Sam Brown

Sam Brown knows the view from the backing-vocal mic as well as the one from center stage. Born in Stratford in 1964, the English singer, songwriter and musician did the rounds as a session vocalist, lending her pipes to a list that runs from Spandau Ballet and Adam Ant to Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, George Harrison, Gary Moore, Jon Lord, The Firm, Nick Cave and Dodgy.

On her own she signed to A&M and put out her debut album, Stop!, in 1988, and the title track is the calling card: a slow-burning blue-eyed soul ballad, with Brown's voice going from smoky to scorched as the thing builds. Her singles often circle lost love, and with jazz in her phrasing and piano and ukulele under her fingers, she brought a warmth that the drum-machine pop around her tended to lack. "This Feeling", "Can I Get a Witness", "Kissing Gate", "With a Little Love" and "Just Good Friends" kept her on the UK charts into the next decade, eight hit singles in all.

In 2007 serious trouble with her singing voice forced her to stop recording and performing live. She didn't come back until 2023, with an album called Number 8.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.