd Parkes says he heard breaking news on radio that singer **Dennis Brown** had died that morning at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

"The machete inna mi han' drop. I couldn't believe it," said Parkes.

Doctors said Brown died from respiratory failure. The man revered by fans as the Crown Prince of Reggae was just 42 years old.

For Parkes, it was the end of a friendship that began in the early 1970s when he accompanied the teenaged Brown on a tour of England. It was the biggest loss for reggae since Bob Marley's death in 1981.

**10th anniversary of death**

July 1 marks the 10th year since Brown's death. Although several compilations of his work have since been released, there is no definitive Dennis Brown collection in the mould of Songs Of Freedom, the comprehensive Marley set released in 1992 by Island Records.

Two years ago, the New York independent record company Shanachie Records released Best of The Joe Gibbs Years which covers Brown's work with that producer. Shanachie's president, Randall Grass, believes Brown's prolific output has prevented his catalogue from being a major seller.

"I think part of the problem is that Dennis always had so many albums in the market. Outside of Jamaica and the Jamaican community, I think he is underappreciated," Grass told Tidbits Thursday.

Derrick Harriott, the first person to record Brown, corroborates Grass' observation. At his Kingston record store, he says fans cannot get enough of Dennis Brown.

"He sells just about the same as Bob, there's always demand for Dennis," Harriott said.

**Pre-teen hit**

Brown was not yet a teenager when he cut Lips of Wine for Harriott. Featuring Rupert Bent on guitar and Jackie Jackson on bass, the song was a minor hit but Brown would have greater success with his next two producers: Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd and Winston 'Niney' Holness.

He was rarely off the charts during the 1970s with a mixture of lovers rock and message songs for Gibbs. Though many saw him as the heir to Marley's crown, it was not until the early 1980s that Brown was signed by a major label, A&M Records, for which he did two albums.

Tommy Cowan managed Marley and was Brown's last manager. He said while they are generally regarded as reggae's finest singers, there was one significant difference between them.

"Bob Marley was a serious businessman, I don't think Dennis was as serious when it came to investment," Cowan said. "Dennis was like a community person, he would earn money and in one hour he would give it away."

**Not easy to manage**

Cowan admits Brown was not the easiest act to manage.

"I'm not sure if he was afraid of flying but he made it most difficult to get him on an airplane," Cowan said.

While the hit songs dried up in the last 10 years of his life, rumours about Brown's personal life heightened. There was talk about his addiction to hard drugs, and when he started sporting earrings, many questioned his Rastafarian faith.

Strongly influenced by rocksteady balladeers Alton Ellis and John Holt, Brown inspired a new wave of reggae singers, including Barrington Levy, Junior Reid, Frankie Paul, Luciano and Richie Stephens.

In that department, Cowan says, Dennis Brown loses nothing to Marley.

"He is definitely one of Jamaica's finest singers, there can be no doubting that," Cowan said.



These are some of the musicians and producers who made significant contributions to Dennis Brown's career

**The producers**

*Derrick Harriott:*
First producer Brown recorded for. Harriott produced Lips of Wine, Silhouettes and a solid cover of country singer Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman.

*Clement Dodd:*
'Sir Coxsone' began working with the 'boy wonder' in 1969 and recorded two albums with him. They included the hit songs No Man Is An Island, If I Follow My Heart and Make It Easy On Yourself.

*Winston 'Niney' Holness:*
Holness already had a big hit in the United Kingdom as an artiste with Blood and Fire when he met Brown in the early 1970s. Teaming with the Soul Syndicate Band, Brown and Holness cut a series of sides for the latter's Observer label that announced the singer as a bona fide star. These included Cassandra, Westbound Train, No More Shall I Roam and Africa.

*Joe Gibbs:*
Brown's most successful period was with Gibbs, starting in the mid-1970s and continuing to the early 1980s. Songs like Why Should I Leave, Money In My Pocket, Ghetto Girl, Ain't That Loving You, Love Has Found Its Way and Should I were done for 'Gibbo'. Two of Brown's best albums, Visions and Words of Wisdom, were produced by Gibbs.

*Sly and Robbie:*
The Taxi Gang were on top of their game when they teamed with the Crown Prince in the early 1980s. Hits like Sitting and Watching, Have You Ever, Hold On To What You've Got and the hard-hitting Revolution are among the most popular on the Dennis Brown hit parade.

*Willie Lindo:*
The man behind some of Beres Hammond's biggest songs (One Step Ahead, What One Dance Can Do), Lindo first worked with Brown as a guitarist and arranger at Joe Gibbs during the 1970s. In the 1980s, he produced Inseparable, arguably Brown's best studio effort. The title track, Early In The Morning, Ababa Jan Hoi, For You and Since I've Been Loving You make this a classic set.

*Gussie Clarke:*
First worked with Brown in the late 1970s when they recorded Foundation. They teamed again during the 1990s when Clarke's Music Works label was on a high. Big All Around (with Gregory Isaacs) was one of Brown's best songs of the decade.

*Mikey Bennett:*
Home T's main man and one of dancehall/reggae's prolific songwriters during the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, Bennett produced some minor hits for Brown, including Poison (with Brian and Tony Gold) and Without Your Love.

**The musicians**

*Earl 'Chinna' Smith:*
Guitarist with the Soul Syndicate Band, Smith played on most of Brown's hit songs for 'Niney' Holness. His rhythmic riffs can be heard on Westbound Train and Cassandra.

*Lloyd Parkes:*
Bass player and founder of the We The People Band, Parkes was an established musician when he began recording with Brown in the mid-1970s. He played bass on the majority of Brown's hits for Joe Gibbs, including Should I, Money In My Pocket and Ghetto Girl.

*Sly Dunbar:*
Along with Parkes, in-demand drummer Dunbar was a member of Skin, Flesh and Bones, house band at the Tit For Tat nightclub in St Andrew. He and Parkes were also part of Joe Gibbs' band, The Professionals, that backed Brown on many of his hits.

*Dean Fraser:*
The saxophonist was another member of The Professionals and had a long association with Brown. He played the memorable intro to Inseparable and worked on many of his hit songs for Joe Gibbs.

*source : [jamaica-gleaner](http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com)*

[tjkong]

Sorry if this is bad form, but I'm just posting to bump this back to the top of today's forum list.

[Skirt & Blouse]

Yes, RIP. DENNIS EMMANUEL BROWN

Inna we heart, str8t. Dont feel 10year now