Other legend to give much respect his song gave me a lot of strength ! The Crown Prince of Reggae! Dennis Emmanuel Brown,
Born in February 1, 1957 in Kingston Jamaica, he started his career of singing at th e age of 9 performing at school, but his first recording was at the age 12 in Studio One the single was "No Man is an Island"and was out in 1969 ( Although there was one before that wasn't released ) the single had a steady airplay at that time in Jamaica and I still listen to it a lot LOL. Brown did some back vocal for Alton Ellis in his Album "Sunday coming". Alton Ellis had a small influence in Brown, Ellis advised him to learn playing guitar to help him with his song writing and Ellis teach him the basics. He had two album released in Studio One, but he left studio one after being there for one and a half year the reason well I still haven't found out that yet.
His International hit was "Money in my Pocket" was produced by Joe Gibbs in 1972. The song was a big hit in the UK and became a favorite of his live performances. This original version of "Money in my Pocket" was in fact produced by Winston "Niney" Holness on behalf of Gibbs, with musical backing from the Soul Syndicate. In the same year, Brown performed as part of a Christmas morning showcase in Toronto, Canada, along with Delroy Wilson, Scotty, Errol Dunkley, and the Fabulous Flames, where he was billed as the "Boy Wonder of Jamaica" and was considered the star of the show in a local newspaper review.
The song's popularity in the UK was further cemented with the release a deejay version, "A-So We Stay (Money in Hand)", credited to Big Youth and Dennis Brown, which outsold the original single and topped the Jamaican singles chart. Brown and Holness became close, even sharing a house in Pembroke Hall. Brown followed this with another collaboration with Holness on "Westbound Train", which was the biggest Jamaican hit of summer 1973, and Brown's star status was confirmed when he was voted Jamaica's top male vocalist in a poll by Swing magazine the same year. Brown followed this success with "Cassandra" and "No More Will I Roam", and tracks such as "Africa" and "Love Jah", displaying Brown's Rastafari beliefs, became staples on London's sound system scene. In 1973, Brown was hospitalized due to fatigue caused by overwork, although at the time rumours spread that he only had one lung and had only a week to live, or had contracted tuberculosis. He was advised to take an extended break from performing and concentrated instead on his college studies.
Brown went back to music and on tour in the UK in summer 1974, After going back and forth from Jamaica to the UK he decide to move in the UK in 1978. He worked with alot of artists and he was in the UK when the boom of the Dancehall Era in the 1980s and as you all may know he was quite an influential in the dancehall era.
In the 1990's his health was deteriorating, after his tour in Brazil on May 1999 he returned to Jamaica. In June 30, 1999 He was rushed in the hospital and was diagnosed with Pneumonia, He died in July 1, 1999 rumor has it that his cocaine habit was a contributing factor to his death.
His Legacy will live on and In 2001, a charitable trust was set up in Brown's name by his wife and 13 children. The Dennis Emanuel Brown Trust works to educate youngsters, maintain and advance the memory of Dennis Brown, and help to provide youngsters with musical instruments. The trust awards the Dennis Emanuel Brown (DEB) bursary for educational achievement each year to students between the ages of 10-12 years.
The Crown Prince of Reggae as he was commonly called has left us with a vast repertoire of songs which will continue to satisfy the hearts and minds of many people and for generations to come.
Click on the two enlarged words at the bottom to get some of his tunes:
No man is an Island
Dennis Brown
Music Genre: Reggae
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