Ian Brown was born 20th Feburary 1963. In Warrington. He met future band member, John Squire in a sand pit at the age of 3 and ended up in their first band together, The Patrol. The Stone Roses got together in 1984 and by 1988 they had sorted out a permanent line-up and started to right some of the classics they are remembered for. Their debut album, 'The Stone Roses' was released in 1989 and was everything that all the fans and critics thought it would be. People expected them to take on the world and they probably would have done if they have not have had Silvertone as a record company. Trying to end their contracts they got caught up in a massive legal battle which prevented them from touring, recording, etc. Eventually Geffen stepped in to rescue them and gave them £2 Million up front to produce what would become 'Second Coming'. It was eventually released 5 years later and when it arrived most were surprised that Ian Brown only had his hand in on 3 of the 12 tracks as opposed to split the ownership of all of the first album with John Squire 50/50.

Sadly, things started going wrong with drummer, Alan 'Reni' Wren started failing to show up for the video shooting of 'Ten Storey Love Song', he eventually left in March 1995. Robbie Maddix stepped in to replace his. Later on the tours, keyboardist Nigel Ipinson was taken on as a full time member of the band. Squire called it a day in April 1996, claiming to no longer enjoy playing music, so when the Reading Festival came about in August 1996, the Stone Roses looked very different, Aziz Ibrahim now played lead guitar, leaving only two 'original' Stone Roses members - Ian Brown and Gary 'Mani' Mounfield. The performance at Reading was notoriously awful, voted so by all critics and all but the most hardcore fans attending that day.

Shortly, Ian Brown sent out a statement ending the Roses and effectively putting his musical career in a state of hiatus. He is quoted as considering gardening or selling Roses live bootlegs for his retirement fund, thankfully though he announced a solo career in late 1997 before releasing his debut album 'Unfinished Monkey Business' in February 1998, which was well received by all. Aziz Ibrahim, the last-minute Stone Roses guitarist helped him with several tracks on the album but for the most part, it was a voyage of self-discovery for Brown, with him playing the majority of the instruments on the album that he had learned since leaving The Stone Roses (although he did start off playing bass for The Patrol).

Brown then made his debut public appearance since going solo, DJ-ing at the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, later signing records.

Just when it started to look all rosy again there was troubles as Brown's face is splashed across the tabloids as he is arrested for threatening a trolley dolly on a flight from Paris. Sadly, he was 'made an example of' and sent down for four months, all gigs were cancelled and a follow-up album delayed. The only good news is that whilst inside, Brownie wrote three of the tracks for his second album 'Golden Greats' and he also claims that he was inspired to write a book about the whole experience, but we're still waiting for that one.

Brown hits back with a collaboration with dance duo, Unkle, supplying vocals for track 'Be There' more evidence that he was happy to move away from the Roses sound. The second album, 'Golden Greats' was released in November 1999 and had a much less lo-fi sound than his debut, a lot more production and equally as appealing, the first track to make single was 'Love Like A Fountain' a very upbeat track. Again Aziz Ibrahim featured on several tracks of the album. The album gets even better reviews than his debut. His live shows get better and better and he includes his version of Michael Jackson's classic 'Billie Jean', a studio version was then recorded and it was released as the b-side to 'Dolphins Were Monkeys'. He then marries his Mexican girlfriend, Fabiloa in a London registry office on December 7 1999, shortly before going on stage at the Brixton Academy (a gig that I attended), without mentioning it once. The couple took their honeymoon in Fabiola's home country of Mexico, where Brown filmed the video for 'Dolphins Were Monkeys'.

Brown then gives the Big Issue an interview (The Stone Roses famously gave the Big Issue the World Exclusive on their much-anticipated second studio album 'Second Coming') about his spell inside at Strangeways for his 'air-rage'.

September 2001, saw the release of the Manic Street Preachers' single 'Let Robeson Sing', CD 2 of which featured a version which was remixed by our own Ian Brown. It was his first official remix effort and a great little track, he really made it his own, bringing in his band as giving it that trademark 'Ian Brown' sound.

'FEAR' was released as first single and just ahead of the October 2001 release of 'Music Of The Spheres' Brown's third solo studio album. It was a superb track as was the rest of the album, some of his best works are present on MOTS, in my opinion. 'Whispers' (the track responsible for this site's name) was released as second and finally single of the album in February 2002 and it featured an excellent interview with Muso 'Inspirationalist' Tony Wilson (the Roses' performance of 'Waterfall' on his Other Side Of Midnight programme is now legendary, also, as photos from it made up a lot of the artwork from their classic self-titled debut).

Ian Brown released his first and possibly last(?) Remix album on 4th November 2002, the day as 'The Very Best Of The Stone Roses' (band member chosen tracks, remastered and packaged up) was released. 'Remixes Of The Spheres' was mainly a collection of the tracks that featured on 'Music Of The Spheres' with mixes from the likes of UNKLE, Nightmares On Wax and Cedar Blue, it also featured some rarer B-sides, alternative versions and a 2002 version of 'My Star' (his debut single), a poorer effort considering the brilliant original version that set off his solo career.

Ian Brown's second remix track came about in November 2003 in the form of Gus Gus's single 'Desire'.

And now we wait for Ian Brown's fourth studio album, which at time of writing is still untitled, although 11 of the tracks are said to be complete, one of with is to be a collaboration with Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher. And in the meantime, Brown is to play a gig at The National Trust's Claremont Landscape Garden site in mid-july, which will be one to look forward to.