Family Brown was a Canadian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

band founded in 1967 by Joe Brown (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), along with his son

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

(vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

) and daughters Lawanda and

Tracey Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, C ...

(vocals), as well as Dave Dennison (guitar) and Ron Sparling (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). Between 1967 and 1990, the band charted several singles in both Canada and the United States. The band also won eighteen

Canadian Country Music Association The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a g ...

awards, the most received by any artist. After disbanding in 1990, Barry and Tracey Brown and Randall Prescott formed the group

Prescott-Brown Prescott-Brown was a Canadian country music trio composed of Tracey Brown, her brother Barry and her husband Randall Prescott. All three were members of Canadian country group, Family Brown, which parted ways in 1990. Signed to Columbia Records, ...

in 1991.

History

Family Brown was founded in 1967 by frontman Joe "Papa" Brown, who was born August 30, 1925 in

Amherst, Nova Scotia Amherst ( ) is a town in northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, and south of the Northumberland Strait. The town sits on a height of land at the eastern boundary of th ...

. Brown was a local musician who had played in two local bands before founding Family Brown, taking the role of lead singer and

ist. His son, Barry Brown, and daughters Lawanda and Tracey, were also members of the band. Barry served as vocalist, songwriter and guitarist, while the daughters sang backing vocals. Rounding out the membership were lead guitarist Dave Dennison and drummer Ron Sparling, who was also the manager. Family Brown began performing in local venues and by 1970 had moved to nationwide tours of Canada. Signed to

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

in 1971, the band released the single "R. R. No. 2" that year, from their self-titled album on

. By 1972, the band was the subject of a national TV show, ''Call It Country'' (later ''Country Way'', then ''Family Brown Country''), which taped at CJOH-TV in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, the band recorded for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, recording nine studio albums and two greatest hits albums in that timespan and charting forty-three singles on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Tracks charts. Several of their singles also charted on the country charts in the United States, including the No. 30 "But It's Cheating." They also received 3 Juno's one in 1985 for Country Group of the Year, as well as seventeen ''RPM'' Big Country Awards and eighteen

awards, the most ever received by one act. In 1982 the band added steel guitarist/fiddle player Gary (Spike) Spicer. After Joe Brown died in 1986, and at this time Tracey's husband Randall Prescott joined the band and served as a record producer for their final two RCA albums. The band broke up after their final performance in September 1990. In 1997, Family Brown was inducted into the

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. It is located in downtown Merritt, ...

. Tracey charted a duet with

Terry Carisse Terrance Victor Carisse (July 11, 1942 – May 22, 2005) known as Terry Carisse, was one of Canadian Country Music's most awarded, decorated and popular singer-songwriters. His awards include the Canadian Country Music Association's Male Vocalis ...

in 1990, later founding the group Prescott Brown & Lonesome Daddy (later

) along with Randall Prescott and Barry Brown. The trio charted nine singles in the early 1990s and won another Juno Award. After its disbanding, Tracey charted two more singles of her own.

List of awards

Family Brown received the following awards: *1976: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1977: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1978: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1979: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1979: ''RPM'' Big Country Award, Single of the Year ("Stay with Me") *1979: ''RPM'' Big Country Award, Album of the Year (''Familiar Faces, Familiar Places'') *1980: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1981: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1982:

CCMA CCMA may refer to: * Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, during the Lluís Companys's government of Catalonia, in the Spanish Revolution *Canadian Country Music Association, the association of the Canadian country music industry * Catholic ...

Group of the Year *1982: CCMA Single of the Year ("Some Never Stand a Chance") *1982: CCMA Song of the Year ("Some Never Stand a Chance") *1982: CCMA Album of the Year (''Raised on Country Music'') *1993: CCMA Entertainer of the Year *1983: CCMA Single of the Year ("Raised on Country Music") *1983: CCMA Song of the Year ("Raised on Country Music") *1983: CCMA Group of the Year *1983: CCMA Album of the Year (''Raised on Country Music'') *1983: CCMA Entertainer of the Year *1984: CCMA Group of the Year *1984: CCMA Album of the Year (''Repeat After Me'') *1985:

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Country Group of the Year *1985: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1985: ''RPM'' Big Country Award, Album of the Year (''Feel the Fire'') *1986: CCMA Group of the Year *1986: CCMA Album of the Year (''Feel the Fire'') *1987: CCMA Group of the Year *1987: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1988: CCMA Group of the Year *1989: CCMA Group of the Year *1989: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1989: ''RPM'' Big Country Award, Album of the Year (''These Days'') *1989: CCMA Single of the Year ("Town of Tears") *1989: CCMA Song of the Year ("Town of Tears") *1990: ''RPM'' Big Country Award for Top Group *1990: CCMA Song of the Year ("Pioneers")

Discography

References

{{Authority control Canadian country music groups Juno Award winners Musical groups established in 1967 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 RCA Records Nashville artists Ovation Records artists Musical groups from Ottawa 1967 establishments in Ontario 1990 disestablishments in Ontario Canadian Country Music Association Entertainer(s) of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Fans' Choice Award winners Canadian Country Music Association Group of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Album of the Year winners