Hux Brown

Hux Brown
Birth nameLynford Brown
Born(1944-12-04)4 December 1944
Port Antonio, Jamaica
Died18 June 2020(2020-06-18) (aged 75)
Oakland, California, US
GenresRocksteady, reggae
OccupationMusician
InstrumentGuitar
Years activeMid-1960s–2020

Lynford "Hux" Brown (4 December 1944 – 18 June 2020) was a Jamaican guitarist who featured on many successful rocksteady and reggae records in the 1960s and 1970s, and was later a member of Toots and the Maytals.

Biography

Brown was born in Port Antonio. When at school he was nicknamed "Fordie", then "Fordux", which became "Hux".[1] He formed a band, the Vikings, before moving to Kingston where he joined the Soul Brothers at Clement Dodd's Studio One label. In 1967, he moved to the rival Treasure Isle studio for producer Duke Reid, and the following year, Brown joined the All Stars, another studio band organised by Gladdy Anderson. He also recorded extensively with Lee "Scratch" Perry.[2]

He played rhythm guitar on many hit rocksteady and reggae records including the influential "Girl I’ve Got A Date" by Alton Ellis, "Ba Ba Boom" by the Jamaicans,[3] and "Bangarang" by Lester Sterling, which some regard as the first reggae record.[4] He also played on "Rivers of Babylon" by the Melodians and "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff; and in 1971 was recruited by Paul Simon to play lead guitar on "Mother and Child Reunion".[3][4]

Brown later joined the touring version of Toots and the Maytals, where he remained for some 35 years.[3]

He died in Oakland, California, aged 75.[3]

References

  1. ^ Katz, David (23 May 2000). "People Funny Boy". Payback Press – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Katz, David (17 November 2009). "People Funny Boy: The Genius Of Lee 'Scratch' Perry". Omnibus – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d Howard Campbell, "Classic Jamaican Guitarist Lynford “Hux” Brown Dies Suddenly", Sflcn.com, 19 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020
  4. ^ a b "Lynford 'Hux' Brown", Guitarsexchange.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020