Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Dennis Brown - The Crown Prince of Reggae

Dennis Emmanuel Brown (born February 1, 1957 - died July 1, 1999) was one of Jamaican music's greatest voices. He began his career in music in the late 1960's at the age of 11 and was prolific in all the various sub-genres of reggae from roots to digital dancehall. Bob Marley often named Dennis Brown as his favorite singer and in turn dubbed him "The Crown Prince of Reggae" so the legend says.

There has been a multitude of biographies on his immense career and the tangled web of producers and releases throughout his lifetime and they explore the topic with a lot more space and time than I have to offer.

What I'm offering is a 15 track sampling of some of my favorite Dennis Brown tunes for your listening pleasure...

1. Concentration - Riding The Roots Chariot - Pressure Sounds CD - 1998
2. Wolf & Leopard w/No Conscience - Trojan 12" Box Set - Trojan CD - 2003
3. Moving Away - Musical Heatwave - Trojan CD - 1993
4. Equal Rights Style w/Big Youth - Joe Gibbs 12"
5. Don't You Cry - G.G.'s Reggae Hit Stable Vol. 1 CD - Jamaican Gold CD - 1998
6. Look What You're Doing - King Tubby Meets The Reggae Masters - Charm CD - 2001
7. He Ain't Heavy - Studio 1 7"
8. A True w/Dhaima - Joe Gibbs Revive 45's Vol. 1 - Rocky One CD
9. Let Love In - Phil Pratt Thing - Pressure Sounds CD - 1999
10. Westbound Train - Niney & Friends: Blood & Fire Set - Trojan CD - 2005
11. No More Will I Roam - Musical Heatwave - Trojan CD - 1993
12. Sitting And Watching - Spellbound - Joe Gibbs LP - 1980
13. Foundation - Stagecoach Showcase - Yvonne's LP - 1982
14. Money In My Pocket/Cool Running w/Prince Mohammed - The Mighty Two CD - Heartbeat CD - 1992
15. I Like It Like That - Stagecoach Showcase - Yvonne's LP - 1982

Enjoy!

4 comments:

masterofceremonies said...

What, no "Lips of Wine"? That song, off one of the Trojan compilations, is practically what got me into old school reggae in the first place. Great track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ekQ-YMaFI

As always, you are a right badass.

John AKA Reggaexx said...

Oh believe me... I didn't forget Lips Of Wine - I could compile a 6 hour mix of Dennis' greatest tunes - this was just a small sampling!

Anonymous said...

Darn, neglected DJS for too long ... lol

Nuff niceness since I last visit!

Thanks for the works!

Blessings & greetings from Amsterdam.

Ras*Israel

Raggedy said...

Hey! Great comp. I love it ... And I agree with (masterofceremonies) that "Lips of Wine" should have been included (and prob. several others, too.) But -- one has to draw a line somewhere or else the list would never end.