Greg Brown (folk musician)

For other people by this name, see Greg Brown (disambiguation).

Greg Brown
Greg Brown at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 2004
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Dane Brown
Born	(1949-07-02) July 2, 1949 Fairfield, Iowa, U.S.
Genres	Folk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter guitarist
Instruments	Vocals guitar harmonica
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Red House
Website	gregbrownmusic.org

Gregory Dane Brown (born July 2, 1949) is an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Iowa.

Early life

Brown was born into a musical family. He was the second child and has one sister, Cheryl Brown. His mother, Peggy Brown, played the electric guitar and taught him at the age of 12. He also had a grandfather who played the banjo, and his father was a Pentecostal minister.  His mother also recited poems to him every night, leading him to start writing poetry in high school.[12] He grew up in the Hacklebarney region of southwestern Iowa, which he describes as "hill country." The people and landscape in his home region influenced his career. With a mix of church life and working-class culture, he found a rich tapestry of experiences that shaped his music. Before he became known for his music, he attended the University of Iowa, but eventually dropped out. He then spent several years traveling with a band before returning to Iowa, where he performed live and pursued his songwriting career.

Career

Performing with Bo Ramsey in Dubuque Iowa in May 2008.

In 1974 Brown recorded and released his first album, a live album called Hacklebarney, with Richard Pinney. [15]

During the 1980s Brown toured and had regularly performed on A Prairie Home Companion. Brown self-published two albums, 44 & 66 and The Iowa Waltz, which was written as he travelled across Iowa, performing local live shows at smaller venues. [17]

In collaboration with Brown, Bob Feldman and Susan Ode founded the record company called Red House Records after producing a sold-out concert at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1990. Brown became its first recording artist. Brown has recorded more than thirty albums since.

In 1986 he released an album called Songs of Innocence and of Experience based on poems by William Blake. His album One Big Town (1989) won an Indie Award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and marked the beginning of Brown's long collaboration with Iowa guitarist Bo Ramsey, who would go on to play on several of his albums. His 1993 album Friend of Mine, a collaboration with Bill Morrissey, would net him his first Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album.[18]

The Poet Game (1994), his tenth studio album, saw significant international radio play (charting on AAA and topping The Gavin Report's Americana chart), and received a NAIRD Indie award for singer-songwriter Album of the Year. The Live One (1995) proved to be a fan favorite capturing the humor, warmth, insights and spirit of his live shows. His 1996 release, Further In, topped them all: critics called it a masterpiece and it received a four-star review in Rolling Stone. Brown's 1997 release Slant 6 Mind earned him his second Grammy nomination.

In 1998, Brown covered "Sailing Down My Golden River" on Where Have All The Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger, a collaborative tribute album.[20] 1999 brought the re-release of One Night, a live concert recording from October 1983 originally released on the Coffeehouse Extempore label. His album Solid Heart CD was recorded in 1999 during a benefit concert. Two releases followed in 2000: Over and Under (Trailer Records) and the critically acclaimed Covenant, which won the Association for Independent Music’s award for Best Contemporary Folk Album of 2000. In 2001, Brown contributed his cover of "Pledging My Time" to A Nod To Bob- An Artist's Tribute To Bob Dylan. Also in 2001, Brown contributed to the family folk album Kids, Cars & Campfires.[24] A 2002 tribute album, Going Driftless: An Artist’s Tribute to Greg Brown featured guest vocal performances by Ani DiFranco, Gillian Welch, Shawn Colvin, and his three daughters.

In 2005 he contributed "'Cept You & Me Babe" to the Red House Artist Anthology album These Times We're Living In.[25] In 2006 he released The Evening Call, which Acoustic Guitar magazine described as "among Brown's finest work" and which was featured on an episode of NPR's On Point. A recording of another benefit concert was recorded and released in 2007 under the name Yellow Dog on the EarthWorks Music label. In 2007, Brown was nominated for a Folk Alliance Award. The same year, Brown covered "Blue Car" on Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown, to which his daughter Pieta Brown also contributed.[23] In 2009, Brown contributed his song "Coneville Slough" to Folk 'n' Right, A Red House Records Sampler.[22] In 2010, Brown played Hades on Hadestown, a concept album by Anaïs Mitchell. His most recent studio album, Hymns to What Is Left, was released in 2012.

Brown retired from touring in 2019, although he performed two times in 2023, stating they were his final shows. In 2022, Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers released an album covering Brown's work, entitled "Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown."[16] This would be the second cover album of Brown's work, further cementing him as "a man who many critics consider America’s greatest living troubadour," according to American Songwriter.[19]

In 2024 Brown released Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook, a collection of essays, photographs, and sheet music, to which Avett contributed the forward. Though he no longer tours, Brown continues to make the occasional public appearance, including a few readings from the songbook, which was published through Ramshackle Press.[14] Also in 2024, Brown made a contribution to Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney, covering "That's My Story."[21]

Personal life

Greg Brown has one daughter from his first marriage, Pieta Brown, two from his second marriage, Constance Brown and Zoe Brown, and two children with his current wife, a son,[13] and an adopted daughter from Russia: William Brown and Daria Chesnokva Victorona. Pieta Brown, Constance Brown, and Zoe Brown, all followed his musical path and are also musicians. Brown married singer-songwriter Iris DeMent in 2002, and they adopted their daughter in 2005. Throughout his life, Brown has felt a deep connection to rural life and nature and has shown this in his music. Brown retired after his last concert in 2023 and continues to enjoy learning about new music genres. [14]

Discography

• Hacklebarney (1974) (with Dick Pinney)
• 44 & 66 (1980)
• The Iowa Waltz (1981)
• One Night (1983)
• In the Dark with You (1985)
• Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1986)
• One More Goodnight Kiss (1988)
• One Big Town (1989)
• Down in There (1990)
• Dream Café (1992)
• Friend of Mine (1993) (with Bill Morrissey)
• Bathtub Blues (1993)
• The Poet Game (1994)
• The Live One (1995)
• Further In (1996)
• Slant 6 Mind (1997)
• Solid Heart (1999) (benefit CD)
• Over and Under (2000)
• Covenant (2000)
• Down in the Valley: Barn Aid Benefit Concert (2001)
• Milk of the Moon (2002)
• Live at the Black Sheep (2003)
• If I Had Known: Essential Recordings, 1980-96 (2003)
• Honey in the Lion's Head (2004)
• In the Hills of California (2004)
• The Evening Call (2006)
• Yellow Dog (2007)
• Live from the Big Top (2007)
• Dream City: Essential Recordings, 1997-2006 (2009)
• Freak Flag (2011)
• Hymns to What Is Left (2012)

Tribute albums

• Songs of Greg Brown (Prudence Johnson) (1991)
• Going Driftless: An Artist's Tribute to Greg Brown (Various artists) (2002)
• Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown (Seth Avett) (2022)

Featured on

• • Where Have All The Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger (1998)
  • A Nod To Bob- An Artist's Tribute to Bob Dylan (2001)
  • Kids, Cars & Campfires: A Collection of Family Folk Music (2001)
  • These Times We're Living In- A Red House Artist Anthology (2005)
  • Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown (2007)
  • Folk 'n' Right (2009)
  • Hadestown (Anaïs Mitchell) (2010)
  • Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney (2024)

References

1. Deming, Mark. "Greg Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
2. "Greg Brown". www.wbur.org. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
3. Aspen Times News interview. Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Accessed on April 22, 2008.
4. Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen (2002-11-24). "Industry Profile: Bob Feldman". CelebrityAccess. Retrieved 2006-04-08.
5. Greg Brown Tastes the Honey, Country Standard Time interview. Accessed December 5, 2008.
6. Rolling Stone review of Further In. Accessed December 5, 2008.
7. "Acoustic Guitar Central: Acoustic Music CD Reviews". 2011-05-20. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
8. Folk Alliance Award nominees for 2007 at About.com. Archived 2007-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Accessed December 5, 2008.
9. Red House Records' artists' page
10. "Greg Brown talks about his retrospective 'Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook'". The Current. 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
11. Demming, Mark. "Greg Brown Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
12. "Greg Brown." Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Encyclopedia.com. Accessed December 10, 2024.
13. "Greg Brown." Musician Biographies. Musician Guide. Accessed December 10, 2024.
14. "Greg Brown, Renowned Iowa Folk Artist, to Release Ring Around the Moon Songbook." Grateful Web. Accessed December 10, 2024.
15. "Greg Brown, Iowa's contribution to folk music mythology, reflects before retirement." Little Village. 2023-02-16.
16. "Seth Avett Details Greg Brown Tribute Album & Shares Single." Jambase. 2022-09-23.
17. "Forty Years After ‘The Iowa Waltz,’ Greg Brown’s Voice Rumbles Across Generations." No Depression. 2021-05-11.
18. "Greg Brown." Grammy
19. Greg Brown: The Iowa Waltz - Red House Records' 30th Anniversary Edition. American Songwriter. 2018-09-18.
20. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." AllMusic.
21. "Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney." New West Records.
22. ‎"Folk 'n' Right - a Red House Records Sample." Apple Music.
23. "Just One More: A Tribute To Larry Brown." Bloodshot Records.
24. "‎Kids, Cars & Campfires - A Collection of Family Folk Music." Apple Music.
25. "These Times We're Living In: A Red House Anthology." Discogs. 2005.

External links

• Greg Brown fan site
• Greg Brown at Red House Records