Arthur Brown (musician)

Arthur Brown
Performing with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown at Musicport in Whitby, England in 2014
Performing with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown at Musicport in Whitby, England in 2014
Background information
Birth nameArthur Wilton Brown
Also known asThe God of Hellfire
Born (1942-06-24) 24 June 1942 (age 82)
Whitby, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active1965–present
Labels
Member ofThe Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Formerly of
Websitearthur-brown.com

Arthur Wilton Brown (born 24 June 1942)[4] is an English singer and songwriter best known for his flamboyant and theatrical performances, eclectic (and sometimes experimental) work and his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice, in particular his high pitched banshee screams. He is also notable for his unique stage persona, featuring extreme facepaint and a burning helmet.

Brown has been the lead singer of various groups, most notably the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come, followed by a varied solo career as well as associations with Hawkwind, the Who and Klaus Schulze. In the late 1960s, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown's popularity was such that the group shared bills with the Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Mothers of Invention, the Doors, Small Faces and Joe Cocker, among others.[5]

He is best known for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's 1968 single "Fire", reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart and Canada, and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100[6] as well as its parent album The Crazy World of Arthur Brown which reached number 2 in the UK, number 6 in Canada, and number 7 in the US.[7] Following the success of the single "Fire", the press would often refer to Brown as "The God of Hellfire",[8] in reference to the opening shouted line of the song, a moniker that exists to this day.[9]

Although Brown has had limited commercial success and has never released another recording as commercially successful as "Fire", he has remained a significant influence on a wide range of musicians in numerous genres because of his operatic vocal style, wild stage persona and often experimental concepts; he is considered to be a pioneer of shock rock and progressive rock and has had an influence on both electronic and heavy metal music. In 2005 Brown won the 'Showman of the Year' award from Classic Rock magazine, receiving the award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards ceremony held in London's Café de Paris.

  1. ^ Grow, Kory (14 February 2017). "Veteran Shock Rocker Arthur Brown Talks Jimi Hendrix, Close Calls With Fire". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (17 August 2020). "'The god of hellfire returns!' Can Arthur Brown incinerate Covid?". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Lemay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Marshall 2005, p. 25.
  5. ^ Richie Unterberger (2014). "Urban Spacemen & Wayfaring Strangers [Revised & Expanded Ebook Edition]: Overlooked Innovators & Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock". BookBaby
  6. ^ "Official UK Singles Top 100 – 16th February 2013 | Official UK Top 40 | music charts | Official Singles Chart". Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Crazy World of Arthur Brown – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Richie. Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers, p. 46.
  9. ^ Unterberger, Richie. Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers, p. 46.