For the Canadian radio broadcaster, see Ian Brown (journalist).

Ian Brown (born February 20, 1963) is a solo musician and former lead singer of The Stone Roses, a popular British indie-rock band. After the Roses broke up in 1996, Brown has released 4 solo albums and achieved moderate success in his native country. He has appeared on several club tours and has performed at the Glastonbury festival twice since 1998.

Nicknamed "King Monkey" by Dodgy's Matthew Priest, Brown is noted for his wispy singing style. He is not the most technically sound singer and some critics have compared his delivery to "a man shouting into a bucket".

In his solo career, Brown has worked with many notable musicians including UNKLE and Oasis' Noel Gallagher. Previously, he acted as a mentor to the up-and-coming British band, South.

Brown recently appeared in a cameo role in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The singer became good friends with the movie's director Alfonso Cuarón, who has personally promised to direct one of Brown's future music videos.

In 2002, Q magazine named Ian Brown in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die", although this was part of a sub-list of "5 Bands That Could Go Either Way".

Brown has had several run-ins with the law. In 1998, he was sentenced to 4 months in jail for air rage, after threatening a pilot and stewardess on a flight. In 2005, he was arrested for assault during a San Francisco gig, but no charges were laid.

Discography

Chart positions listed are for the UK, he has not charted in the US.

Albums

Chart positions for the United Kingdom.

1. Unfinished Monkey Business (1998) #4

2. Golden Greats (1999) #14

3. Music Of The Spheres (2001) #3

4. Solarized (2004) #7

Remixes

• Remixes Of The Spheres (2002)

Singles

• "My Star" (1998) #5
• "Corpses" (1998) #14
• "Can't See Me" (1998) #21
• "Be There (UNKLE feat. Ian Brown)" (1999) #8
• "Love Like A Fountain" (1999) #23
• "Dolphins Were Monkeys" (2000) #5
• "Golden Gaze" (2000) #29
• "Thriller/Billie Jean" (2000)
• "F.E.A.R." (2001) #13
• "Whispers" (2002) #33
• "Keep What Ya Got" (2004) #18
• "Reign (UNKLE feat. Ian Brown)" (2004) #40
• "Time Is My Everything" (2005) #15

Sound samples

• IanBrownRedemptionSong.ogg of Brown covering Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"

External links

• Official site
• This Is The Daybreak (Ian Brown section)
• Ian Brown Online Fansite