View source for Steve Brown (composer)

{{Short description|British composer (1954–2024)}}
{{for|similarly named people|Stephen Brown (disambiguation)|Steve Brown (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}

'''Steven James Brown''' (25 October 1954 – 2 February 2024) was a British composer, lyricist, record producer, and arranger.

== Career ==
Although primarily known for his composing, Brown proved himself an adept comic, both in performing and writing. He was a full cast member of the [[Sony Radio Academy Awards|Sony Award]] winning [[BBC Radio 4]] comedy sketch series ''[[In One Ear]]'' from 1984 to 1986. Part of his character arc revolved around his complaining (jokingly) that not enough time or attention was given to his musical interludes, and that the rest of the cast got all the funny material. 

Brown went on to write many of the songs for the satirical comedy show ''[[Spitting Image]]'' in the late 1980s and the entirety of the 1990s, originally providing just lyrics and eventually taking over permanently from [[Philip Pope]] as house composer/musical director, as well as providing many of the sung impressions. He worked and appeared extensively with [[Rory Bremner]] in the 1980s and 1990s, completing UK tours and the BBC series, ''[[The Rory Bremner Show]]''. Brown wrote a number of songs for BBC 2's [[Dead Ringers (comedy)|''Dead Ringers'']], appearing briefly as [[Noel Gallagher]] with [[Jon Culshaw]] singing as [[Liam Gallagher]]. He also acted as MD for impressionists [[Alistair Mcgowan|Alistair McGowan]] and [[Ronni Ancona]].

In 1995, he composed the music for ''[[Ant & Dec|The Ant & Dec Show]]'' on [[CBBC|Children's BBC]], and later worked on their ''[[SMTV Live]]'' programme, for which he wrote the 'Wonky Donkey' jingle, among other themes. He continued to work extensively as a jingle writer for their ITV show ''[[Saturday Night Takeaway]]''.

Brown played the fictional bandleader Glen Ponder in the [[Steve Coogan]] TV show [[Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge (TV series)|''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge'']],<ref>{{cite web |title=Harry Hill on Professor Branestawm, success, failure and his secret |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-12-24/harry-hill-on-professor-branestawm-success-failure-and-his-secret-new-musical-based-on-a-global-tv-franchise/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref> and worked with Coogan thereafter, writing material and appearing as MD on two major UK tours including a West End run at The Lyceum in ''The Man Who Thinks He Is It'', a further UK tour in 2008, ''The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon'' special and album and the song "Raped In The Face" for the film ''[[Hamlet 2]]''. In April 2018, he worked again with Coogan on the BBC revival of the [[Alan Partridge]] character.

Other television shows include [[Lee Mack]]'s ''[[Not Going Out]]'', ''[[The Brian Conley Show]]'', BBC1 series ''[[New Tricks]]'' and ''[[Lenny Henry]] Goes to Town''. He wrote songs for the BBC Children's TV shows, ''[[Playaway]]'' and [[Play School (UK TV series)|''Play School'']], and also the long-running ITV show ''[[My Parents Are Aliens]]''. [[CITV]]'s ''[[Scrambled!]]'' on which Brown provided theme song and numerous jingles. In 2018, transmission began of the adventure game show ''Spyschool'' for which he provided theme music and the entire underscore.

As a performer Brown featured on several radio series including the radio show [[Jammin' (radio programme)|''Jammin{{'}}'']] with [[Roland Rivron]] and ''The Lee Mack Show'' for [[BBC Radio 2]] in which he took part in many of the sketches.

Brown provided all the music and arrangements for British comedian [[Harry Hill]]'s television, radio, live, recording and film work since 1997, and worked on his ITV ''[[TV Burp]]'' show as musical director and jingle composer, later providing the same for ''Harry Hill's Tea Time'' on Sky and ''[[Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule]]'' for ITV. In 2013, Brown wrote the orchestral score and all original songs for ''[[The Harry Hill Movie]]''. Brown arranged and recorded all the music for Hill's 2015 revival of ITV's ''[[Stars In Their Eyes]]''.

As a record producer Brown worked on the triple-platinum-selling album ''[[Seasons of My Soul]]'' by [[Rumer (musician)|Rumer]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Rumer: this album's creation was a bloodbath |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/9246760/Rumer-this-albums-creation-was-a-bloodbath.html |website=Telegraph |date=9 May 2012 |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref> as well as [[Laura Mvula]]'s, [[Sing to the Moon|''Sing To The Moon'']], both of which were top-ten records on the [[UK Albums Chart]]. He also produced Harry Hill’s ''Funny Times'' and later ''Little Black Book'' by Sarah Walk. In 2014, Brown produced four tracks for the Italian singer [[Noemi (singer)|Noemi]] on her album ''Made in London'', which peaked at number 2 in the Italian Albums Chart.

Brown composed the score and co-wrote the book and lyrics of the [[West End theatre|West End]] musical ''[[Spend Spend Spend]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Spend Spend Spend |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/spend-spend-spend/ |website=The Stage UK |access-date=17 September 2018}}</ref> which starred [[Barbara Dickson]] and chronicled [[Viv Nicholson]]'s rise and fall after winning a fortune in the football pools in the early 1960s. With Harry Hill he co-wrote ''[[I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=I Can't Sing X Factor musical to close after just six-week run |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/27/i-cant-sing-x-factor-musical-to-close-simon-cowell |work=The Guardian |date=27 April 2014 |access-date=17 September 2018 |last1=Kennedy |first1=Maev }}</ref> which premiered at the London Palladium on 5 March 2013. It was jointly produced by Stage Entertainment and [[Simon Cowell]]'s company [[Syco]]. The show starred [[Nigel Harman]] as Simon Cowell and [[Cynthia Erivo]] as the main contestant. His musical adaptation of ''[[It's A Wonderful Life]]'', co-written with [[Francis Matthews (actor)|Francis Matthews]], was staged at the [[New Wolsey Theatre]] in [[Ipswich]] in 2009. In 2017, the two began work on a new commission, ''Champion'', for the same theatre. In March 2018, Brown completed filming the new ITV panel game, ''The Imitation Game'', appearing with his own six-piece band.

In 2021, Brown and Hill collaborated again on ''[[TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera]]''. The show was presented virtually as part of the [[Turbine Theatre]]'s MTFest. In 2022, the show made its world premiere at London's [[Park Theatre (London)|Park Theatre]] before a run in 2023 at the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]], as well as a UK tour.

== Personal life ==
Steven James Brown was born on 25 October 1954.<ref name="Tele">{{cite news |title=Steve Brown, Spitting Image composer who also played Glen Ponder in Alan Partridge – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/02/06/steve-brown-composer-comedy-alan-partridge-spitting-image/ |access-date=7 February 2024 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=6 February 2024}}</ref> He had two sons, standup comedian [[Alfie Brown]] and musician Lenny Brown, from his first marriage to comedy actress and impressionist [[Jan Ravens]], for whom he continued to write material.<ref>{{cite news |title=Funny bones run in the family as fringe plays host to comic dynasties |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/14/fringe-edinburgh-festival--family-comic-dynasties |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=14 July 2018 |access-date=17 September 2018 |last1=Thorpe |first1=Vanessa }}</ref> In 2010 he remarried, to actress [[Deborah Cornelius]]; they lived in west London with Cornelius's daughter, Manon.

Steve Brown died from [[pulmonary fibrosis]] on 2 February 2024, at the age of 69.<ref name="Tele"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Steve Brown, the prolific comedy composer, has died |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/news/7742/steve-brown-rip/ |access-date=3 February 2024 |publisher=British Comedy Guide |date=3 February 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.comedycv.co.uk/stevebrown/index.htm Steve Brown's official entry] at ''Comedy CV''.
* {{discogs artist|Steve Brown (7)}}
* {{imdb name|0114713}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Steve}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis]]
[[Category:English composers]]
[[Category:English lyricists]]
[[Category:English male composers]]
[[Category:English music arrangers]]
[[Category:English record producers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Norwich]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]
[[Category:British male songwriters]]
[[Category:British parodists]]
[[Category:British satirists]]
[[Category:Parody musicians]]
[[Category:British satirical musicians]]
[[Category:English comedy musicians]]