Lester Errol Brown

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(12 November 1943 – 6 May 2015) was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band

Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener like whipped cream or marshmallows. Hot chocolate ...

. In 2004, Brown received the

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

Career

Brown was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but moved to the UK when he was twelve years old. His break in music came in 1969 when he recorded a version of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's "

Give Peace a Chance "Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song written by John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded with the participation of a small group of friends in a performance with Yoko Ono in a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, C ...

" with a band called "Hot Chocolate Band". Unable to change the lyrics without Lennon's permission, he sent a copy to his record label,

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

, and the song was released with Lennon's approval. The Hot Chocolate albums were produced by Mickie Most and recorded at the Rak Records studio. Brown left the group in 1985 to take a hiatus from music. He soon went on to have a solo career, achieving success in the

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

with the 1987

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"Body Rocking", produced by

Richard James Burgess Richard James Burgess (born 29 June 1949) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. Burgess's music career spans more than 50 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s a ...

. He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1997 when he was surprised by

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television newsreader and host of programmes such as '' Crackerjack'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', ''This is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and ''Antiques Ro ...

on his birthday. Brown was a supporter of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and performed at a party conference in the 1980s. In 1981, he performed at the wedding reception following the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. Brown owned

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

horses, including Gainsay.

Recognition

In 2003, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

named Brown a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for "services to

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

for the United Kingdom". In 2004 he received an

for outstanding contributions to British music.

Death

Brown died from liver cancer at his home in

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

on 6 May 2015. He was survived by his wife Ginette and his two daughters, Colette and Leonie.

Discography

Albums

*1989 ''That's How Love Is'' – WEA 243 925 *1992 ''Secret Rendezvous'' – East West 4509-90688 *1996 ''Love In This'' – East West 0630-15260 *2001 ''Still Sexy — The Album'' – Universal Music TV 138162 (UK No.44)

Solo singles

*1987 "Personal Touch" – WEA YZ 130 (UK No. 25) *1987 "Body Rocking" – WEA YZ 162 (UK No. 51) *1988 "Maya" – WEA YZ 313 *1989 "Love Goes Up and Down" (UK No. 89) *1990 "Send a Prayer (To Heaven)" (UK No. 83) *1992 "This Time It's Forever" – East West 4509-90064 (Germany No. 26) *1992 "Secret Rendezvous" – East West 4509-90913 *1993 "Emmalene (That's No Lie)" – East West 4509-92322 *1996 "Ain't No Love in This" – East West 0630-13951 *1996 "Change the People's Hearts" – East West 0630-16898 *1998 " It Started with a Kiss"¹ – EMI CDHOT 101 (UK No. 18) *2001 "Still Sexy (Yes U Are)" – Universal 158940 (UK No. 85) *2001 "Heaven's in the Back Seat of My Cadillac" *2002 "I Love You Everyday" – Universal 0157592 ¹Credited to Hot Chocolate featuring Errol Brown

References

External links

Official website
*
Errol Brown interview by Pete Lewis, ''Blues & Soul'' February 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Errol 1943 births 2015 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Ivor Novello Award winners Conservative Party (UK) people Members of the Order of the British Empire British songwriters 20th-century Black British male singers English people of Jamaican descent 21st-century Black British male singers British racehorse owners and breeders Warner Records artists EMI Records artists British expatriates in the Bahamas Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in the Bahamas Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Hot Chocolate (band) members