Yvonne Brown recalls meeting Dennis Brown at the Rainbow Theatre in London in 1974
THE RAINBOW Theatre in Finsbury Park, London, holds special memories for Yvonne Brown, the widow of the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Emmanuel Brown.
It was there in 1974 that the two had a chance meeting that would later lead to love and marriage, children and now, grandchildren. On Thursday, February 1, the birthday of the man who has been hailed as reggae music’s greatest singer, a bubbly Yvonne recalled that unforgettable day that would change her life forever.
“I was just going to get some fish and chips ... that’s what we eat in London when we don’t cook. I was walking down the street with a friend and we heard like a little commotion going on over at the theatre. So we peeped in and somebody said ‘Do you want to come in?’. We went in and before you know it, I was backstage. I was thinking ‘Oh gosh, what is this?’. There were people around and someone said these are musicians and singers, so I just went around and they said ‘Hello, what’s your name?’,” Yvonne shared.
Dennis Brown introduced himself and asked Yvonne if she would like to go to a club later.
“I said ‘Well, it’s [a] weekend ... why not?’. It was a chance meeting .... nothing planned. I wasn’t even dressed for the occasion,” Yvonne said from her home in London.
After that first date, the two became inseparable, but Yvonne still had her reservations.
“At first I wasn’t sure about it because he lived in Jamaica and I lived in London and so I thought this can’t work, this don’t make sense. But Dennis was kinda insistent. He was like ... ‘Yes, we can mek it happen’. We got married two years later,” Yvonne said.
From day one, Yvonne was captivated by Dennis’ kindness and the way he spoke.
“He was different from other people. Dennis wasn’t show off or anything ... he was just very humble. And that appealed to me. There was no stress around him. I miss his voice; he was just a nice person to be around. We have five children and were quite young when he passed. My last daughter was 12 or 13,” she recalled.
Since Dennis Brown’s passing in 1999, nine grandchildren have been added to his family and they have been taught about their grandfather’s enduring legacy.
“Dennis would have loved the grandchildren because he loved children. They were all here this evening and they watched performances on YouTube and they like to tell their teacher and their friends their grandfather is Dennis Brown,” a proud Yvonne said.
HUMILITY
The humility that Yvonne spoke of seemed to be an intrinsic part of the reggae’s beloved Crown Prince. At a Jamaica Reggae Industry Association Open University symposium hosted by Steven Golding and Coleen Douglas on Thursday, saxophonist Dean Fraser also spoke of “his humility and his niceness”.
Ryan Bailey, music industry all-rounder, declared, “Dennis Brown was nicest human being I have ever met. He looked out for everyone except himself.”
Bailey, who spent a chunk of his life in Canada, shared that when he met Dennis Brown in that country he was star-struck. “I was enamoured by the art and artiste. I remember Dennis taking out his guitar in Pearson International Airport and playing it ... amazing. He also had a Casio keyboard... I was fortunate and lucky to have met him,” Bailey told the hosts.
On his birthday, while stations played extensively from D Brown’s catalogue, the family gathered to cut a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday.
“Listening to his music and hearing all the tributes, sometimes it feels as if Dennis is still around. At times it’s as if he’s not actually gone. The music lives on and because of that, the spirit lives on,” Yvonne said in a voice loaded with emotion.
Dennis Brown, who recorded 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, died on July 1, 1999 at the University Hospital in St Andrew. He was 42.