Huford Brown (born 8 June 1956, Kingston, Jamaica), better known by the stage name U Brown, is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984.

Biography

Brown grew up in Bond Street in Kingston, living two doors away from

Duke Reid Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and record label owner. He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Tr ...

's ''Treasure Isle'' studio.Interview by Peter I, October 2003
/ref> Heavily influenced by

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

, but also citing

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

Dennis Alcapone Dennis Alcapone, born Dennis Smith, is a Jamaican reggae Deejay (Jamaican), DJ and Record producer, producer. In 2018, he received the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation from Andrew Holness.Johnson, Richard (2018)'Clean up your act!'", ''Ja ...

Prince Jazzbo Linval Roy Carter (3 September 1951 – 11 September 2013), better known as Prince Jazzbo, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall Deejay (Jamaican), deejay and record producer, producer. Career Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in King ...

and I-Roy as influences, Brown began his career on the ''Silver Bullet''

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

in the early 1970s, moving on to ''Sound of Music'' and replacing U-Roy on the ''King Tubby's Hi-Fi'' system in 1975.Larkin, Colin:"The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", 1998, Virgin Books, Brown was initially given a chance to record by Winston Edwards and then Yabby You, and had a local hit in 1976 with "Starsky and Hutch", which was followed by a series of albums produced by

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

. He was signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

in the late 1970s, releasing two albums on their ''Front Line'' label. The Virgin contract enabled Brown to travel frequently to the United Kingdom, where he performed with the ''Unity Hi Power'' sound system. Brown returned to prominence in 1982, with "Tu Sheng Peng" (a version of

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

's "If This World Were Mine"). Brown set up his own ''Hit Sound'' label in 1977 as an outlet for his work as a producer. In the 1980s, Brown relocated to Miami, returning to Jamaica in 1990.Dougan, John, "

allmusic biography AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation Blood & Fire released a compilation of Brown's 1970s work in 1997, raising his profile and leading to new recordings, working with Jah Warrior among others.

Albums

*''The Originator'' (1976) Carib Gems (Nuroy and U-Roy) *''Satta Dread'' (1976) Klik *''London Rock'' (1977) Third World *''Revelation Time'' (1977) Live & Love *''Mr Brown Something'' (1978) Virgin/Front Line *''Weather '' (1978) Gorgon, also released as ''You Can't Keep a Good Man Down'' (1978) Virgin/Front Line *''Repatriation'' (1979) Hit Sound *''Hotter Reggae Music'' (1982) Tad's, also issued as ''Tu Sheng Peng'' *''Raver's Party'' (1982)

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

*''DJ Confrontation'' (1982) CF (with Peter Yellow) *''Jam It Tonight'' (1983) CSA, also issued as ''Black Princess'' (1999) Dressed To Kill *''Superstar'' (1984) Culture Press *''Train To Zion'' (1997) Blood & Fire (compilation) *''3 The Roots Way'' (2001) Krescendo (with Ranking Joe and

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

) *''Rougher Than The Rest'' (2003) Jah Warrior *''Still Standing Strong'' (2002) Hit Sound *''Rastafari Bible'' Belle *''Hit Sounds From Channel One'' (1999) Tabou 1 (compilation) *''The Original D.J.'' Sonic Sounds *''U Brown's Hit Sound'' (2007) Roots (compilation)

References

External links

U Brown at Roots ArchivesRebel Base Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, U 1956 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians