Junior Brown
 |
Junior Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown with his guit-steel at Antone's inAustin, Texas,2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jamieson Brown |
| Born | June 12, 1952 Cottonwood, Arizona,US[1] |
| Genres | Texas country,neotraditional country,outlaw country,country rock,americana,ameripolitan,western swing,honky-tonk,rockabilly,rock and roll,surf rock,boogie-woogie |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, actor |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Labels | Curb,Telarc |
| Website | juniorbrown |
Jamieson "Junior" Brown(born June 12, 1952)[2]is an Americancountryguitarist and singer. He has released twelve studio albums in his career, and has charted twice on theBillboardcountry singles charts.Brown's signature instrument is the "guit-steel"double neck guitar,a hybrid of electric guitar andlap steel guitar.
Life and career[edit]
Brown was born inCottonwood, Arizona;at an early age his family moved toKirksville, Indiana.[1][3]He first learned to play piano from his father (Samuel Emmons Brown Jr.) "before I could talk". His music career began in the 1960s, and he worked through that decade and the next singing and playing pedal steel and guitar for groups such as The Last Mile Ramblers, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters, Billy Spears andAsleep at the Wheelwhile developing his guitar skills.[citation needed]In the early 1980s, he appeared on stage withRank and Fileas the replacement forAlejandro Escovedo.However, he did not feature on any recordings by that band.[citation needed]
By the mid-1980s, Brown was teaching guitar at theHank ThompsonSchool of Country Music atRogers State University,inClaremore, Oklahoma.
In 1985, Brown created a new type ofdouble-neck guitar,with some assistance from Michael Stevens.[4][5]Brown called the instrument his "guit-steel". When performing, Brown plays the guitar by standing behind it, while it rests on a smallmusic stand.The top neck on the guit-steel is a traditional six-string guitar, while the lower neck is a full-sizelap steel guitarfor slide playing. Brown has two guit-steels for recording and live work. The original instrument, dubbed "Old Yeller", has as its standard six-string guitar portion the neck and pickups from Brown's previous stage guitar, aFender Bullet.The second guit-steel, named "Big Red", has a neck laser-copied from the Bullet neck; but in addition to electric guitar pickups, both the standard and lap-steel necks use identicalSho-Budlap-steel pickups. There is a pocket in the upper bout of the guitar to hold the slide bar when it is not in use. Brown also commissioned a "pedal guit-steel" which adds pedals to the instrument for more musical control.[6]Brown has stated that the invention of the guit-steel was always a matter of convenience so that he could play both lap steel and lead guitar during live performances and not directly motivated by a desire to be a "one man band".[6]
Brown quickly became a local success inAustin, Texas,as the house band at the Continental Club. His debut album was12 Shades of Brown(1990), released by the BritishDemon Records;it was re-released in 1993 onCurb Recordsin the United States, followed byGuit with It.In 1996, Brown releasedSemi Crazy,and followed it withLong Walk Back(1998).
In 1996, Brown was featured on theBeach Boys' now out-of-print albumStars and Stripes Vol. 1performing a cover of their 1962 hit "409". The song features Brown playing guitar and singing lead with the Beach Boys singing harmonies and backing vocals.[citation needed]
Brown appeared in the music video for "Honky Tonk Song" byGeorge Jonesin 1996 and also won the CMA Country Music Video of the Year award that year for his video, "My Wife Thinks You're Dead", which featured 6-foot-7-inch Gwendolyn Gillingham.[7]Brown played a cameo part in "Drive",the second episode of season six ofThe X-Files.Brown's music has been showcased on various television series and movie soundtracks, includingMe, Myself & Irene,SpongeBob SquarePantsand the 2005Dukes of Hazzardremake, in which he also played the narrator.[citation needed]
Although Brown plays suchneotraditional countrystyles ashonky-tonk,Western swing,etc., some of his performances will finish with somebluesandTex-Mextunes playing as well assurf rockinstrumentals.[citation needed]
Beginning in August 2006, Brown joinedWebb Wilder's tour of American minor league baseball stadiums. He reprised his role in an episode ( "World of Hurt, BC" ) ofAdult Swim'sXavier: Renegade Angelcreated by rock bandPFFR.In April 2008, Brown shot three pilot episodes of a country music program modeled after programs from the early 1960s, in which Brown will play with ahouse bandas well as guests as host of the show.[8]On October 12, 2012, Brown released the EPVolume 10,containing six new songs.
AMC previewed the video of his new song "Better Call Saul",on October 5, 2014.[9]On May 24, 2018, Brown released his 11th album,Deep in the Heart Of Me.
On May 27, 2020,Rolling Stonemagazine's listing of 50 Country Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own, honored Brown’s US released album,12 Shades of Brown(Curb Records, 1993).[citation needed]
In May 2020, Brown and his wife began hosting a series of live Facebook concerts under the name, "The Junior & Tanya Rae Brown Show".[citation needed]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat | ||
| 1974 | The Last Mile Ramblers – While They Last! | — | — |
| 1990 | 12 Shades of Brown(original Demon Records release) | — | — |
| 1993 | 12 Shades of Brown(Curb Records reissue) | — | — |
| 1993 | Guit with It | — | — |
| 1995 | Junior High(EP) | 48 | 26 |
| 1996 | Semi Crazy | 32 | 19 |
| 1998 | Long Walk Back | 34 | 19 |
| 2001 | Mixed Bag | 52 | — |
| 2004 | Down Home Chrome | 73 | — |
| 2005 | Greatest Hits | — | — |
| 2005 | Live at the Continental Club: The Austin Experience | — | — |
| 2012 | Volume Ten | — | — |
| 2018 | Deep In The Heart Of Me | — | — |
| 2021 | His & Hers | ||
| 2024 | The American Original | ||
Singles[edit]
| Year | Title | US Country[10] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Highway Patrol" | 73 | Guit with It |
| 1995 | "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" | 68 | Junior High |
| 1996 | "Venom Wearin' Denim" | — | Semi Crazy |
| "I Hung It Up" | — | ||
| 1997 | "Gotta Sell Them Chickens"(w/Hank Thompson) | — | Real Thing(Hank Thompson album) |
Music videos[edit]
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Highway Patrol" | Roger Pistole |
| 1995 | "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" | Michael McNamara |
| "Sugarfoot Rag" | Roger Pistole | |
| 1996 | "Venom Wearin' Denim" | Michael McNamara |
| "I Hung It Up" | ||
| "409" | ||
| 1997 | "Gotta Sell Them Chickens"(w/Hank Thompson) | Jim Gerik |
Awards and nominations[edit]
Grammy Awards[edit]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Junior High | Best Country Album | Nominated |
| 1997 | "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" | Best Male Country Vocal Performance | |
| Best Country Song |
Academy of Country Music Awards[edit]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" | Video of the Year | Nominated |
Country Music Association Awards[edit]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" | Video of the Year | Won |
References[edit]
- ^ab"JR Brown (GuitSteel & Vocals)".Juniorbrown.com. Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2013.RetrievedNovember 4,2015.
- ^"Today in history".ABC News.Associated Press.June 12, 2014.
- ^"CMT.com: Junior Brown: Biography".February 27, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2009.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
- ^"Guit-Steel".Stevensguitars.com.April 3, 2009.RetrievedMarch 7,2023.
- ^"Those Daring Young Men and Their Doubleneck Guitars: A Brief History of Multi-Neck Players - Premier Guitar".Premierguitar.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2023.
- ^abPowers, Calvin (November 26, 2012)."Junior Brown - Interview and Music".Americanmusicshow.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2023.
- ^"The Return of Junior Brown".Country Music Television News. October 1, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon November 29, 2018.
- ^"Off the Record – Music".The Austin Chronicle.RetrievedJune 12,2011.
- ^Shetty, Sharan (October 5, 2014)."The Better Call Saul Music Video Is a Great Advertisement, but a Better Song".Slate.RetrievedAugust 14,2016.
- ^Whitburn, Joel (2008).Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008.Record Research, Inc. p. 65.ISBN978-0-89820-177-2.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1952 births
- Living people
- People from Yavapai County, Arizona
- American country guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American country singer-songwriters
- American male singer-songwriters
- Curb Records artists
- Steel guitarists
- Country musicians from Indiana
- Guitarists from Arizona
- Guitarists from Indiana
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Country musicians from Arizona
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Singer-songwriters from Arizona
- Singer-songwriters from Indiana