NORMAN BROWN
Born in Louisiana and raised in Kansas City, Norman Brown became interested in guitar at a young age when introduced to his older brother's six-string. Upon the discovery of Wes Montgomery, he was hooked on exploring the world of contemporary jazz, eventually studying it at the Musician's Institute in Hollywood.
He first hit the scene in 1992 with Just Between Us, garnering praise and comparisons to legends like George Benson and Wes Mongomery himself. Brown's 1996 sophomore album After the Storm was an extraordinary success. Topping the charts, Gavin and Soul Trained named it Jazz Album of the Year. His 1997 follow-up album Better Days Ahead won an American Jazz Award for contemporary guitar, with the title track becoming the most-added single in NAC history.
He continued with a steady string of well-received releases including Celebration in 1999, 2002's Grammy-award winning Just Chillin', and West Coast Coolin' in 2004. In the midst of this string of solo successes, he also joined forces with saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun and formed the group BWB. They released their debut album Groovin’ in 2010. In 2013 they released a tribute to Michael Jackson called Human Nature, and followed with their third collaboration BWB in 2016. Alongside saxophonist Gerald Albright, Brown released Grammy-nominated 24/7 in 2013.
After joining up with Shanachie, Brown released Let It Go in 2017. The Highest Act Of Love followed in 2019 and Heart To Heart in 2020. His most recent 2022 release Let's Get Away transports listeners to musical serenity.
