MUSIC: Junior Brown

With his unique voice, more unique song writing, and even more unique double necked “Guit-Steel” guitar, there has absolutely never been ANYONE like Junior Brown. He’s an American Original.

Born in 1952 in Cottonwood, Arizona, Junior Brown showed an affinity for music at an early age. There, the family moved to a rural area of Indiana near Kirksville. In the following years, Junior began to experience country music. Here, he remembers it as “growing up out of the ground like the crops – it was everywhere. Coming out of cars, houses, gas stations and stores like the soundtrack of a story. However, country music programs on TV hadn’t really come along much yet; not until the late fifties.”

After establishing himself as a songwriter and performer, Brown upgraded his gear in a way that no artist had ever done. Junior struggled through each show, going back and forth plugging and unplugging guitar to steel guitar while singing. Then, he had a dream one night about the two instruments mysteriously melding into one. The result was Brown’s unique invention, the “Guit-Steel”, a double necked instrument combining standard guitar with steel guitar. Thus, the Guit-Steel allows Junior to switch instruments quickly in mid song while singing. According to Brown, his guitar and steel guitar playing became more his own around this time. 

Here, he employed less imitation of others and more his own original ideas and licks. This maturation coincided with the development of a completely “Junior Brown” style of songwriting. Further, Brown adds a subtle dry wit to some songs. Also, others can be more overtly humorous, or just plain dead serious. Like his playing, there is a wide range of styles that when combined can only spell Junior Brown.