Dennis Brown

Dennis Emanuel Brown (February 1, 1957 – July 1, 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer, who pioneered the lovers rock style of reggae. Honoured with the title "Crown Prince of Reggae" by the great Bob Marley, Brown was regarded by many as reggae's greatest singer after Marley's.

His first recording was 'Lips of Wine' recorded for Derrick Harriott (The Musical Chariot) but this was not released initially. He then recorded for the legendary Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and it was Mr Dodd who released Dennis's first single 'No Man is an Island'. Dennis Brown recorded two albums for Mr Dodd, being 'No man is an Island' and 'If I follow my Heart', the title track of which was penned by another Jamaican singing legend, Alton Ellis. At about this time Dennis recorded further material for other producers such as Lloyd Daley the Matador ('Baby Don't do it' and 'Things in Life') and recorded more material for Derrick Hariott which eventually saw release as the excellent 'Super Reggae and Soul Hits' album.

He also worked for Earl Hayles and the "Charmaine" label (named after his Hayle's wife) early in his career. His first smash hit was "Money In My Pocket" on the Joe Gibbs label, and by the late 1970s, working for various producers, Brown had recorded and performed such reggae classics as "Sitting & Watching", "Wolves and Leopards" & "Revolution". As the dancehall era of the 1980s arrived, "Emmanuel" maintained his relevance within Jamaican music, and by the time of his death in 1999, had recorded over fifty albums.

Reggae journalist Penny Reel has written an excellent book on Dennis Brown called 'Deep Down with Dennis Brown'. With many interesting photos and images, the text is a fascinating chronological journey tracing Dennis Brown's career throughout the '70s, a period when he was enjoying massive success, both in Jamaica and abroad. The book is published by Drake Bros (ISBN 0954195906) and is essential reading for those interested in this much loved and greatly missed artist.

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