Richard Shaw "Rick" Brown (born April 26, 1947) is an American musician and

gemologist Gemology or gemmology is the science dealing with natural and artificial gemstone materials. It is a geoscience and a branch of mineralogy. Some jewelers (and many non-jewelers) are academically trained gemologists and are qualified to identif ...

. He is perhaps best known for being the lead singer, harmonica player, and co-songwriter of psychedelic rock group

The Misunderstood The Misunderstood were an American psychedelic rock band originating from Riverside, California in the mid-1960s. The band moved to London early in their career, and although they recorded only a handful of songs before being forced to disband, ...

throughout the 1960s. Richard Brown is currently working as a

and Jewelry designer in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, for ''Astral Gemstone Talismans'', a brand known for creating fine gems-jewelry based on the

Navaratna ''Navaratna'' ( sa, नवरत्न) is a Sanskrit compound word meaning "nine gems" or "ratnas". Jewellery created in this style has important cultural significance in many southern, and south-eastern Asian cultures as a symbol of wealth, st ...

belief in

Jyotish Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Ishvara, Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. ...

Band

A review by Terrascope stated, "

were one of the most innovative and enigmatic bands of the Sixties and one of the psychedelic era's best loved groups." Brown's most well-known songs, "

I Can Take You To The Sun "I Can Take You To The Sun" is a song that was composed and recorded by The Misunderstood at Philips Studio in London in 1966. The song is considered a psychedelic music classic. The single was released to critical acclaim but the band was force ...

" and "Children of the Sun", are considered psychedelic music classics. While working successfully with the band in London, the group broke up when Brown was drafted by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

to go to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. However, being opposed to the war, he escaped from boot camp and left the country for India, where he was a fugitive for 12 years. ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential crit ...

'' magazine, in a September 2004 review, wrote, "The saga of ''The Misunderstood'' is one of the most unbelievable, heartbreaking, and unlikely stories in the entire history of rock."

India

In 1967 Brown was initiated as ''Hrisikesh Das'' by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He also lived as a monk and received instructions in

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

bhakti from Swami Bon Maharaj in

Vrindavana Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

, U.P., India for six and a half years. Brown departed from Swami Bon and returned to his original guru, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in late 1973. During his time in Asia, Brown learned to speak Bengali, Hindi and Thai, and read Sanskrit and Hindi.

Welfare activities in Asia

During his stay in India with Swami Bon Maharaj Brown was engaged in the establishment of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Academy, a primary school, in Nandagram, U.P., as well as expanding the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Vrindavan, U.P. Before returning to America Brown was also instrumental in establishing Sri Hari-siddhi Primary School in

Dhulikhel Dhulikhel is a municipality in Kavrepalanchok District of Nepal. Two major highway B.P. Highway and Arniko Highway passes through Dhulikhel. Araniko Highway connects Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city with Tibet's border town of Kodari. Dhulikhel ...

, Nepal. In 1999 he was a co-founder and is currently Acting Secretary of the Institute of Planetary Gemology in Bangkok, Thailand, a school that teaches the

system of Asian birthstones.

Influence in India

Through Swami Bon's educational service Brown moved in the highest circles of Indian society, even being received twice by India's President V.V. Giri at Rastrapati Bhavan in 1972. He successfully organized two high society functions in Bombay and Delhi during 1971–1972 which were supported by India's elite.

Amnesty

In 1979, after 12 years in exile, Brown returned to America where he was granted

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

as a conscientious objector and discharged from the Army.

Post-Misunderstood music

In 1982, the two core members, the singer and the steel guitarist, reunited as "Influence" and recorded two self-penned tracks, "No Survivors" and "Queen of Madness", for UK's Rough Trade Records in 1983. They disbanded in 1985 when Campbell moved to New Zealand and Brown moved to Thailand. Cherry Red Records (UK) released three albums of Misunderstood music: ''Before the Dream Faded'' (CDM RED 32) in 1992, ''The Legendary Goldstar Album'' (CDM RED 142) in 1997, and a full album of The Misunderstood's later material under the name of ''The Misunderstood: Broken Road'' (CDM RED 147) in 1998. In 2004, Ugly Things Records (USA) issued another full album of previously unreleased tracks named ''The Lost Acetates 1965–1966'', that received international media coverage. A motion picture screenplay (''The Misunderstood'': WGA 977444) about the band and Rick Brown's adventures was written by rock historian Mike Stax (editor of '' Ugly Things'' music magazine) in 2002, and is under revision. A novel, ''Like, Misunderstood'', based on the script, was published in October 2007.

Musical recognition

*In his "

Peelennium ''The Peelennium'' was a selection of songs by BBC Radio DJ John Peel from 1900 to 2000 in order to celebrate the last 100 years of music leading up to the millennium. It was carefully timed to play out over the 100 remaining shows of 1999, starti ...

" (Greatest Songs of the 20th Century) John Peel lists Brown's song "I Can Take You To The Sun" for 1966. *''Record Collector Magazine''s book, ''100 Greatest Psychedelic Records'', lists "I Can Take You To The Sun" as the number 6 song. *''

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...

'' April 2009 – "I Can See For Miles: A-Z" lists The Misunderstood for "M". *June 11, 2010 ''Classic Rock Magazine'' named The Misunderstood as No. 18 in their list of "Cult Heroes".

Recent activities

In 1983 Brown graduated as "gemologist" from the

Gemological Institute of America The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and se ...

(GIA). Brown's book ''Ancient Astrological Gemstones & Talismans'' received the 1996 Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association (PMA). He is currently working as a gemologist and jewelry designer in Bangkok, Thailand for the popular brand Astral Gemstone Talismans.

Published books

#Richard Brown (1975) ''Sri Chinta Mani'', Astro Jewels Co.: Bangkok, Thailand. #Richard S. Brown (1982) ''Handbook of Planetary Gemology'', AGS Inc.: Laguna Beach, California. #Richard S. Brown (1988) ''Handbook of Planetary Gemology II'', Mckinney Intl.: Hong Kong. #Richard S. Brown (1995) ''Ancient Astrological Gemstones and Talismans'', AGT LTD. . #Richard S. Brown (2000) ''Astral Gemstone Talismans Designs 2000'', AGT LTD. . #Richard S. Brown (2002) ''Astral Gemstone Talismans 2002'', AGT LTD. . #Richard S. Brown (2003) ''VOOM Collection'', Hrisikesh Ltd. . #Richard S. Brown (2004) ''Six Collection'', Hrisikesh Ltd. . #Richard S. Brown (2005). ''Sri Chintamani Collection''. Hrisikesh Ltd. #Richard S. Brown (2006). ''Akash Collection''. Hrisikesh Ltd. #Richard S. Brown (2007). ''Mangala Navaratna Collection''. Hrisikesh Ltd. . #Rick Brown & Mike Stax (2007). ''Like, Misunderstood''. UT Publishing, USA. . #Richard S. Brown (2007). ''Ancient Astrological Gemstones & Talismans'' – 2nd Edition. Hrisikesh LTD.

References

External links

Official Misunderstood websiteAstral Gemstone Talismans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Richard Shaw 1947 births Musicians from Riverside, California Living people American blues harmonica players American expatriates in India American expatriates in Thailand American expatriates in the United Kingdom American rock songwriters American male singer-songwriters American heavy metal singers Blues rock musicians American jewelry designers American goldsmiths Hindu astrology American Hindus Converts to Hinduism Gaudiya religious leaders American conscientious objectors Hindu pacifists American Hare Krishnas American jewellers Gemologists Singer-songwriters from California