Remembering producer Noel Browne

Veteran producer Noel Christano Browne, a member of the ‘70s sibling group the Browne Bunch, which included his brothers Glen, Danny, Clevie and the late Dalton, will be laid to rest on Friday, October 28, in the United Kingdom (UK).

Noel, who has worked with reggae greats such as Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown and Gregory Issacs, migrated to the UK nearly two decades ago, where he continued to produce beats for numerous reggae, dancehall and Afrobeats artistes. Prior to his passing, he had been working on a project with UK reggae singer Carnel ‘Sonbeam’ Campbell.

“I worked with him right up until the very night before he passed away. Noel was recording some great new songs for my album which he was excited about,” Sonbeam told The Gleaner. “He was a musical genius, and generous with his time and skills. He was always willing to pass on his technical knowledge and vast experience in the business to anyone who was interested in learning.”

In 2017, Noel released two songs for Sonbeam, Plastic Smile and Freedom, both of which received major airplay in Europe. The two were also working on a business collaboration, merging their skills in a company called Metaklan Music Entertainment.

Speaking about his personal and professional relationship with Noel, Sonbeam shared, “I measure a great man by the number of people he has touched and [Noel] has done this with so many. In fact, he recently acquired the name ‘Mr Beatz’ from the local young UK grime and Afrobeats artistes, partly because he always knew how to create a vibe in the studio, no matter the day or time. His passing has left a huge void in my musical career, as well as personal life. I now grieve for a great friend, mentor and big brother,” he said

New York-based TV host Kay ‘Special Kay’ Frith said she met Noel this past summer at his studio in Wolverhampton, England.

“I was the last person to interview him,” the social media influencer disclosed. “His knowledge about musical instruments, production and overall reggae culture was unmatched. He shared lots of interesting stories about his journey in the industry ... of himself and his brothers. They started out at such a young age [that] his mom had to sign documents on their behalf.”

The Gleaner also spoke with Freddie McGregor, whose association with Noel goes back decades.

“I have a very long history with Noel and the entire Browne family. He was like a brother,” McGregor shared.

Noel and his late brother Dalton worked on all of Freddie’s Jamaican Classics albums.

“Great musician. I don’t think the world got a chance to understand the greatness of Noel Browne. The way Noel is great, I am convinced if he really took it seriously, he would be like Quincy Jones,” he opined.

Noel played at Big Ship studio in the early years and was integral to the studio in terms of design.

“We built [the studio] from scratch. At the time, I was on tour with Reggae Sunsplash. As I got paid each week I would send money to Noel to take care of the construction, while I worked and bought equipment and everything else. When it was completed, he was in charge of running Big Ship,’’ McGregor shared.

The Push Come to Shove singer spoke passionately about Noel’s interaction with his children.

“The whole of my youths, Stephen, Shema and Chino, dem cut up about Noel’s death right now because they all loved him so much. Noel was the one who helped to groom them into what they have become today, especially Stephen, who understudied him. Noel put a lot of time and effort into him. One time, he unplugged all the equipment in the studio and told Stephen, ‘If you put it back together and make it work, from tonight you are in charge of the studio.’ Stpehen went to work putting things together. And when Noel turned things on and pushed up the volume, everything worked. The rest is history” he said.

Noel Browne, 65 years old, died in Wolverhampton, England, on September 17.