BY BRIAN BONITTO—
Associate Editor —The Observer–
Dalton Browne—
BASS guitarist Glen Browne said he is planning to release new material featuring his late brother Dalton on lead vocals.
“People are going to start hearing, now, some of his vocal works with the brothers…Because we have some stuff that wasn’t released over the years, and I’m getting ready to release some of them. But the legacy is there. They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating; we have tasted his works and that taste will linger for us for generations to come,” Glen Browne told the Jamaica Observer.
Dalton Browne, a respected guitarist, died in the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew on November 1, 2020. He was recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery, which he underwent days before. He was 64.
He will be one of several people to be posthumously lauded for his contribution to reggae, as a musician, at the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Award on February 28. Glen Browne said he is pleased with the acknowledgement.
“I think it’s a good thing to honor the man. It would be nice if he was here…So it’s great that he’s being recognized and honored for his work. He was dedicated to his calling, so I respect that highly. I give thanks for it,” Glen Browne told the Observer.
“The award is a symbol of the acknowledgement of what he has done during the time he was here. What he has done as a musician, a player and his personality, and his dealings with people is the greatest thing that he has left with all the people he has impacted and the ones that he has met — young musicians and non-musicians alike.
“And as far as the culture goes, it goes without saying. He made a great contribution. There are ones who will come and study his work. There were always young ones who were studying his works, as he was a unique guitarist and a brilliant vocalist, I must say,” he continued.
A member of the 12 Tribes of Israel, Dalton Browne is long-time musical director for Freddie McGregor’s band. He played on most of McGregor’s hit songs including Big Ship, Push Come to Shove and Prophecy.
He was the second of five Browne brothers, all of whom are musicians. Glen (bass), Noel (keyboards), Cleveland (keyboards) and guitarist Danny were his siblings.
They were once known as The Browne Bunch, which formed during the early 1970s.
This year’s recipients include singer Owen Gray; singer Harold Butler; singer Luciano; toaster U-Roy; singer Phyllis Dillon; Blues Busters; singer Orville “Bagga” Case; poet/broadcaster Mutabaruka, and music website Reggaeville.
Posthumous JaRIA honors will also be bestowed on hornsman Ronald “Nambo” Robinson, who died in 2017; pioneer producer Edward “Bunny Striker” Lee, who made his transition in October last year; broadcaster Tony Young, who passed away in August 2019; and guitarist Winston “Bopee” Bowen, who died in March 2019.
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