Sam Brown

Sam Brown was born in Stratford, East London, on October 7th. 1964. Her parents - Joe and Vicki - were already well-established figures in the British music scene, so it's inevitable, perhaps, that she should follow in their footsteps. Sam's first paid recording session was for providing backing vocals on the reformed Small Faces album, 'In The Shade', in 1976 - at the tender age of twelve.

By the time she reached her late teens, Sam was already an established musician, being a skilled keyboard player, as well as a much in-demand backing vocalist. By the time she'd reached her twenties, she had sung on tours and record with such artists as Steve Marriott, Sade, Spandau Ballet and Barclay James Harvest. At the same time, however, she was honing her songwriting skills, ultimately leading to her own recording deal with A&M Records in 1986. This ultimately lead to the recording of the worldwide smash hit, 'Stop', which charted in 1987. The album from whence it came has sold over 2.5 million copies, and is still available. 'Stop' was an atmospheric, bluesy ballad that showcased Sam's awesome vocal prowess, going on to top the charts in 10 countries.

The following three years were spent in a whirl of global promotional activities, with the recording of Sam's follow-up album, 'April Moon', somehow sandwiched in amongst it. It's inevitable, perhaps, that the album was not quite as successful, although it still succeeded in racking up sales approaching the one million mark.

By the early 1990's, however, Sam had become disenchanted with some aspects of the music business. When her mother Vicki died in 1991, a hugely influential force in her life, the effect was profound. What was to come out of this tragedy was the conceptual album, '43 Minutes'. A moving and intense piece of work, it was deemed too uncommercial by the powers-that-be at A&M Records, with the result that Sam put the record out independently, in 1993.

Sam also took time out to have a family - daughter Vicki and son Mohan - before returning to the fray as backing vocalist on The Pink Floyd's 'Division Bell' album and subsequent world tour in 1994.

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