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FRONT ROOM MUSIC ALBUM - ARTIST BIOS
STEVE BROWN
Santa Anna Wind from LIMITED VISIBILITY
VIDEO PLAYLIST LINK

Steve Brown (1946 - 2011) was born in Dallas, Texas. He lived many years in Colorado and eventually settled in Winfield, Kansas with his wife Shellee. Steve ran a locksmith business there. With his bag of tools, he could open or fix practically anything. With a 6-string guitar he could unlock secrets of the human heart. During the late 60's Steve served in the Vietnam War. I met Steve (and Jack Mathes) while they were stationed at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas, circa 1969. Steve owned one LP then (Dylan's FREEWHEELIN) and could play all the songs. We resuming jamming a few years later up In Denver, passing the hours in pursuit of our musical dreams. The path leading to those dreams has been a long and rocky one, over forty years in the making. Steve sang background on SWAMP THANG, from my 1987 country LP TAILS OUT. He co-wrote a few songs with me over the years, most notably IN BETWEEN LOVERS, for which he wrote the last verse. Our rare duet of that song was released in 2012 on my DUETS compilation CD.



I believe Steve's first recording was the OUT OF THE BLUE cassette, an early model for his first CD LIMITED VISIBILITY! The songs on that CD were recorded in the Front Room Music studio in Austin,Texas, in 2001. Steve returned two years later and recorded a few more songs, that are on the 2016 EP-CD EASY STREET, released in tribute. At another time, Steve Brown spent a few hours in the studio with his best pal Jack Mathes, making the music they both loved. Steve will be remembered for his outrageous sense of humor, as much as for his remarkable songs. He was a great friend, father, brother, husband, uncle, and a man of extraordinary talents.

Jim Stricklan

The following is in Steve's own words:
Texas native,
Dallas born,
Raised in Colorado
And the Vietnam war.
Tragedy and laughter,
Sunshine and rain,
Living small town Kansas,
and my song remains the same.
Ain't it enough just to be alive,
to be a child, to be eighty-five;
ain't it enough to know when it's all through,
we'll have done the best that we can do?
Just living life, with it's ups and downs;
it's sorrow and pain-
and sharing love with the ones we love,
and walkin' out in a warm summer rain-
all in all it's been a ball,
good and bad, come and gone;
and if you live it different than me,
that don't mean you done it wrong...




















1) Jack, Jim and Steve, 2008, Austin 2) Jack, Steve, Larry, Jim, 2008, Austin 3) Steve, 2011


















Jack Mathes, Larry Rothwell, Marshall Miller, Jim Stricklan, Steve Brown, 1970's, Denver