Danny Joe Brown (August 24, 1951 – March 10, 2005)
– accessed May 2010 was an American singer. He was the lead singer of the

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...

group Molly Hatchet and was co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s.

Biography

Brown was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, in 1951 and graduated from Terry Parker High School in 1969. Shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in New York City for two years. Once he left the Coast Guard, Brown's focus turned solely to music and he joined Molly Hatchet in 1974. Although not a founding member, he is best known for writing and singing on such songs as " Flirtin' with Disaster" and "Whiskey Man." He was also the vocalist on "Dreams I'll Never See," a faster-tempoed cover of the Allman Brothers song. The band's sound was immediately recognizable by Brown's distinct voice: a deep, raspy, throaty growl.

After Molly Hatchet

Brown left Molly Hatchet in 1980 because of chronic

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and pancreatic problems, but soon started his own band, The Danny Joe Brown Band, which released a single studio album in 1981. He rejoined Molly Hatchet in 1982 only to leave again after a massive stroke in 1995 while driving to his brother's house. After a long battle with diabetes and the effects of the stroke, Brown was able to take the stage one last time at the Jammin' for DJB benefit concert in 1998 where with the help of his friends he sang “Flirtin’ with Disaster."

Death

Brown moved into his mother's home in Davie, Florida, after becoming ill. On Thursday, March 10, 2005, after Brown had been hospitalized for four weeks, he returned to his home in Davie, Florida. Less than an hour later, with family and friends at his side, he died from complications of pneumonia. He was 53 years old. His obituary attributed his death to

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

, a complication of the diabetes he had since age 19, along with Hepatitis C. Brown is buried at Lauderdale Memorial Park in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

Discography

With Molly Hatchet

* '' Molly Hatchet'' (1978) * '' Flirtin' with Disaster'' (1979) * '' No Guts...No Glory'' (1983) * '' The Deed Is Done'' (1984) * '' Double Trouble Live'' (1985) * '' Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1989) * '' Devil’s Canyon'' (1996) (credited but doesn't appear on the album)

With The Danny Joe Brown Band

* '' Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band'' (1981)

References

External links

* 1951 births 2005 deaths American rock singers American Southern rock musicians Deaths from kidney failure in Florida Molly Hatchet members Singers from Jacksonville, Florida Songwriters from Florida People from Davie, Florida United States Coast Guard enlisted 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters {{US-rock-singer-stub