Introduction
Danny Joe Brown (August 24, 1951 – March 10, 2005) was the lead singer of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet after succeeding founder Dave Hlubek in 1976 and co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s.
Biography
Brown was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1951 and graduated from Terry Parker High School in 1969. Shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in New York City for two years. Once he left the Coast Guard, Brown's focus turned solely to music and he joined Molly Hatchet in 1974.
He is best known for writing and singing on such songs as "Flirtin' with Disaster" and "Whiskey Man." He was also the vocalist on "Dreams I'll Never See," a faster-tempoed cover of the Allman Brothers song. The band's sound was immediately recognizable by Brown's distinct voice: a deep, raspy, throaty growl.
Brown left Molly Hatchet in 1980 because of chronic diabetes and pancreatic problems, but soon started his own band, The Danny Joe Brown Band, which released a single studio album in 1981. He rejoined Molly Hatchet in 1982 only to leave again in 1995 after suffering a stroke.
Brown moved into his mother's home in Davie, Florida after becoming ill. He died there on March 10, 2005, at the age of 53. His obituary attributed his death to kidney failure, a complication of the diabetes he had since age 19, along with Hepatitis C. He was previously married to Crystle H. Brown for 16 years and was survived by six children: Jacob Daniel Brown, Matthew Langley Brown, Danny Joe Brown Jr., Ashley Louise Brown, Chrystle Rebeccah Brown and Aaron Morgan.
Brown is buried at Lauderdale Memorial Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Discography
With Molly Hatchet
- Molly Hatchet (1978)
- Flirtin' with Disaster (1979)
- No Guts...No Glory (1983)
- The Deed Is Done (1984)
- Double Trouble Live (1985)
- Lightning Strikes Twice (1989)
With The Danny Joe Brown Band
- Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band (1981)