Pete Brown
Poet, lyricist, bohemian BORN 1940
PETE BROWN suffered a catastrophic drug psychosis in 1967, which led not only to sobriety, but to the lyrics of one of the most famous songs by Cream. “I wrote White Room in the actual white room [of my flat] where the breakdown happened,” he explained.
Before Cream, Brown was already making a living as a beat poet at the intersection of British jazz, blues and poetry. Born in Ashtead, Surrey, by the early ’60s he was part of the new poetry scene which included Roger McGough and Adrian Mitchell. In 1963 a partnership with Michael Horovitz led to jazz poetry group Live New Departures. In 1965 the pair performed to a sold-out International Poetry Incarnation at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside American beats including William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. After his collaboration with Horovitz, Brown fronted The First Real Poetry Band, which included John McLaughlin on guitar.
After Ginger Baker invited Brown to help finish Wrapping Paper for Cream in 1966, the instant chemistry between Brown and Jack Bruce birthed rock classics including I Feel Free and Sunshine Of Your Love. A sometimes-strained 48-year collaboration continued through all of Bruce’s solo releases.
After Cream split, Brown fronted Pete Brown & The Battered Ornaments (he was fired by his own band the day before they were due to support the Stones in Hyde Park in 1969) and Piblokto! He also worked with Graham Bond for 1972’s Two Heads Are Better Than One. In later years Brown recorded regularly with Piblokto! keyboardist Phil Ryan, produced Dick Heckstall-Smith and the Peter Green Splinter Group, wrote his 2010 autobiography White Rooms And Imaginary Westerns, and composed lyrics for Procol Harum. In 2015 Brown moved from London to Hastings, where he completed his farewell LP Shadow Club, with special guests including Eric Clapton, Arthur Brown and Joe Bonamassa, a month before his death.