- Roy Brown (Puerto Rican musician)
Infobox musical artist |
Name = Roy Brown
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Roy Brown Ramírez
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Born = 1945
Died =
Origin =Puerto Rico
Instrument =vocals ,guitar
Genre =Folk music
Occupation = singer, guitarist
Years_active = 1960-present
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URL = [http://www.roybrown.com www.roybrown.com]Roy Brown Ramírez (born July 18, 1945) is a
composer ,singer and a fervent believer in the cause for the independence ofPuerto Rico . [Liner notes of "Basta ya Revolucion" (Disco Libre)] Some of his songs have been performed by several renowned international artists.Early years
Brown was born in
Orlando, Florida , the son of an American naval officer and his Puerto Rican wife. Brown was raised during turbulent times in theUnited States . Among the important issues of those days wereracism , theCivil Rights Movement and theVietnam War . Most of these events went on to form an important part in his ideals and his way of thinking. [http://www.frugalfun.com/roybrown.html Roy Brown,Extraordinary Musician from Puerto Rico] ]In the late 60's, Brown enrolled in the
University of Puerto Rico . He enjoyed writingpoem s and while he was a student, he became actively involved in groups against the Vietnam War, poor living conditions, and specially in favor of the independence movement of Puerto Rico. Brown was also involved in the student disturbances which spread throughout the university, by participating in the protest and picket lines. [http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/index.php/artists/roy_brown/ Music of Puerto Rico] ]First Recordings
During this period he recorded two albums, "Yo Protesto" (1970) (I Protest); and "Basta Ya, Revolucion". During that decade he also recorded: "Roy Brown III"; "Profecia de
Urayoán " (Prophecy of Urayoán); and "Distancias" (Distances). Brown's personal life started to suffer because of his political beliefs. He got into trouble with the police, his father and brother didn't want anything to do with him and he was fired from his job in the university. His mother was also dying.In the late 70's, Brown moved to
New York and formed a group called "Aires Bucaneros", with fellow musiciansZoraida Santiago , Carl Royce, Pablo Nieves, andRucco Gandía , among others. The group traveled and performed in many countries such asGreece ,Germany ,Spain ,Mexico ,Ecuador ,Cuba , theNetherlands ,Nicaragua ,Costa Rica , etc. He recorded "Aires Bucaneros" (1978); "Casi Alba" (1980); "Nuyol" (1983); "Arboles" (Trees) (1988) and "Balada de Otro Tiempo" (1989) (Ballad of Another Time). "Arboles" was produced bySilvio Rodríguez , inCuba .Return To Puerto Rico
In 1988, Brown returned to Puerto Rico and held a concert at the University of Puerto Rico which completely sold out. The first time he held a concert alone at the same place in the 1970s, only thirteen people showed up.
Among Brown's recordings in the 1990s were: "Distancias en Vivo" (1990) (Distances Live); "Poetas Puertorriqueños" (1991) (Puerto Rican Poets); "Nocturno" (1991) (Nightfall); "En Fuga" (1995) (Fleeing); In 1996, he released a two-disc album called "Coleccion" (1996) (Collection); It contains the best of his musical trajectory through the Puerto Rican music scene. In 1997, Silvio Rodríguez visited Puerto Rico and held a concert with Brown at the
Hiram Bithorn Stadium , with an audience of 19,000 people.Later Years
In 2000 he reunited with his "Aires Bucaneros" partner,
Zoraida Santiago . Together they released the album, "Bohemia". Showing signs of musical growth, Roy continued to release quality albums in the late 90's and early 2000s with "Poeta en San Juan" (1999) (Poet in San Juan); "Noche de Roy Brown" (1999) (Roy Brown's Night); "Album" (2000) and "Balcon del Fin del Mundo" (2004) (Balcony at the end of World).On
June 7 ,2003 , Brown let "WPKN" FM ofBridgeport, Connecticut , record his set in the historic "Plaza de la Revolucion" inLares, Puerto Rico . "WPKN" also recorded Roy's "Ofelia" live from the Nuyorican Cafe inOld San Juan . OnFebruary 8 ,2004 , Brown held a concert in theAntonio Paoli Hall at theLuis A. Ferre Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan to celebrate his 35 years of music trajectory and the shows were all sold-out. Brown performs regularly in the Claridad festival, honors Claridad, a Puerto Rican newspaper which advocates independence. [http://www.quevayabien.com/English1.htm Que Vaya Bien] ]Joan Manuel Serrat ,Susana Baca ,Fiel a la Vega ,Cultura Profética ,Celia Cruz andLucecita Benitez are among the many artists that have recorded songs written by Roy.In 2006 Brown recorded an album, titled "Que Vaya Bien", with
Tao Rodríguez-Seeger fromThe Mammals andTito Auger , the frontman for Puerto Rican rock groupFiel A La Vega . A single from this record, "El Banquete de Los Sánchez" (whose lyrics were based on an essay by Puerto Rican writerLuis Rafael Sanchez ), was censored by some Puerto Rican radio stations due to the use of the slang term "chicho" (alove handle in Puerto Rican Spanish, but erroneously interpreted in this case as a verb tense for the slang term forsexual intercourse , "chichar"). Public backlash against the censorship attempt guaranteed radio airplay and good sales for the record (reportedly 30,000 copies in two months) during late 2006.After marrying Puerto Rican former tennis player Emily Viqueira, Brown moved to
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (Viqueira's birthplace), where he currently resides.Discography
* "Yo Protesto" (1969)
* "Aires Bucaneros" (1978)
* "Profecía de Urayoán" (1979)
* "Nuyol" (1983)
* "Arboles" (1988)
* "Balada de Otro Tiempo" (1989)
* "Distancias en Vivo" (1990)
* "Nocturno" (1991)
* "Poetas Puertorriqueños" (1991)
* "Aires Bucaneros/Casi Alba" (1993)
* "En Fuga" (1994)
* "Colección" (1996)
* "Poeta en San Juan" (1998)
* "Distancias Clásico" (1999)
* "La Noche de Roy Brown" (1999)
* "Album (music)|Album" (2000)
* "Balcón del Fin del Mundo" (2004)
* "Que Vaya Bien" (2006)See also
*
List of famous Puerto Ricans References
External links
* [http://www.roybrown.com/ Roy Brown Official Site]
* [http://www.quevayabien.com Que Vaya Bien Official Site]
* [http://www.musicaboricua.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?LNG=en-US&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=RoyBrown Discography online]
* [http://trapiche.com/roy_brown.htm Concierto En El Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico, 1976]
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