Roy Brown (Puerto Rican musician)
Encyclopedia
Roy Brown Ramírez is a composer
, singer and a fervent believer in the cause for the independence of Puerto Rico
. Some of his songs have been performed by several renowned international artists.
, the son of an American naval officer and his Puerto Rican wife. Brown was raised during turbulent times in the United States. Among the important issues of those days were racism
, the Civil Rights Movement
and the Vietnam War
. Most of these events went on to form an important part in his ideals and his way of thinking.
In the late 60's, Brown enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico
. He enjoyed writing poems and while he was a student, he became actively involved in groups against the Vietnam War, poor living conditions, and specially in favor of the independence movement of Puerto Rico. Brown was also involved in the student disturbances which spread throughout the university, by participating in the protest and picket lines.
" (Prophecy of Urayoán); and "Distancias" (Distances). Brown's personal life started to suffer because of his political beliefs. He got into trouble with the police, his father and brother didn't want anything to do with him and he was fired from his job in the university. His mother was also dying.
In the late 70's, Brown moved to New York
and formed a group called "Aires Bucaneros", with fellow musicians Zoraida Santiago
, Carl Royce, Pablo Nieves, and Rucco Gandía, among others. The group traveled and performed in many countries such as Greece, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador
, Cuba
, the Netherlands, Nicaragua
, Costa Rica
, etc. He recorded "Aires Bucaneros" (1978); "Casi Alba" (1980); "Nuyol" (1983); "Arboles" (Trees) (1988) and "Balada de Otro Tiempo" (1989) (Ballad of Another Time). "Arboles" was produced by Silvio Rodríguez
, in Cuba
.
Among Brown's recordings in the 1990s were: "Distancias en Vivo" (1990) (Distances Live); "Poetas Puertorriqueños" (1991) (Puerto Rican Poets); "Nocturno" (1991) (Nightfall); "En Fuga" (1995) (Fleeing); In 1996, he released a two-disc album called "Coleccion" (1996) (Collection); It contains the best of his musical trajectory through the Puerto Rican music scene. In 1997, Silvio Rodríguez
visited Puerto Rico and held a concert with Brown at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium
, with a soldout audience of 19,000 people.
. Together they released the album, "Bohemia". Showing signs of musical growth, Roy continued to release quality albums in the late 90's and early 2000s with "Poeta en San Juan" (1999) (Poet in San Juan); "Noche de Roy Brown" (1999) (Roy Brown's Night); "Album" (2000) and "Balcon del Fin del Mundo" (2004) (Balcony at the end of World).
On June 7, 2003, Brown let "WPKN" FM of Bridgeport, Connecticut
, record his set in the historic "Plaza de la Revolucion" in Lares, Puerto Rico
. "WPKN" also recorded Roy's "Ofelia" live from the Nuyorican Cafe in Old San Juan. On February 8, 2004, Brown held a concert in the Antonio Paoli
Hall at the Luis A. Ferre
Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan to celebrate his 35 years of music trajectory and the shows were all sold-out. Brown performs regularly in the Claridad
festival, honoring Claridad
, a Puerto Rican newspaper which advocates independence. Joan Manuel Serrat
, Susana Baca
, Fiel a la Vega
, Cultura Profética
, Celia Cruz
and Lucecita Benítez
are among the many artists that have recorded songs written by Roy.
In 2006 Brown recorded an album, titled Que Vaya Bien, with Tao Rodríguez-Seeger
from The Mammals
and Tito Auger
, the frontman for Puerto Rican rock group Fiel A La Vega
. A single from this record, "El Banquete de Los Sánchez" (whose lyrics were based on an essay by Puerto Rican writer Luis Rafael Sánchez
), was censored by some Puerto Rican radio stations due to the use of the slang term "chicho" (a love handle in Puerto Rican Spanish, but erroneously interpreted in this case as a verb tense for the slang term for sexual intercourse
, "chichar"). Public backlash against the censorship attempt guaranteed radio airplay and good sales for the record (reportedly 30,000 copies in two months) during late 2006. After marrying Puerto Rican former tennis player Emily Viqueira, Brown moved to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
(Viqueira's birthplace), where he currently resides.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, singer and a fervent believer in the cause for the independence of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Some of his songs have been performed by several renowned international artists.
Early years
Brown was born in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, the son of an American naval officer and his Puerto Rican wife. Brown was raised during turbulent times in the United States. Among the important issues of those days were racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Most of these events went on to form an important part in his ideals and his way of thinking.
In the late 60's, Brown enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. He enjoyed writing poems and while he was a student, he became actively involved in groups against the Vietnam War, poor living conditions, and specially in favor of the independence movement of Puerto Rico. Brown was also involved in the student disturbances which spread throughout the university, by participating in the protest and picket lines.
First Recordings
During this period he recorded two albums, "Yo Protesto" (1970) (I Protest); and "Basta Ya, Revolucion". During that decade he also recorded: "Roy Brown III"; "Profecia de UrayoánUrayoán
Urayoán was a Taíno "Cacique" famous for ordering the drowning of Diego Salcedo to determine if the Spanish were gods.He was the cacique of "Yucayeque del Yagüeka or Yagueca", a region that presently spans between Añasco and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. In 1511, Urayoán and Agüeybaná II conceived a...
" (Prophecy of Urayoán); and "Distancias" (Distances). Brown's personal life started to suffer because of his political beliefs. He got into trouble with the police, his father and brother didn't want anything to do with him and he was fired from his job in the university. His mother was also dying.
In the late 70's, Brown moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and formed a group called "Aires Bucaneros", with fellow musicians Zoraida Santiago
Zoraida Santiago
Dr. Zoraida Santiago is a noted composer and singer of Puerto Rican cultural themes.-Early years:Santiago was born and educated in Santurce, Puerto Rico where she developed an interest in musical instruments at a very young age. Her parents had her take piano lessons as a child. She also took...
, Carl Royce, Pablo Nieves, and Rucco Gandía, among others. The group traveled and performed in many countries such as Greece, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, the Netherlands, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, etc. He recorded "Aires Bucaneros" (1978); "Casi Alba" (1980); "Nuyol" (1983); "Arboles" (Trees) (1988) and "Balada de Otro Tiempo" (1989) (Ballad of Another Time). "Arboles" was produced by Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Return To Puerto Rico
In 1988, Brown returned to Puerto Rico and held a concert at the University of Puerto Rico which completely sold out. The first time he held a concert alone at the same place in the 1970s, only thirteen people showed up.Among Brown's recordings in the 1990s were: "Distancias en Vivo" (1990) (Distances Live); "Poetas Puertorriqueños" (1991) (Puerto Rican Poets); "Nocturno" (1991) (Nightfall); "En Fuga" (1995) (Fleeing); In 1996, he released a two-disc album called "Coleccion" (1996) (Collection); It contains the best of his musical trajectory through the Puerto Rican music scene. In 1997, Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez is a Cuban musician, and a leader of the nueva trova movement.He is considered Cuba's best known folk singer and known for his highly eloquent and symbolic lyrics. Many of his songs have become classics in Latin American music, such as Ojalá, Playa Girón, Unicornio and...
visited Puerto Rico and held a concert with Brown at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
, with a soldout audience of 19,000 people.
Later years
In 2000 he reunited with his Aires Bucaneros partner, Zoraida SantiagoZoraida Santiago
Dr. Zoraida Santiago is a noted composer and singer of Puerto Rican cultural themes.-Early years:Santiago was born and educated in Santurce, Puerto Rico where she developed an interest in musical instruments at a very young age. Her parents had her take piano lessons as a child. She also took...
. Together they released the album, "Bohemia". Showing signs of musical growth, Roy continued to release quality albums in the late 90's and early 2000s with "Poeta en San Juan" (1999) (Poet in San Juan); "Noche de Roy Brown" (1999) (Roy Brown's Night); "Album" (2000) and "Balcon del Fin del Mundo" (2004) (Balcony at the end of World).
On June 7, 2003, Brown let "WPKN" FM of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, record his set in the historic "Plaza de la Revolucion" in Lares, Puerto Rico
Lares, Puerto Rico
Lares is a small mountain municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 wards and Lares Pueblo...
. "WPKN" also recorded Roy's "Ofelia" live from the Nuyorican Cafe in Old San Juan. On February 8, 2004, Brown held a concert in the Antonio Paoli
Antonio Paolí
Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
Hall at the Luis A. Ferre
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan to celebrate his 35 years of music trajectory and the shows were all sold-out. Brown performs regularly in the Claridad
Claridad
Claridad is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was first published in June, 1959. Claridad served as the official publication of the Pro-Independence Movement and later the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. The paper has been praised for its strong political and...
festival, honoring Claridad
Claridad
Claridad is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was first published in June, 1959. Claridad served as the official publication of the Pro-Independence Movement and later the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. The paper has been praised for its strong political and...
, a Puerto Rican newspaper which advocates independence. Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa is a Catalan Spanish singer-songwriter.Serrat is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages...
, Susana Baca
Susana Baca
Susana Esther Baca de la Colina is a prominent Peruvian singer-songwriter; two-times Latin Grammy Award winner. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru....
, Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega is a Rock en Español band from Puerto Rico formed in 1994. Band members Tito Auger and Ricky Laureano come from the northern city of Vega Alta, while brothers Pedro Arraiza and Jorge Arraiza come from the city of Vega Baja, which is next to Vega Alta.-Early years :Childhood friends...
, Cultura Profética
Cultura Profética
Cultura Profética is a Puerto Rican reggae band that debuted in 1996. They have toured in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Mexico and the United States...
, Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
and Lucecita Benítez
Lucecita Benítez
Luz Esther Benítez , better known in the music world as Lucecita, is a Puerto Rican singer.-Biography:Lucecita was a member of what is historically known in Puerto Rico as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger, alongside Lissette and Chucho Avellanet, among others...
are among the many artists that have recorded songs written by Roy.
In 2006 Brown recorded an album, titled Que Vaya Bien, with Tao Rodríguez-Seeger
Tao Rodríguez-Seeger
Tao Rodríguez-Seeger is an American contemporary folk musician. He plays banjo, guitar, harmonica, and sings in Spanish and in English. He is known as a founder of The Mammals and is the grandson of folk musician Pete Seeger....
from The Mammals
The Mammals
The Mammals are a contemporary folk rock band based in the Hudson Valley, area of New York, in the United States.Current band members are Michael J. Merenda, Jr., Chris Merenda, Ruth Ungar, Jacob Silver and Tao Rodríguez-Seeger.- Band history :...
and Tito Auger
Tito Auger
Alfonso "Tito" Auger Vega is a Puerto Rican musician most known for being the lead singer of the Rock en Español band Fiel a la Vega. Auger is also the band's main songwriter, together with Ricky Laureano....
, the frontman for Puerto Rican rock group Fiel A La Vega
Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega is a Rock en Español band from Puerto Rico formed in 1994. Band members Tito Auger and Ricky Laureano come from the northern city of Vega Alta, while brothers Pedro Arraiza and Jorge Arraiza come from the city of Vega Baja, which is next to Vega Alta.-Early years :Childhood friends...
. A single from this record, "El Banquete de Los Sánchez" (whose lyrics were based on an essay by Puerto Rican writer Luis Rafael Sánchez
Luis Rafael Sanchez
Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" is a Puerto Rican playwright. Possibly his best known play is La Pasión según Antigona Pérez , a tragedy based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga-Early years:...
), was censored by some Puerto Rican radio stations due to the use of the slang term "chicho" (a love handle in Puerto Rican Spanish, but erroneously interpreted in this case as a verb tense for the slang term for sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
, "chichar"). Public backlash against the censorship attempt guaranteed radio airplay and good sales for the record (reportedly 30,000 copies in two months) during late 2006. After marrying Puerto Rican former tennis player Emily Viqueira, Brown moved to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
(Viqueira's birthplace), where he currently resides.
Discography
- Yo Protesto (1969)
- Basta Ya... Revolución (1971)
- Aires Bucaneros (1978)
- Profecía de Urayoán (1979)
- Nuyol (1983)
- Arboles (1988)
- Balada de Otro Tiempo (1989)
- Distancias en Vivo (1990)
- Nocturno (1991)
- Poetas Puertorriqueños (1991)
- Aires Bucaneros/Casi Alba (1993)
- En Fuga (1994)
- Colección (1996)
- Poeta en San Juan (1998)
- Distancias Clásico (1999)
- La Noche de Roy Brown (1999)
- Album (music)|Album (2000)
- Balcón del Fin del Mundo (2004)
- Que Vaya Bien (2006)
See also
- List of Puerto Rican songwriters
- List of famous Puerto Ricans