About Ed Brown
With a diverse background including rodeo cowboy, pasture rider, trapper, wildlife artist and muscian, Ed Brown has corralled a vast backlog of experiences populated by colourful characters and situations which he mines to bring to life his various narratives. Poems laced with raw humour, irony, and commentary on the state of just about everything blend seamlessly with songs that range from poignant reflections on days gone by to uplifting celebrations of modern cowboy life. A unique and original approach to storytelling.
Ed Brown's musical influences include the Spanish and Celtic music that forms the backbone of traditional cowboy music. There are, however, other influences. Defying the perceived limitations of the nylon stringed guitar hints of blues, country, folk and even classical and jazz can be heard sneaking into his playing either when he's performing one of his own compositions or on those occasions when he serves as a side man helping out some other performer. "I don't believe in being too genre specific. If I feel a lick serves the song, I'll play it."
From his home on a small ranch in Southwestern Manitoba Ed performs regularly at countless private functions and has been a headliner at all the major cowboy gatherings and festivals in Western Canada. He has also done regular radio and television appearances and has been featured in several magazine articles and documentaries. To date Ed has produced three cds, the last one being awarded the Will Rogers Award from the Acadamy of Western Artists. Ed is a founding member and hall of fame inductee of the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboy's Association and is currently serving on the board of directors of the Alberta Cowboy Poetry Association.
Around a campfire, in a banquet hall or on the main stage at a festival Ed Brown is equally at home performing his original compositions or backing up some other artist. One of his favorite collaborations is with Sue Harris from Phoenix Az. They crossed paths several years back and have kept in touch. Sue regularly performs several of Ed's songs in her solo career down south. "She puts her own spin on my songs and on many occasions I find myself saying: 'Why didn't I think of doing it that way?'" But it is on those rare occasions when they are travelling close enough to each other to perform together that the magic really happens. "Some people are just more musically compatible than others. We just really hit it off."
"After years of playing cover tunes in bars in the 80s and 90s it was a real treat to find such a demand for my original songs and poems. Some of the acoustic jam sessions at the big gatherings are second to none."
"As long as I can still crawl up on a horse I'll never quit doing it. Checking cows, tagging calves, moving pairs, branding... If I can do it horseback, I'm good. My performances are an expression of a life long love. It's a way of life that stubbornly hangs on in the face of drastic global changes."