Joe Brown is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist from London, known for classic pop and rock, as well as rock and roll. Born Joseph Roger Brown in 1941, he begins performing in the late 1950s and becomes a UK recording star in the early 1960s.

Early career

Brown forms the Spacemen skiffle group in 1956, before skiffle fades out at the end of the 1950s. In 1958, television producer Jack Good spots him and hires him as lead guitarist in the orchestra for Boy Meets Girls. During this period he backs visiting American musicians including Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran on their UK tours. His family moves to London when he is two, and they run the Sultan public house in Plaistow.

Recording success and the Bruvvers

In the early 1960s, Brown signs to Decca Records and works with manager Larry Parnes. He charts with “The Darktown Strutters Ball” in 1960, then reaches the UK Top 10 on Piccadilly Records in 1962 and 1963 with “A Picture Of You”, “It Only Took A Minute” and “That’s What Love Will Do”. “Crazy Mixed Up Kid” is Piccadilly’s first single. His recording band is initially a studio line-up, given the name the Bruvvers by Jack Good, and the touring version becomes Joe Brown and the Bruvvers in 1962 with brothers Tony and Pete Oakman, both former Spacemen members.

Brown is voted Top UK Vocal Personality in an NME poll in 1962. His 1960s work, together with his hits, establishes him as a major British pop and rock-and-roll performer.

Stage, film and television work

Across the 1960s, Brown appears in films, pantomime and stage musicals. He stars in What a Crazy World, which premieres in London in 1963, and appears in the West End musical Charlie Girl between 1965 and 1968. He also presents the children’s television series Joe & Co on BBC Television and three series of The Joe Brown Show for ITV.

Brown later presents the daytime ITV quiz show Square One. The success of that programme leads to a pilot for The Price Is Right, though Leslie Crowther takes the full-time presenting role when the series launches. He also presents specialist rock and roll radio series for BBC Radio 2 and appears on West End stage alongside Dame Anna Neagle.

Later bands and collaborations

In 1972, Brown forms Brown’s Home Brew, a band playing rock and roll, country and gospel music. The group includes his wife Vicki Brown and Pete Oakman. This mix of styles becomes the basis of his live performances. He continues recording and touring for many years, often with a high number of live dates each year.

Brown works with George Harrison, appearing on two tracks on Gone Troppo and on one track on Brainwashed. Harrison is best man at Brown’s second marriage in 2000. After Harrison’s death, Brown performs at the Concert for George, singing “Here Comes the Sun”, “That’s The Way It Goes” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams”, and accompanying himself on ukulele for the last of these.

Recognition and later activity

Brown is appointed MBE in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to music. He also receives a Mojo lifetime award in 2009 for outstanding contribution to music after more than five decades of recording. His album More Of The Truth is part of his late-2000s output, and a gold compilation, Joe Brown - The Very Best Of, marks a 50th anniversary period. A concert at the Royal Albert Hall brings together Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland, Dennis Locorriere, Dave Edmunds, Sam Brown, Chas & Dave and others.

Brown remains active as a performer and occasionally appears on television. He also co-writes the musical Don’t You Rock Me Daddio with Roger Cook. His children include singer Sam Brown and record producer Pete Brown, who produces most of Brown’s later albums and tours with him. Sam Brown also plays ukulele and runs two ukulele orchestras.

Associated groups

Brown is linked with Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, George’s Band, and Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes.