Brown, Greg

Description: Singer/Songwriter, folk-blues

Comparisons: Greg Brown's smooth, subtle poetics and honest no-frills instrumentation bring to mind great oldies like Woody Guthrie, Muddy Waters, and Leadbelly. At times his songs sound a little like Taj Mahal, while other times they're flat out political folk songs like Pete Seeger.

Trivia Fact: Greg Brown's own indie label Red House Records got its name because Greg was living in a red house at the time near Iowa City.

Starter CDs: One Night (Red House, 1983). The Poet Game (Red House, 1994). Further In (Red House, 1996). Covenant (Red House, 2000).

Greg Brown Biography: The sun of an electric guitar player and a holy roller preacher, Greg Brown grew up in the Hacklebarney section of Iowa. His grandfather was a banjo player, and Greg was exposed from a very early age to all kinds of gospel and Americana music.

When he was 18, he moved to New York City and began running hootenannies at the legendary Gerdes Folk City. A year after that, he headed out to Los Angeles, where he became a songwriter for Buck Ram.

After his time in L.A., he spent a few years touring with various bands before returning to Iowa to forge his way through the singer/songwriter circuit and a slue of coffeehouse gigs.

Since his debut as a solo artist in 1980, Greg has released two dozen albums, including Friend of Mine (1993), which was a combined effort with singer/songwriter Bill Morrissey. He has become a fixture and a favorite at all the major folk festivals, and has received honors from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors (NAIRD).

In 1997, he was nominated for a Grammy for his album Slant 6 Mind (Red House). Still based in Iowa, Brown continues to write, release records, and tour nationally each year.