Ian Brown Biography

Couzens and Garner both left the band in 1987, replaced by bass player Gary Mounfield, a.k.a. Mani. The group's debut single 'So Young' received little attention, but follow-up 'Sally Cinnamon' was more of signpost to things to come, and a statement of the group's intent to deploy the catchiness of 1960s British guitar pop and the swagger and trippiness of the nascent dance-music scene in equal measure. 'Elephant Stone' was released in the autumn of 1988 on Silvertone, the label with which they had just signed, and the song continued to garner the group attention. Within a short space of time the group were selling out gigs both in London and in their Manchester homeland.

The Stone Roses' self-titled debut album was released on Silvertone in 1989, and the band was almost instantly viewed as the epitome of cool. That the band looked cool, all serious pouts, lank hair and baggy clothes, was never in dispute, but their own particular melange of guitar rock, psychedelia and early dance music sounded cool too. Their sound was the equivalent of the coolest, artiest kid at the party, who didn't seem to need to do or say much and yet could exude nonchalance and a hint of detached arrogance at the drop of a beret. The group eventually became known for Brown's sneering, rasping (and occasionally tuneless) vocals, and Squire's virtuosic guitar skills, both showcased so memorably on the wah-wah heavy album-closer, 'Fool's Gold'. Now viewed as a classic, 'Fool's Gold' was a somewhat unlikely hit, not least owing to the fact it was so flipping long, but the heady combo of Mani's winding bass line, Squire's guitar noodlings and Reni's funky-drummer beat provided a perfect framing for Brown's eerie, whispered vocals, that mesmerise and draw the listener into the song.

The album itself has since come to be viewed as one of the most important, not just of its era, but of rock and pop history, heralding as it did the sea change in music, pointing to both the rave/dance scene and the guitar-based Britpop that were on the horizon for the 1990s. Bands such as the Charlatans, Blur, Suede, Oasis, Primal Scream and others of their ilk all had the way paved for them by Brown and his cohorts, and the critics then, as now, raved about them.

'She bangs the Drums', the third single from the album, scored their first top forty spot, and then 'Fools Gold' fared even better, reaching the top ten. The size of gigs the band was able to sell out was on the up too, and the Roses organised their own Baggy version of Woodstock, in the shape of a huge festival at Spike Island, near Widnes.

However, the band's success was not to be matched by their productivity. The sell-out gig at Spike Island, attended by over 30,000 of adoring fans, was to be their last in England for five years, owing largely to an acrimonious legal row with Silvertone. The label took out an injunction against the group, preventing them from releasing any new material, and whilst the court case rumbled on, secret negotiations with several major labels keen to sign the group went on. Having won the case against Silvertone, The Stone Roses were snaffled up at great expense by Geffen.

The hiatus had not proved to be a fertile time for the band, and although their keeping a low public profile had more to do with them not being up to much, rather than them trying be all Garbo-esque and mysterious, the chatter and mystique surrounding the band's follow-up album (or lack thereof) was rife. It was not until 1994, and after some serious cattle-prodding from Geffen, that they finally completed and released their second album, to an eager public and press, desperate to see what they had done next. 'Second Coming' was actually rather 'too long in coming' for many- and although it was hardly a damp squib, reaching number four in the album charts, and comeback single 'One Love' also hitting the number four spot, the five year wait between albums probably had everyone expecting something just as earth-shattering as their debut effort.

Although the album was recorded and released almost at the same time as Oasis's debut 'Definitely Maybe', and even though Liam Gallagher's posturing and nasal vocal style owed much to Ian Brown, it felt almost as though the torch had been passed by now - Oasis never looked back (in anger), whereas the band that had influenced them and so many other of the mid-90s British success stories was unravelling.

On tour, the Stone Roses and their crew had split into two separate camps - one bus for the cokeheads (with Squire) and one for the potheads (with Brown). Reni quit the group in 1995, and although a replacement drummer was found in the shape of Robbie Maddix, a further, bizarre setback was to come: Squire suffered a broken collar-bone after falling off his mountain bike, which meant the band had to pull out of a crucial comeback performance, a Glastonbury headlining spot, in June of that year.

The guitarist walked out on the band in April 1996, much to the irritation of Brown, as he had offered no explanation as to why. They recruited a stand-in guitarist, in the shape of session player Aziz Ibrahim, but after six unsuccessful months of live performances, in particular a disastrous set at Reading, the group parted ways.

Of the four founder members of the Roses, Brown was arguably the least expected to succeed as a solo artist - however, succeed he certainly did. First album 'Unfinished Monkey Business' (1998) featured collaborations with Reni, Mani and Ibrahim, and despite sounding like what it was- a rather awkward transition from the Roses to whatever he was planning to do after - it still performed admirably in the charts, reaching the number four spot. 1998 was however to prove to be Brown's most testing year - after an alleged 'air-rage' incident (in which Brown was accused of threatening to cut off an air-hostess's hands after she was rude to him on a flight), the singer was sentenced to four months in Manchester's category A prison, Strangeways. He maintains that the judge wished to make an example of him, and denied he had done anything wrong, but the sentence stuck.

Brown survived the frightening experience by reading, keeping fit, and keeping his nose clean - not easy when he states that he saw more drugs during that incarceration than in the rest of his life put together (and this is someone who grew up in Greater Manchester). Somewhat bizarrely, he also adopted Islam as his religion whilst banged up, but has since claimed that this was partly to annoy the screws, and partly to ensure that he received a better, halal meal from the canteen.

His second solo album, 'Golden Greats' (1999), was less concerned with songs per se, using more dance beats and samples, but kept him in the charts and the public consciousness, and in January 2000 the single 'Dolphins were Monkeys' reached the top five. 'Music of the Spheres' (2001) out-performed its two predecessors, reaching number three in the album chart, and was further indication that Brown was going to do things his way, edging further from the Roses guitar songs towards minimalist arrangements and dub, hip hop and techno influences. 2004 release 'Solarized' was equally successful, and earned glowing plaudits from rock writer John Robb, who described it as '...the best yet with its super funky urban guerrilla tunes and even touches of mariachi in its make up'.

The following year Brown had a huge sell-out UK tour, packing out the MEN arena in his hometown, and going along way to prove that if anything, his popularity had grown since the Roses days. So, what of his latest album effort? In the eyes of several reviewers, its his best solo work to date, and he is as pleasingly forthright as ever. For example, the first single from the album 'Illegal Attacks', a duet with Sinead O'Connor, is a withering anti-war song. The album features a few other collaborative cameos too, with Happy Mondays bassist Paul Ryder popping up on a couple of tracks, Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke contributing, and even appearances from the former Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook on the track 'Sister Rose'. (Brown apparently aimed high with the artists he targeted - the NME reported in August that he'd narrowly missed out on getting Paul McCartney to provide some bass for the album too).

Furthermore, whenever Ian Brown opens his gob, pure newsworthy sound-bites still seem to flow out. Recently picking up a 'Legend Award' at the 2007 Q awards ceremony, and taking the time whilst there to slag off fellow award-winner Kylie Minogue, saying: 'I think she's a little devil doll. She looks like a horse.' Some might say, however, that a man who has himself been dubbed 'King Monkey' should go easy on the animal comparisons!

So, full of beans and enjoying a successful solo career, not to mention 'legend' status, would Brown be interested in joining up with Squire again for one last fling? Don't bet on it. That's not to say that no attempt has been made at piecing things together, such as Squire sending Brown a box of Maltesers for Christmas during that spell in Strangeways. (This revived a tradition that the two had shared since childhood of giving each other the airy chocolate treats, and Squire had even written a note to accompany his peace offering, saying he still loved him). However, this gesture still did not lead to the two actually talking to each other again.

When asked to consider a reunion of the Stone Roses, Brown maintains that he is perfectly happy with his current lot, and no amount of money seems to be sufficient to convince him otherwise - if reports are to be believed, a five million pound offer to reform the group, for just five shows, was turned down flat. Then again, the break-up of the group was such a hugely personal and damaging affair for both Squire and Brown that the only reunifying factor, rather than money, would be mutual forgiveness - which seems highly unlikely. Squire told a newspaper recently, on the subject of getting the Roses together again, 'I'd rather remove my liver with a teaspoon'. And on this, if on nothing else, Squire and Brown are in agreement, the latter evoking the pain of being abandoned by his guitarist and best friend by saying: 'It's like a girl I used to love, man, and then she just binned me overnight. I've forgot about her. I've met another one. I've met a more beautiful one."

• Ian brown Discography