Family Brown
Inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Facts
Inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997
Birth: (“Papa” Joe Brown) August 30, 1925 – Amherst, Nova Scotia (Barry Brown) December 17, 1951 – Owen Sound, Ontario (Lawanda Brown) June 10, 1953 – Hamilton, Ontario (Tracey Prescott) October 1, 1958 – Ottawa, Ontario (Randall Prescott) February 7, 1955 – North Bay, Ontario (Gary “Spike” Spicer) September 20, 1945 – Parrsboro, Nova Scotia (Dave Dennison) February 4, 1950 – Hull, Quebec (Ron Sparling) May 12, 1940 – Quebec
Death: (“Papa” Joe Brown) May 30, 1986 – Chelsey, Ontario (Dave Dennison) February 13, 2000 – Ottawa, Ontario (Gary “Spike” Spicer) February 21, 1999 – Carleton Place, Ontario
Family Brown Biography
Family Brown was led by patriarch, “Papa” Joe Brown, with his children Barry, Lawanda, and Tracey, and musicians Gary “Spike” Spicer, Dave Dennison and Ron Sparling. In later years Tracey’s husband Randall Prescott joined the Group.
The Ottawa-based Family Brown’s 22 year career bridged several generations of country music in Canada and entertained Canadians coast-to-coast.
Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Family Brown recorded for RCA Records recording nine studio albums and two greatest hits albums and charted 43 singles on the RPM Country Tracks charts, including 24 Top 10 hits. They were among the first Canadian recording acts to chart on the U.S. Billboard charts with 7 hit singles during the early 1980s.
They hosted a syndicated television show that ran for 13 seasons and won more than 50 national awards, including three Junos Awards, and to this date still hold the record as the single most decorated artist from the CCMA itself, with a total of eighteen awards.
The band’s resume is a reminder that Family Brown was and still remains one of the most influential groups in Canadian country music history. Family Brown, and the musicians that supported them, set a standard for all the groups that have followed them, ensuring that they will never be forgotten.
“Papa” Joe Brown passed away in 1986, around the time Tracey’s husband Randall Prescott joined the band and served as a record producer for their final two RCA albums. Family Brown had their final performance in September 1990.
In 1990, Tracey charted a duet with Terry Carisse, later founding the group, Prescott Brown & Lonesome Daddy (later Prescott-Brown) along with Randall Prescott and Barry Brown. The trio charted nine singles in the early 1990s and won another Juno Award. After disbanding, Tracey charted two more singles of her own.
Family Brown Videos
Family Brown Photos
