Gregory Dane Brown (born July 2, 1949) is an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Iowa.
Early life
Brown was born into a musical family, and his father was a Pentecostal minister. He grew up in the Hacklebarney region of southwestern Iowa, which he describes as "hill country." Brown spent several years traveling with a band before returning to Iowa, where he performed live and pursued his songwriting career.
Career
thumb|220px|right|Performing with Bo Ramsey in Dubuque Iowa in May 2008.
During the 1980s Brown toured and had recurring performances on A Prairie Home Companion. In 1986, he released an album called Songs of Innocence and of Experience based on poems by William Blake. His album One Big Town (1989) won an Indie Award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and marked the beginning of Brown's long collaboration with Iowa guitarist Bo Ramsey.
The Poet Game (1994), his tenth studio album, saw significant international radio play (charting on AAA and topping The Gavin Reports Americana chart), and received a NAIRD Indie award for singer-songwriter Album of the Year.
His 1996 album Further In received a four-star review from Rolling Stone, which described it as "a contemplative gem" and a "masterwork". Brown's 1997 release Slant 6 Mind earned him a second Grammy nomination. and which was featured on an episode of NPR's On Point.
In 2024 he released Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook, a collection of essays, photographs, and sheet music. Brown married singer-songwriter Iris DeMent in November 2002. In 2005, he and his wife adopted a daughter from Russia, Daria Chesnokova Victorona (Dasha Brown).