FRONT ROOM MUSIC ALBUM - ARTIST BIOS STEVE BROWN Steve Brown (1946 - 2011) was born in Dallas, Texas. He lived many years in Colorado and more recently in Winfield, Kansas, where he and his wife Shellee made their home. Steve ran a locksmith business there. With his bag of tools, he could open or fix practically anything. With a 6-string guitar he could unlock secrets of the human heart. During the late 60's Steve served in the Vietnam War. I met Steve (and Jack Mathes) while they were stationed at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas, circa 1969. Steve owned one LP back then (Dylan's FREEWHEELIN) and could play all the songs on it. We jammed then; resuming a few years later up In Denver, passing the hours in pursuit of our musical dreams. The path leading to those dreams has been a long and rocky one, over forty years in the making. Steve sang background on SWAMP THANG, from my 1987 country LP. He co-wrote a few songs with me over the years; most notably, IN BETWEEN LOVERS, for which he wrote the last verse. A duet of that song (featuring Steve and me) will be released in 2012 on my DUETS compilation CD. I believe Steve's first recording was the OUT OF THE BLUE cassette, an early model for his first CD LIMITED VISIBILITY! The songs on this CD were recorded in the Front Room Music studio in Austin, in 2001. Steve returned two years later and spent a week installing siding on our South Austin home. During that week, we seized the opportunity to record five more songs, two of which are on the 2 X 4 Front Room Music Tribute Series. Recently, when Steve discovered he had terminal cancer, he went into a tiny studio near his Winfield home, and recorded 10 songs for a farewell album, that he called JUST IN CASE. His final album will likely be available for friends and family, once the tracks are mastered. Steve also spent a few hours in the studio with his best pal Jack Mathes, making the music they loved. Steve will be remembered for his outrageous sense of humor, as much as for his remarkable songs. He was a great friend, father, brother, husband, uncle, and a man of many extraordinary talents. Jim Stricklan The following is in Steve's own words: Texas native, Dallas born, Raised in Colorado And the Vietnam war. Tragedy and laughter, Sunshine and rain, Living small town Kansas, and my song remains the same. Ain't it enough just to be alive, to be a child, to be eighty-five; ain't it enough to know when it's all through, we'll have done the best that we can do? Just living life, with it's ups and downs; it's sorrow and pain- and sharing love with the ones we love, and walkin' out in a warm summer rain- all in all it's been a ball, good and bad, come and gone; and if you live it different than me, that don't mean you done it wrong... Jack Mathes, Larry Rothwell, Marshall Miller, Jim Stricklan, Steve Brown, 1970's, Denver Jim and Steve, 2007 1) Jack, Jim and Steve, 2008, Austin 2) Steve, 2011 3) Jack, Steve, Larry, Jim, 2008, Austin
Steve Brown (1946 - 2011) was born in Dallas, Texas. He lived many years in Colorado and more recently in Winfield, Kansas, where he and his wife Shellee made their home. Steve ran a locksmith business there. With his bag of tools, he could open or fix practically anything. With a 6-string guitar he could unlock secrets of the human heart. During the late 60's Steve served in the Vietnam War. I met Steve (and Jack Mathes) while they were stationed at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas, circa 1969. Steve owned one LP back then (Dylan's FREEWHEELIN) and could play all the songs on it. We jammed then; resuming a few years later up In Denver, passing the hours in pursuit of our musical dreams. The path leading to those dreams has been a long and rocky one, over forty years in the making. Steve sang background on SWAMP THANG, from my 1987 country LP. He co-wrote a few songs with me over the years; most notably, IN BETWEEN LOVERS, for which he wrote the last verse. A duet of that song (featuring Steve and me) will be released in 2012 on my DUETS compilation CD. I believe Steve's first recording was the OUT OF THE BLUE cassette, an early model for his first CD LIMITED VISIBILITY! The songs on this CD were recorded in the Front Room Music studio in Austin, in 2001. Steve returned two years later and spent a week installing siding on our South Austin home. During that week, we seized the opportunity to record five more songs, two of which are on the 2 X 4 Front Room Music Tribute Series. Recently, when Steve discovered he had terminal cancer, he went into a tiny studio near his Winfield home, and recorded 10 songs for a farewell album, that he called JUST IN CASE. His final album will likely be available for friends and family, once the tracks are mastered. Steve also spent a few hours in the studio with his best pal Jack Mathes, making the music they loved. Steve will be remembered for his outrageous sense of humor, as much as for his remarkable songs. He was a great friend, father, brother, husband, uncle, and a man of many extraordinary talents. Jim Stricklan The following is in Steve's own words: Texas native, Dallas born, Raised in Colorado And the Vietnam war. Tragedy and laughter, Sunshine and rain, Living small town Kansas, and my song remains the same. Ain't it enough just to be alive, to be a child, to be eighty-five; ain't it enough to know when it's all through, we'll have done the best that we can do? Just living life, with it's ups and downs; it's sorrow and pain- and sharing love with the ones we love, and walkin' out in a warm summer rain- all in all it's been a ball, good and bad, come and gone; and if you live it different than me, that don't mean you done it wrong... Jack Mathes, Larry Rothwell, Marshall Miller, Jim Stricklan, Steve Brown, 1970's, Denver Jim and Steve, 2007 1) Jack, Jim and Steve, 2008, Austin 2) Steve, 2011 3) Jack, Steve, Larry, Jim, 2008, Austin
