Greg Brown

Gregory Dane Brown (born July 2, 1949) is an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Iowa.

Early life Brown was born into a musical family, and his father was a Pentecostal minister. He grew up in the Hacklebarney region of southwestern Iowa, which he describes as "hill country." Brown spent several years traveling with a band before returning to Iowa, where he performed live and pursued his songwriting career.

Career

During the 1980s Brown toured and had recurring performances on A Prairie Home Companion. In 1986, he released an album called Songs of Innocence and of Experience based on poems by William Blake. His album One Big Town (1989) won an Indie Award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and marked the beginning of Brown's long collaboration with Iowa guitarist Bo Ramsey.

The Poet Game (1994), his tenth studio album, saw significant international radio play (charting on AAA and topping The Gavin Report'''s Americana chart), and received a NAIRD Indie award for singer-songwriter Album of the Year.

His 1996 album Further In received a four-star review from Rolling Stone, which described it as "a contemplative gem" and a "masterwork". Brown's 1997 release Slant 6 Mind earned him a second Grammy nomination. and which was featured on an episode of NPR's On Point.

In 2024 he released Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook, a collection of essays, photographs, and sheet music. Brown married singer-songwriter Iris DeMent in November 2002. In 2005, he and his wife adopted a daughter from Russia, Daria Chesnokova Victorona (Dasha Brown).

Discography Hacklebarney (1974) (with Dick Pinney) 44 & 66 (1980) The Iowa Waltz (1981) One Night (1983) In the Dark with You (1985) Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1986) One More Goodnight Kiss (1988) One Big Town (1989) Down in There (1990) Dream Café (1992) Friend of Mine (1993) (with Bill Morrissey) Bathtub Blues (1993) The Poet Game (1994) The Live One (1995) Further In (1996) Slant 6 Mind (1997) Solid Heart (1999) (benefit CD) Over and Under (2000) Covenant (2000) Down in the Valley: Barn Aid Benefit Concert (2001) Milk of the Moon (2002) Live at the Black Sheep (2003) If I Had Known: Essential Recordings, 1980-96 (2003) Honey in the Lion's Head (2004) In the Hills of California (2004) The Evening Call (2006) Yellow Dog (2007) Live from the Big Top (2007) Dream City: Essential Recordings, 1997-2006 (2009) Freak Flag (2011) Hymns to What Is Left (2012)

Tribute albums Songs of Greg Brown (Prudence Johnson) (1991) Going Driftless: An Artist's Tribute to Greg Brown (Various artists) (2002) Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown (Seth Avett) (2022)

Featured on Hadestown'' (Anaïs Mitchell) (2010)