Jocelyn Lorette Brown, sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one Billboard Hot 100 chart entry in her name, she has an extensive background in the music industry and is well known in the world of dance music. Brown sang on 23 hit singles from the Official UK Singles Chart, 8 of which have reached the Top 20.
Biography
Early life and former musical experience
Brown was born on November 25, 1950 in Kinston, North Carolina into a musical family. Her aunt, Barbara Roy, was a singer in a female group called 'Ecstasy, Passion and Pain' whilst her mother, two aunts, cousin and grandmother were all accomplished singers. She spent her pre-school years being looked after by her grandmother in Kinston. However, it was her aunt's musical success which gave her the inspiration to become a singer herself. She began singing with gospel choirs in church inBrooklyn and became a favourite soloist in Washington, D.C. at her uncle's church. She then left the gospel genre for a more secular form of music, singing along with a local band called 'Machine' and New York-based funk and disco group Kleeer.
Musical career
Brown further developed her musical career in the late 1970s singing on records by studio-created bands like Revanche, Musique, Inner Life, Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, Cerrone, Bad Girls, Chic, and Change, later singing with the Salsoul Orchestra, Soiree or Dazzle in 1979. In 1980, she appeared in Bette Midler's concert movieDivine Madness singing backup as a "Harlette" along with Ula Hedwig and Diva Gray. In 1984, Brown released a number of singles in her own name, including "Somebody Else's Guy", which reached #2 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and became the title track of her first album, released that same year. Although she scored another big Dance hit two years later with the oft-sampled tune, "Love's Gonna Get You", her solo career never really took off and she continued to sing on other people's records. She has more than twenty hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, four of which have hit number one. She continues to record house music and have chart hits in the 21st century. She toured with Boy George, as a backing vocalist, worldwide with Culture Club in 1985 and appeared on their 1986 album, From Luxury to Heartache. In 1987, she co-wrote with Boy George his top 30 United Kingdom hit, "Keep Me In Mind". Since 1990, she has lived in London. In 1990, the line "I've got the power" was sampled from her 1985 dance hit, "Love's Gonna Get You" by electronica group Snap! for their worldwide hit, "The Power" as well as hip hop groupBoogie Down Productions on their single "Love's Gonna Get'cha " and was the basis for the UK top 3 hit "I'm Gonna Get You" by Bizarre Inc. featuring Angie Brown. Brown also appeared on Right Said Fred's smash hit "Don't Talk Just Kiss". Brown appeared on both seasons of BBC One's celebrity singing talent showJust the Two of Us; first with TV presenter Matt Allwright, then with actor John Bardon from EastEnders. In 2006, Brown released a CD entitled Unreleased. In 2007, Brown collaborated with the AllStars both live, at a series of music festivals in the UK, and in the studio recording of their new album, All About the Music. She also sang the United States national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", at Wembley Stadium, for the first ever regular season American footballgame played on foreign soil. The game was between the New York Giants and the winless Miami Dolphins.
Reality TV and more recent performances
In 2011, she returned to British reality television, appearing in the second series of Pop star to Opera star, but was voted out in week two, the second of two heats, after being sent home by the judging panel when placed in the bottom two of the public phone vote. She sang a 'gypsy song' from the musical Carmen, well known for its accomplished arias and performances. More recently in both June 2012 and 2013, Brown has appeared at the open air 'Happy Days Festival' held at Imber Court in Esher, Surrey.
