Gregg Kofi Brown

Gregg Kofi Brown

Gregg Kofi Brown is a singer, musician and songwriter associated with smooth jazz, funk and African music. He is a member of Osibisa, the African band he joins for more than 22 years, and he travels internationally promoting the music of Ghana. He also works as an actor and singer in theatre.

Solo work

His first solo album, Together as One, combines African and jazz influences. It features guest appearances from Sting, Stanley Jordan, Gabrielle, Des’ree and Billy Cobham, and uses conscience-led lyrics and afro-rhythms across a multi-national musical setting. The album is produced by NBM in Milan, the label associated with Novecento.

Collaborations and projects

Brown serves as featured vocalist and songwriter on Billy Cobham’s Sony album Drum N’ Voice, and he writes and performs on Stanley Jordan’s Dreams of Peace. He also works with a range of African and Caribbean artists, including Youssou Ndour, George Lee, Marta Ulaeto, Abdel Kabir, Ekome, Chaka Demus & Pliers and Benjamin Zephaniah. Outside recording, he is executive producer of the 2003 Evening Standard cover-mount CD made in memory of Damilola Taylor, which includes tracks by Robbie Williams, Craig David, Gorillaz, Blue and Ms Dynamite.

Stage and screen

Brown appears in several London West End musicals, including Tommy, The Blues Brothers and The Buddy Holly Story. He also portrays Jellyroll Morton at the Royal Court Theatre. In 1997, he is invited by David Sonenberg to document and film Lauryn Hill’s fact-finding trip to East Africa, a project linked to The Refugee Project and concerns in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. During that visit, Brown and Hill perform together several times.

Live performances

In 1998, Gregg Kofi Brown and Osibisa take part in a peace concert on the Asian music television programme Sarigama alongside Jagdit Singh, Farida Khan Banu, Golam Ali and Runa Laila. The broadcast reaches a large international audience and supports peace between India and Pakistan.