Minister Grange, JAVAA lead tributes to Bunny Brown

It was with shock that many persons learnt of the passing of music pioneer Joel ‘Bunny’ Brown on Monday in Atlanta, Georgia, following a lengthy battle with cancer.

The music fraternity has since paid tribute to the singer described as “the man with the velvet voice”. Leading the accolades to the entertainer, who has been involved in music for five decades, is the Minister of Entertainment Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, who remembered Brown as “a very caring person” and her “brother”.

“It is with a heavy heart that I learnt of the passing of Joel ‘Bunny’ Brown. We shared a close relationship. He was truly my brother. He was a member of the Entertainment Advisory Committee and was always making representation to me on behalf of the industry, particularly the pioneers. Throughout his illness, we always kept in touch with him and his family. I shall truly miss him,” Minister Grange said.

The minister, while conveying condolences to his family, friends and members of the music fraternity, emphasised, “At a time when we celebrate Reggae Month, Bunny Brown’s contribution to reggae music must not go unacknowledged.”

Frankie Campbell, president of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA), noted that Brown was an early member and executive of the organisation. He hailed him as a stalwart whose presence will be missed.

“On behalf of JAVAA, I want to send condolences to Bunny’s family. He had been in Jamaica since August, and it was only three weeks ago that he went back to Atlanta in the hope of getting better treatment, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out,” said Campbell, who lamented that “we are losing a lot of our stalwarts” .

He described Brown as the ultimate showman who was always immaculately attired.

Brown, who was a finalist in the 2012 Festival Song Competition, remained very active musically and otherwise and got married last year.

Entertainment personality, Charles Campbell recalled that Bunny Brown was a “tireless organiser who always sought ways to improve the efficiency, proficiency and professionalism of musicians”.

“Bunny devoted himself to the music and was always willing to give a helping hand to others, whether through mentorship or just by listening to their grouses. He will be sorely missed,” Campbell stated.

Bunny first started singing in the church at age nine in the junior choir, and this lit a thirst for performing. He continued in the church and school choir and became a member of ‘The Wildcats’, a band formed by students of the St Aloysius Boys School. It was with ‘The Wildcats’ that Bunny first went into the studio, where the group recorded a cover version ofSingle Girl which was titledBachelor Boy and was released under the name Noel Brown on the Federal label.

Ironically, this song was not popular until 2000, when it became a hot single in Europe. After two years with The Wildcats, Bunny joined the ‘Mighty Mystics’ as lead singer. The group included ‘Keith & Tex’, ‘Mikey and Jeffery Chung’ and ‘Sparrow Thompson’ all from Kingston College (KC) and all to become world-famous Jamaican musicians. The Mighty Mystics exposed Bunny for the first time to the world of true professional musicianship. They had a regular weekly gig at the famous Victoria Pier.

Bunny Brown had been active in recent times, releasing a cover of Prince’sPurple Rain in 2016, a few months after the death of the R&B singer in April 2016.