Hanh Pham Brown, the widow of George “Funky” Brown, speaks on the importance of her late husband’s posthumous launch and lifelong dedication to Kool & the Gang.
Stream: ‘The place I’m Coming From’ – George Brown
Over forty years later, it’s nonetheless troublesome for partygoers worldwide to withstand Kool & the Gang’s cheerful invitation to “Rejoice good instances, come on!”
Whereas 1980’s “Celebration” stays the Gang’s most recognizable and commercially profitable observe, it’s value noting that the group has remained energetic performing and recording over the various years since then. All of that achievement has culminated with the discharge of their twenty-sixth (!) album, in addition to their induction into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame, over the previous year-and-change.
From the time Kool & the Gang was first based in Jersey Metropolis in 1964, George Brown – or, as he would later come to be identified, “Funky” – would show to be one in every of its most dedicated and depended-on members. About forty musicians have joined Kool & the Gang for numerous parts of the previous 60 years, however Brown was there the entire time as their lead drummer and percussionist, together with contributing vocals, lyrics, and keyboards every so often, up till he handed away at age 74 in November 2023.
Shortly earlier than his demise, Brown accomplished two ultimate artistic tasks. His memoir, Too Sizzling: Kool & The Gang & Me, was revealed in July of final yr, and he additionally managed to place collectively his first solo album, The place I’m Coming From, which was designed to be a lyrical and musical overview of his decades-long life and profession.
His spouse, Hanh Pham Brown, presents some significant perception into this swan tune of a report and the way Funky stayed true to and passionate for his craft up till the very finish.
Learn our interview under and take heed to George Brown’s solo album The place I’m Coming From, out now!
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Stream: “WHAT IF” – George Brown
A CONVERSATION WITH HANH PHAM BROWN
This interview has been frivolously edited for functions of size and readability.
Atwood Journal: Over time, what was it like being with George and having Kool & the Gang be such a robust a part of your lives?
Hanh Pham Brown: It’s been a curler coaster experience, I’ve to say. It’s a kind of issues the place you’ll by no means know what lies forward, particularly once I first met him. I didn’t know who he was at the moment, and eventually he got here out and mentioned, “I’m like this, I’m this widespread Joe particular person.” It’s been a problem and a tremendous journey to see the magnitude of the band and what George has contributed. It’s been a tremendous experience.
Do you continue to personally have any reference to the opposite members of Kool & the Gang?
Hanh Brown: The band is my prolonged household, so we’re all the time going to be in connection. I’ve been a part of that household for 30 years. Once they’re in California, I attempt to have them collectively. I convey them to my home simply to allow them to chill out and have a home-cooked meal after they’re on the highway.
Lately, what was it like seeing George age but additionally staying true to his craft and decided to finish one ultimate album?
Hanh Brown: George was a visionary man. Stuffed with imaginative and prescient. This album – not simply this album, his complete private profession – has been a journey for him. So, I feel that is his true craft. I all the time inspired him to get it out and to let the world know what he was able to. He’s not only a drummer or a keyboardist for a band. He was a author – not the one author for the band, however he had a lot in him that he wanted to get out.
Because the years go by, he retains writing and writing, and I say, “Honey, when are you going to get it out?” And he goes, “I’ll get there, I’ll get there.” So, I used to be like, “OK, you’ll get there, however you’re 10 years into now!” And he says, “The best second.” Sadly, he wasn’t planning on not being right here [for the right moment].
At one level, he mentioned, “Effectively, I’m nonetheless going to be with the band when my album comes out. I’ll work in between small venues and carry out and let individuals know I can sing.” It’s actually been a tremendous journey to be with him and see what he’s able to.
George was primarily referred to as the drummer for Kool & the Gang. Was singing one thing he did along with that?
Hanh Brown: Being within the band, all of them can sing. The Kool & the Gang household isn’t just a one-man present. All these guys are a number of devices gifted. Not only one or two devices – a few of them can play so many. And writing – I can’t say all of them can write, however the principle writers had been George and Khalis [Ronald “Khalis” Bell, another of the band’s founding members]. And from there, these two might unfold out the music for the opposite members to place their share in.
Singing-wise, I feel all of them had to have the ability to background sing, so again then, when there have been the unique seven, they had been all multi-instrumentalists and so they all had to have the ability to sing. That by no means stopped. So, George was capable of construct up his singing capability by means of taking classes and writing and all the opposite stuff [he did] for himself and for different artists as effectively.
Had been you capable of see him report among the album? Did you get a way of what the manufacturing was like?
Hanh Brown: I noticed when he would have it in his thoughts to get it out. [There were] early mornings or late nights once I would get up and he would say, “Oh, I’ve one thing on my thoughts, I need to go see if I can tinker on the keyboard and get it down.” That artistic facet would come out on these late nights or early mornings, typically at 2 or 3 am.
And on the recording facet – he would go into the studio, and when he’s in his personal non-public house, I don’t distract him from that. He’s along with his engineers and his musicians. When somebody interrupts your artistic facet, you sort of lose the vibe, so I attempt to keep away from that. However what he’ll do is usher in his merchandise after he’s carried out and say, “Take heed to this. How’s this? What do you assume? Is that this for me, or is that this for Kool & the Gang?” He’ll try this. So, I get to listen to the ending facet, [even though] I don’t get to see the second when he’s within the studio.
George handed away final November. Are you aware what was carried out throughout the next months to complete up the album and have that polished product be prepared for launch?
Hanh Brown: Really, earlier than George handed, his complete album was carried out. It was set for launch and the one factor we needed to do was combine and grasp. So, it was already etched in stone and the one factor that I did otherwise was that I added a tune that I wished to be included on this album as a result of it was a narrative. This complete album is a narrative concerning the individuals in his life who meant so much to him or who modified his life. That’s the one factor that I do need to say. However the album was already carried out; it was launched in mid-September.
Now that the album is out, it’s an opportunity to have a good time George’s life and profession one final time, and it’ll most likely additionally encourage some individuals to take a look at Kool & The Gang’s again catalogue, I might assume. What do you hope followers will be capable to take away from that chance?
Hanh Brown: You understand, I hope the general public will get pleasure from this album. [It has] classes of life, phrases of knowledge, therapeutic – I do know that he’s all about therapeutic and luxury and making individuals really feel good. And it has tales and songs that I do know he would need individuals to narrate to. So, that’s what I’m hoping to realize by releasing this album on behalf of George, on behalf of Astana Music, Inc. and in collaboration with Magnetic Music Works.
I feel that what we’re hoping for is for the general public to listen to his voice – such a comforting voice – and the message that comes throughout. He was a thinker and whenever you take heed to George speak, you possibly can hear that he loves to show. You possibly can hear all that knowledge and religion in what he teaches. Folks, after they speak to him, can stick with it a dialog for a very long time. He has a variety of knowledge to share and it’s attention-grabbing.
He additionally put out a memoir not way back. How do the written phrase and the music work collectively to be a strong send-off bundle for George, if you’ll?
Hanh Brown: I feel that’s his approach of leaving issues behind for us all. I’m within the area of well being, so individuals do go away, and I all the time see how individuals set issues up earlier than they go away. Hindsight-wise, I look again and say, “Wow, I feel this man knew in his personal approach that he was not going to be right here for much longer on this Earth.” That’s how he put issues up and the way I helped him get there.
It was a tremendous journey for me and so I’m completely satisfied that he was capable of get it out. He completed his memoir and was capable of make one look [an NPR interview in which he promoted Too Hot], and that was superb. It was superbly carried out; he did it, and I beloved that he was in a position to try this.
I want he had been right here to see the album flourish, as a result of we had a listening social gathering for him. It was a stupendous turnout with all the journalists and his son, Aaron Brown, was capable of dedicate one in every of his favourite songs that his dad wrote to him and do his personal music as effectively. George gave that youngster notably the present and the legacy for him to observe. I used to be actually completely satisfied that this did occur for him.
What impresses you most about The place I am Coming From?
Hanh Brown: I feel that is a tremendous album as a result of it was rigorously chosen and put collectively. It’s about his private life, and whenever you share any person’s story for 30 years, you do have a life story to inform. So, this album touches on our relationship, his grandmother, his previous relationships, and the way a lot God meant to him. He wasn’t a person of 1 religion – if individuals walked by means of our home, they’d see every little thing beneath the solar. It’s fairly attention-grabbing – individuals could be like, “Oh, you’ve the Mezuzah in your door and also you even have a bunch of Buddhas in your yard! And one in every of them has the Star of David on his again!” George was a person of all religions and it’s actually unbelievable how he left issues behind for us all.
Are you aware of any upcoming Kool & the Gang-related tasks from different members?
Hanh Brown: Sure, Kool & The Gang has a music firm ourselves, which is Magnetic Music Works, Inc. One of many members who’s signed to us for his music [will soon] launch his jazz album. George has a [posthumous compilation] jazz album popping out subsequent yr, in order that’s stunning – it’s referred to as Jazz in Paris. The band began out as a jazz band, and George beloved jazz.
Curtis [Curtis “Fitz” Williams, Kool & the Gang’s current saxophonist] can also be going to be releasing his work. Other than that, I don’t imagine the band will write extra music as a result of their two predominant writers are now not right here. However there’s nonetheless Curtis beneath Magnetic, and George left us a legacy of his personal songwriting and a variety of music within the vault that we’re going to launch as time goes by.
His son, Aaron Brown, has his personal music popping out as effectively. In the event you take heed to Aaron Brown, his type of writing is much like his dad’s, besides it’s extra fashionable pop – oldie, however fashionable pop. So, that’s what lies forward in our camp right here.
Any ultimate ideas you’d like to depart the followers and readers?
Hanh Brown: You understand, if followers wished to study George, I might inform them to go take heed to the album. You possibly can hear his voice – that helped me heal. Even I, his spouse, who typed up ¾ of his ebook for him, had to return and reread it. I simply mentioned, “OK, let me learn this and ensure my reminiscence is right.” It offers some perception into present biz for many who need to find out about present biz and the way he weathered by means of it as a younger man. It’s easy studying but it surely’s superb, it’s good, I beloved it, it helped me to get by means of a variety of issues and make clear among the un-clarity typically.
Additionally, I’m very pleased with the band for having lastly been inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame! They lastly made it after nearly 60 years; it’s been an extended journey for all the band members, and so they lastly made a spot for themselves. It’s well-deserved.
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