Harold Ray Brown (born March 17, 1946) is a founding member of

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, an American funk band in the 1970s and 2000s. Harold had a number of roles over the years, acting as drummer, percussion, vocalist, and bandleader. Brown is the oldest of six children, and the only one in his family to pursue music. Beginning with the congas, Brown progressed to violin while in elementary school, and took up drums in junior high. He turned down a full scholarship to

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...

in 1964 in order to pursue music. Brown was rooted in the very beginnings of War. In 1962, he met

Howard E. Scott Howard E. Scott (born March 15, 1946) is an American funk/rock guitarist and founding member of the successful 1970s funk band War. Biography Scott grew up in Compton, California. He began playing bass at a very young age under the guidance o ...

at the Cozy Lounge in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. They were fifteen years old at the time and were hired to play in a band for a casual gig. Brown started a band called the Creators in 1963 in Long Beach while going to Long Beach Polytechnic High School, to play for high school

sock hops A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American ...

and car shows. Then in 1967, toward the end of the

Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, he and Howard Scott restarted the band with a new name, Night Shift. Brown had been working as a machinist on the Night Shift. In February 1969 while playing a show at the Rag Doll Night Club in North Hollywood, California Eric Burdon and Lee Oskar jammed with the Night Shift. The band changed its name to

. Brown left the band to attend college in 1983, majoring in computer science, with a minor in music. He then moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1986. In 2001, Brown went back to school to pursue his lifelong hobby; he is now a historian and professional tour guide in New Orleans, and has recently formed a new band called the

Lowrider Band The Lowrider Band consists of three of the four surviving original core group members of the multi-platinum selling band War: Howard E. Scott, Lee Oskar, and Harold Brown. These members lost the right in federal court to use and tour under the n ...

with three of the other original members of War:

, Morris “BB” Dickerson, and Lee Oskar. Brown also works with inner-city youth during the summer, to promote good citizenship through the art of fine drumming. Harold Ray Brown is a founding member of The Music for Every School Foundatio

References

External links

*
Brown Legacy
information on Harold Brown *https://www.musicforeveryschool.com/partnerships {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Harold Ray 1946 births Living people 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American rock drummers Musicians from Long Beach, California War (American band) members Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni