Reggae singer Dennis Emmanuel Brown

by DRW
(Jamaica)

Reggae Singer Dennis Brown. Born Dennis Emmanuel Brown on February 1, 1957 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Dennis was also known as the Prince of reggae. Brown recorded and released more than seventy-five (75) studio albums.

His music can be classified as reggae lovers rock. He began his singing career at the age of nine, while still at junior school, with an end-of-term concert the first time he performed in public, although he had been keen on music from an even earlier age, and as a youngster was a keen fan of American balladeers such as Brook Benton, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin.

Brown said that his musical influence came from R&B singer Nat King Cole.

Before starting his solo career he was a member of a group call "The Fabulous Falcons" which also included Cynthia Richards, David "Scotty" Scott and Noel Brown.

In 1972 he got his big break when he was asked by Joe Gibbs to record an album for him, and one of the tracks recorded as a result, "Money in my Pocket", was a hit with UK reggae audiences and quickly became a favorite of reggae music lovers worldwide.

In the late 1990s, Brown's health began to deteriorate, with longstanding respiratory problems exacerbated by cocaine use leading to him being taken ill in May 1999, after touring in Brazil with other reggae singers, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

After returning to Kingston, Jamaica, on the evening of June 30, 1999, he was rushed to Kingston's University Hospital, suffering from cardiac arrest. Brown died the next day (July1, 1999), and the official cause of his death was a collapsed lung.

Reggae legend Bob Marley said that Brown was one of his favorite singer.

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