Kim Brown (musician)
Kim Brown (2 May 1945 – 11 October 2011)[1] was a British-born Finland-based musician, best known for his band, The Renegades,[2] which reached their greatest success during the 1960s.
Life and career
Brown was born in Birmingham, England,[1] but lived much of his life in Finland, where he made a career in rock music.[3] In later years, he played with such musicians as Hasse Walli and Markus Raivio.[3][4] The Renegades recorded four albums in Finland.[5] The tribute album, Moments with Kim Brown (2005), was made after Brown lost his voice in a cancer operation.[3][6]
Brown wrote many of the #1 songs for The Renegades, played guitar and was the lead vocalist of the band.[5] From 1975 on though, he temporarily moved to Italy where he created a 1950s-styled classic rock'n'roll combo called Kim & The Cadillacs, featuring German guitarist Trutz Viking Groth and former-Renegade Mick Webley, which rode the late seventies 1950s craze heralded by shows such as Happy Days and the movie Grease. Kim & The Cadillacs had regular chart success in Italy between 1976 and 1982, and were regulars on all kinds of national television shows there, including Discoring and Festival di Sanremo, only to become quickly forgotten when new musical tendencies advanced in the early 1980s. Kim Brown then returned to Finland, though visiting Italy occasionally for guest appearances in oldies shows or dance hall gigs in resort towns.[3][7] The music of the Renegades was heavily featured in the 1994 Finnish film Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana directed by Aki Kaurismäki; this also included clips from some of their live performances from the 1960s.
Kim Brown died of esophageal cancer in Helsinki, Finland, aged 66, on 11 October 2011.[1][3]
Discography
The Renegades
The albums recorded in Finland.[8]
- The Renegades - 1965, Scandia 601
- The Renegades - 1965, Scandia 602
- The Cadillac - 1965, Hansa 73 368
- Take a Heart - 1965, Hansa 73 956
References
- 1 2 3 Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed 13 October 2011
- ↑ "WangDangDula.com". mbnet.fi.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Muistot.hs.fi, Helsingin Sanomat, 11 October 2011 (Finnish)
- ↑ "Hasse Walli". hassewalli.com.
- 1 2 "Hasse Walli". hassewalli.com.
- ↑ Pinkka.kirjastot.fi (Finnish)
- ↑ Administrator. "Interview ***English version*** - translation: chef Mene". andergraund.it.
- ↑ "Blues News - Finnish Blues Magazine". bluesnews.fi.