Brown's impact on the reggae community is almost immeasurable. He began singing at the age of nine, appearing on many tracks by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires in the mid 1960's. At the astoudingly young age of ten, Brown scored his first hit, produced by Clement Dodd, "No Man is an Island." Having recorded over 50 albums, Brown is creditted with some of the genre's most recognizable tunes, including "Cassandra," "Love and Hate," and the powerful "Promised Land," all which are easily accessible on the recent VP Records "Best of" collection, Love and Hate.
According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Brown became ill while touring Brazil in May with Gregory Isaacs, Max Romeo and Lloyd Parkes and We the People band. He was rushed to University Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica on June 30 and had died by the next morning at 7am. Though his initial cause of death was noted as respiratory failure, Joshua B reports that Brown actually died of AIDS-related pneumonia. Around the industry, it was allegedly known that Brown had contracted AIDS and was a frequent crack-cocaine user.
While those in the industry may have seen this sad day approaching, it certainly doesn't make it any easier to deal with. We've lost a significant number of artists to tragic deaths over the years, with three others in the last month-and-a-half. It's clear that their music, especially Brown's, will not be forgotten, and hopefully, their deaths will not be in vein. Others in the community that are leading similar lives or suffering in similar ways can learn from the deaths of Junjo, Braithwaite, Tosh, Marley, King Tubby, and now, Dennis Brown. Let's hope Dennis is on his way to "The Promised Land."
Selected Discography:
Love and Hate, VP Records
The Prime of Dennis Brown, Music Collection
Links:
Coverage in the Jamaica Gleaner:
http://dev.go-jamaica.com/gleaner/199907...
Joshua B's commentary:
http://www.niceup.com/misc/dennis_brown_...
Wonderful article by Howard Campbell:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/JamaicaOb...
Nice tribute to Dennis (add your own thoughts as well):
http://members.aol.com/UnityWebs/Forms/D...
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