Duncan John Browne (25 March 1947 – 28 May 1993) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. His debut album, '' Give Me Take You'', was released by

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signe ...

in 1968. Its 1973 follow-up, '' Duncan Browne'', spawned a minor UK hit single "Journey" and has garnered

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

among fans of 1970s

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

. Browne formed the

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...

band

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

with Peter Godwin and Sean Lyons in 1976, before resuming his solo career.

Early life

Browne was born on 25 March 1947, the only child of

Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

C. D. A. Browne. He studied at

Worksop College Worksop College (formerly St Cuthbert's College) is a British co-educational private school for both boarding and day pupils aged 11 to 18, in Worksop. It sits at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, England. Founded by N ...

where he excelled at drama and at the clarinet. His ambition to emulate his father's career in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

was thwarted when he was rejected on the grounds of ill health.

Career

Browne attended the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

, studying both music theory and drama. He chose to become a musician when, in 1967, he met

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Oldham's f ...

, and signed with his

label. His debut album '' Give Me Take You'' was issued in 1968. His choral arrangement was used on the

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his own success, his songs " If I Were a Carpenter", " Reason to Believe", " Misty Roses" and " ...

penned " Hang on to a Dream" on the album ''

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music. Keyboardist Keith Emerson, bassist Lee Jackson (bassist), Lee Jackson, guitarist David O'List, and drummer Ian Hague ori ...

in 1969. Browne's biggest hit in the UK was the song "Journey" ( UK number 23), and was televised on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' in 1972. The song was included on Browne's second album '' Duncan Browne'' in 1973. In 1976, Browne formed the band

with Peter Godwin and released the album,

(1977). In 1978 he left Metro for a solo career. He released two solo albums: '' The Wild Places'' and ''

Streets of Fire ''Streets of Fire'' is a 1984 American action crime neo-noir film directed by Walter Hill, from a screenplay by Hill and Larry Gross. Described on the poster and in the opening credits as "A Rock & Roll Fable", the film combines elements of ...

''. The song "The Wild Places" was a hit single in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in 1979 where its highest position was number 7 in the dutch top 40. From the same period, "

Criminal World ''Metro'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Metro. Recorded in 1976, it was released in 1977 through Transatlantic and Sire Records. It is the band's only album to feature both of the core members, Peter Godwin and Duncan Browne, ...

", co-written by Browne with Peter Godwin, was recorded by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

on his 1983 '' Let's Dance'' album. In 1984–85 Browne composed and performed the music for the British television series '' Travelling Man'', in collaboration with the programme's producer Sebastian Graham-Jones. The soundtrack was released on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

and CD. The track reached number 68 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1984. Browne also composed "Salva Me", the theme tune of the BBC series ''

Shadow of the Noose ''Shadow of the Noose'' is a BBC television legal drama serial about the life and career of barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall. It starred Jonathan Hyde as Marshall Hall; Michael Feast as his clerk, Edgar Bowker; Leslee Udwin as Henriette Mars ...

'' in 1989, and it appeared on a compilation album with 19 other television theme tunes. In 1989 Browne was diagnosed with cancer, and a recurrence led to his death in 1993, aged 46. An unfinished solo album was completed by friends and colleagues, including Sebastian Graham-Jones and Nick Magnus. ''Songs of Love & War'' was released in 1995 and was described as "a fine album exploring pretty much the same musical universe as Browne's solo productions from the late 70's."

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Give Me Take You '' (1968) * '' Duncan Browne'' (1973) * '' The Wild Places'' (1978) * ''

'' (1979) * ''Songs of Love & War'' (1995)

Singles

* "On the Bombsite" / "Alfred Bell" (1968) * "Who Is Julie" (1969) * "Resurrection Joe" / "The Final Asylum" (1970) * "Journey" / "In a Mist" (1972) * "Send Me the Bill for Your Friendship" / "My Only Son" (1973) * "The Wild Places" / "Camino Real (Parts 2 & 3)" (1978) * "American Heartbeat" / "(Restless) Child of Change" (1979) * "American Heartbeat" / "She's Just a Fallen Angel" (1979) * "Fauvette" / "Streets of Fire (Extract)" (1979) * "Niña morena" / "Fauvette" (1979) * "Theme From Travelling Man" / "Andrea's Theme" (1984) * "The Wild Places '91" / "Fauvette" (1991)

Compilation albums

* ''Compilation'' (1982) * ''Planet Earth'' (1986) * ''Selection'' (1991) * ''The Wild Places / Streets of Fire'' (2000) * ''Journey: The Anthology 1967–1993'' (2004) * ''Best of Duncan Browne : Greatest Hits'' (2004)

Soundtracks

* '' Travelling Man – The Music from the Granada TV series'' (1985)

References

External links

Duncan Browne Tribute
* Duncan Browne biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Duncan 1947 births 1993 deaths English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English rock singers Deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom Rak Records artists Immediate Records artists Sire Records artists 20th-century English singers 20th-century English male singers People educated at Worksop College