Jamaican musician Dalton Browne has died.
Another Reggae icon has passed on. Yesterday evening, November 1, the sad news emerged that veteran guitarist Dalton Browne died in the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in St Andrew. He had been in the hospital following a quadruple bypass surgery, which was performed last Thursday. He was 64-years-old.
The well-known music producer Music suffered a massive heart attack before being hospitalized about a week ago. Browne is most known for his work with veteran reggae artist Freddie McGregor as his musical director. His work stood the test of time, and he was able to keep current as he collaborated with Akon on his album, “Konvicted.”
His brother, who is also a music producer Cleveland “Clevie” Browne, confirmed the news to the Jamaica Observer. He said: “I got the call after three this evening. It rough. It rough.” He expressed a bit of shock at the news as he said he believes his brother was on the path to recovery. He added that the guitarist was seemingly doing well after reconnecting with his three children from New York.
Browne was also a prominent member of the 12 Tribes of Israel and was once part of the Browne Bunch, a group formed in the 70s. That group also included three of his brothers, Glen, Noel, and Cleveland. They had hits like “We’ve Got a Good Thing Going,” “Set your Mind at Ease,” and “Crazy.”
Some of the songs that he is known for are Freddie McGregor’s Big Ship, Push Come to Shove, and Prophecy. Browne will surely be mourned in the weeks to come by everyone in the Reggae community. He is credited as a guitarist and composer on many other very popular Dancehall and Reggae songs. He most recently collaborated with Buju Banton. Below are some of the songs that he helped shape in recent years:
2020 – “Upside Down 2020” Buju Banton
2018 “Serious Times” Bobby Digital
2018 “Global Griot” Eric Bibb
2018 “44/876” Shaggy / Sting
2017 “The Itinuation” Pablo Moses
2016 “True to My Roots” Freddie McGregor
2016 “Strictly the Best” Vol. 54
2016 “One Dance” Harrison Stafford / Harrison Stafford & the Professor Crew
2016 “Epic & Ting” Bulby York
2014 “Penthouse Records: The Journey Continues – 25 Years”
2014 “MTV Unplugged” Gentleman
In 2013, Harris spoke about his journey in music in this interview with Harrison Stafford.
