Ian Brown biography
Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963 in Warrington) is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses, which broke up in 1996 but are confirmed to reunite in 2012. Since the break-up of the Stone Roses he has led a successful solo career. His latest studio album My Way was released on 28 September 2009.
Biography
Early life
Brown was born in Warrington, England in 1963. His father, George, was a joiner and his mother Jean worked as a receptionist in a paper factory. He was educated at Park Road County Primary Infant and Junior School and then Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. Brown and original Stone Roses bassist Pete Garner attended the recording of the Clash single "Bankrobber" in Manchester.
Stone Roses
Brown's music career began in 1980, playing bass guitar in band with John Squire and Simon Wolstencroft. They eventually became The Patrol, with Andy Couzens on vocals. The band soon split up, with Brown selling his bass to buy a scooter. Brown moved to Hulme, and attended northern soul "all-nighters" across the north of England in the early 1980s as the scene faded. Around this time, Brown met soul legend Geno Washington, who told him, "You should be a star".
In 1983 Brown joined The Waterfront, the band that would evolve into The Stone Roses, as co-vocalist.
The Stone Roses rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their debut album voted the best British album of all time in 2004. The band's second album, Second Coming, received a mixed reaction, and after several changes of line-up, the band split up in October 1996.
On 17 October 2011, Brown alluded to a Stone Roses reunion via text message, saying: "We are going to rule the world again. It's happening." On the following day, a reunion was announced for the band with performances planned for June 2012 in Manchester. In a press conference interview, the members of the Stone Roses have said that a new album is planned.
On 2 December 2011 Ian Brown and John Squire performed together live for the first time since 1995. They joined Mick Jones from The Clash, The Farm and Pete Wylie at the Manchester Ritz in in aid of the Justice for Hillsborough campaign. They performed "Elizabeth My Dear" as a duo before being joined by Mick Jones and The Farm for renditions of the Clash's "Bankrobber" and "Armagideon Time" with Ian Brown taking on lead vocals for the three songs.
Solo career
After a break from music in Morocco, Brown established his solo career with the debut solo single "My Star", which was released in the UK on 12 January 1998. The debut album
Unfinished Monkey Business followed on 2 February 1998. The album was produced and financed by Brown, and featured ex-Roses members Mani, Nigel Ipinson, Aziz Ibrahim and Robbie Maddix. The album sold over 300,000 copies.
Brown toured in Summer 1998 with a band that included Ibrahim, Inder Mathura (percussion), Simon Moore (drums), and Sylvan Richardson (bass), including performances at the Glastonbury Festival and the V Festival. Brown was arrested after a flight back from his live show in Paris, and later sentenced to four months in prison for using threatening behaviour towards an airline stewardess and captain, a charge which he denied, causing his tour to be rescheduled. His bandmate Aziz Ibrahim condemned the sentence, saying that Brown was "just being cheeky". While in Strangeways Prison, Brown wrote the lyrics for "Free My Way", "So Many Soldiers", and "Set My Baby Free". He was released on parole after two months.
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