Sam Brown (born Samantha Brown, 7 October 1964, Stratford,
London, England),
is the daughter
of the rock and roll star, Joe Brown and singer Vicki
Brown. She is an English
female singer-songwriter best known for
her work in the late 1980s,
although she has continued to release material since then.
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Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Discography
- 2.1 Solo
albums
- 2.2 With
Homespun
- 2.3 Singles
- 3 Album
titles
- 4 References
- 5 External
links
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Career
Brown is known for her expressive vocal
style, and the ability to transcend musical styles easily. Her
best-known song
was "Stop!", released in 1988; she
released an album
by the same name that year. Other singles taken from this album
included "Walking Back To Me" and "This Feeling". The album Stop!
sold over two million copies worldwide, doing particularly well in the UK
and Australia.
In 1990, Sam released her second album April Moon,
containing two hit singles, "With A Little Love" and
"Kissing Gate" and showed progression in both musical style and songwriting.
Three further singles were lifted from the album; "Mindworks", "Once in
Your Life" and "As One".
Brown has been quoted as saying during the time since this
initial success, that she came to realise that she has no interest in
being a "star", and prefers instead to create music that holds
meaning for both her and her audience.
This substance over style approach, although hinted at in her first two
albums, is much more evident in her output since this time. Brown was
not willing to compromise, or be pushed around by executives
at record companies, as the next
chapter in her career would prove without doubt.
Brown's third album, 43 Minutes,
is a dark, obviously deeply personal and emotional work which was
written and recorded around the
time that her mother was dying from cancer. This record
is not instantly accessible, but with repeated listening reveals great
maturity and depth of interpretation of the dark subject matter. Song
titles such as "Fear of Life", "Letting Go" and "Into The Night" give a
clue to the direction of the album. A&M, Brown's record
label at the time were not happy with the album and wanted some
potential hit singles recorded and added to the
tracklist. Brown however was not willing to compromise and after a
protracted battle, she bought back the masters of the album and
released it on her own label Pod Music. Very few copies were produced,
making it instantly collectible (and almost impossible to find),
although it was reissued in 2004 (again via Pod Music).
In 1995, Sam had a minor chart hit in a duet
with Fish, entitled "Just Good
Friends".
In 1997, she returned again with Box,
released via the independent music label Demon
Records, and showing further growth as both a musician and
songwriter. Tracks on this album include "Embrace The Darkness",
"Whisper" and "I Forgive You" which was co-written with Maria
McKee. McKee's version of the song appeared on her album, You Gotta Sin to Get Saved.
2000 saw the release of ReBoot and a
return to more accessible lyrics, coupled with strong musical
compositions and a strong musical direction. This album was released
via another independent label Mud Hut Records, and a single "In Light
Of All That's Gone Before" was also issued. Standout tracks on this
album include the lead single, "Understand The Animal", "Breathe In
Life", "Blood Run Cold" and "Rainbow".
As well as her solo career, she has had a successful career as
a backing
singer and collaborating with other artists. She has worked with David
Gilmour and Pink Floyd, Deep
Purple (Live at Albert Hall 1999), George
Harrison, Nick Cave and many others; and often
appears as a member of Jools Holland's band.
Brown first gained recognition in the U.S.
as backing vocalist on Pink Floyd's 1994 The
Division Bell album and world tour (documented
on the live album and concert video P*U*L*S*E), backing vocals on David
Gilmour In Concert (2002), and achieved further prominence
via her 2002 performance in the Concert
For George tribute show (singing "Horse To The Water").
Jamelia's
recording of "Stop" is a cover
version of the Sam Brown song, and was used in the movie, Bridget
Jones: The Edge of Reason.
In 2003 she teamed up with Dave
Rotheray of the British band The Beautiful South to
form the "side-project", Homespun. The band have so far released two
albums, on independent labels Classic Records and Musicvision.
In late 2006 she undertook an extensive UK tour as special
guest of her father Joe Brown. The shows
also included appearances by her brother Pete Brown.
Discography
Solo albums
- Stop! (1988)
- April Moon (1990)
- 43 Minutes (1992)
- Box (1997)
- Reboot (2000)
- Ukulele and Voice (ep - 2005)
- The Very Best of Sam Brown
(2006)
With Homespun
- Homespun (Classic Records) (2003)
- Effortless Cool (Musicvision) (2005)
Singles
| Year |
Song |
United
Kingdom |
Australia |
U.S. |
Album |
| 1988 |
"Walking Back To Me" |
— |
— |
— |
Stop! |
| 1988 |
"Stop!" |
52 |
— |
— |
Stop! |
| 1988 |
"This Feeling" |
91 |
— |
— |
Stop! |
| 1989 |
"Stop! (re-release)" |
4 |
4 |
65 |
Stop! |
| 1989 |
"Can I Get A Witness?" |
15 |
17 |
— |
Stop! |
| 1990 |
"With A Little Love" |
44 |
27 |
— |
April Moon |
| 1990 |
"Kissing Gate" |
23 |
60 |
— |
April Moon |
| 1990 |
"Mindworks" |
77 |
— |
— |
April Moon |
| 1993 |
"Fear Of Life" |
— |
— |
— |
43 Minutes |
| 1995 |
"Just Good Friends" |
63 |
— |
— |
Yin (Fish
album) |
| 1997 |
"I Forgive You" |
— |
— |
— |
Box |
| 2000 |
"In Light Of All That's Gone Before" |
— |
— |
— |
Reboot |
Album titles
The titles of Brown's solo albums so far have partly spelt out
her name:
- Stop!
- April Moon
- (43) Minutes
- Box
- Reboot
Brown claimed she was unaware of the pattern, but once it was
brought to her attention she vowed to continue the trend, asking fans
to submit suggestions for the next title beginning with 'O'. Of
The Moment is scheduled to be released in late 2007; its
title was suggested by a fan, via Brown's website.
References
-
External links
