Barry Brown

b. c.1962, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Brown’s first release was ‘Girl You’re Always On My Mind’ (produced by Bunny Lee) which had little impact. However, his militant roots-style vocals, similar to Linval Thompson, soon earned him international acclaim. In 1979 he had a hit with ‘Step It Up Youthman’, which led to an album of the same name. His success led to much Barry Brown material becoming available, including ‘Put Down Your Guns’, ‘We Can’t Live Like This’, ‘Big Big Pollution’, ‘Politician’ and ‘Conscious Girl’. By 1980 Brown’s vocals appeared on disco-mix releases with notable DJs including Jah Thomas (‘Jealous Lover’), Ranking Joe (‘Don’t Take No Steps’) and Ranking Toyan (‘Peace And Love’). Having worked with Linval Thompson on ‘Separation’ and Sugar Minott on ‘Things And Time’, Brown decided to go into self-production. His initial release, ‘Cool Pon Your Corner’, preceded an album that featured the classic ‘Jah Jah Fire’. In 1981, his self-produced ‘Problems Get You Down’ and ‘Physical Fitness’ were not successful. In 1983, he recorded at the legendary Studio One, resulting in the release of a 10-inch disco-mix, ‘Give Love’, and ‘Far East’. The tune revived interest in the singer and other releases followed, including ‘Dreadful Day’ and ‘Serious Man’. In 1984, Brown was riding on the wave of the current dance trend with ‘Belly Move’, accompanied by DJ Charlie Chaplin. Though he no longer set the charts ablaze, Brown continued to release high-quality tunes.