"If Steve Earle and John Prine tag teamed Bob Dylan, and Jerry Reed was pushin', Roger Alan Wade would laugh at em and say, '' y'all can't make a Sweet G.A. Brown''...
- Elroy Keith
"Storytellin', truth-slingin', half-wit nar-do-well, that's bent on walking blindly down the middle of the street without regard to where he's heading or what genre he's in. Too cantankerous for the folk crowd, too subdued and long-winded for rock -n-roll, too old for the punk crowd, and too pretty for jail."
- Scott Rubin
It all started with a bootleg ZZ Top 8-track and the Marty Robbins Greatest Hits 2-record deal off of the TV commercial back around 1983 or so. That's when a young boy in Alabama decided he wanted to create music... Well, let's fast forward to 1994. Here sits that same guy now in his early 20's sitting in a studio in rural South Carolina recording a few songs for a 7 inch record with his first honest effort of a band called Hellstomper. A gritty over-the-top redneck punk band that for some strange reason gained world-wide acclaim in the punk-rock underground. Over 16 releases on multiple indie labels in 10 years. But it was only the beginning of the Sweet GA Brown story.
With an education based in the underground punk rock world, Sweet GA Brown went out onto his own after Hellstomper was dissolved in 2004. By this time GA had amassed a full studio worth of equipment and knowledge to occupy his time and creativity. He started up Earfly Records with the sole purpose of recording music his own music, his own way. He began writing and recording the music that he loves. Honest, straight to the point folkish lyrics with just a hint of the rawer punk world that he'll never be able to shake.
His first two full length albums "The Brown Album" and "Dos" were released almost back to back. With GA unloading with both barrels on every instrument on every track. From solo acoustic tear-jerkers, to rowdy up-beat guitar heavy boogie-woogie. His third release "I Digress" would see GA bring into the mix a few other musicians and writers for some fun. One of them being Dave "Burma Shave" Dowda on drums. Burma Shave and GA make up the live show still today. A show that has been described as "John Prine on crack".
With his fourth release "Seldom Right, and Wrong Again" GA continued to set the bar high for himself. A solid album from beginning to end. Full of satirical commentary mixed with harsh truths. From addiction, to death. But somehow it's all done with a glimmer of hope and happiness. A theme that is constantly woven into the Sweet GA Brown sound.
And now with his 5th solo release "Wordsmith" GA is beginning to gain the attention of several of his musical peers. "Wordsmith" has the usual partners in crime, Sweet GA Brown and Dave "Burma Shave" Dowda, this time teaming up with underground blues guitarist and Rusty Knuckles recording artist Husky Burnette. The album also features a creatively crafted out-of-left-field cover of Prince's hit "Let's Go Crazy" backed up by the San Francisco Bay based murder balladiers The Pine Box Boys.
This latest installment into the Sweet GA library has topped all expectations yet again. The opening track "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" is beginning to pop-up on podcast all over the internet. How can anyone resist listening to a song thats opening line is "I'm the man that turned Hank on to heroin"?
"Weapons" released in early 2016 is a mix of older Sweet GA Brown classics as well as new classics.. This time around he has The Pine Box Boys as his backing band throughout the adventure. Husky Burnetteand JT Oglesby slingin some guitar work, as well as the ever present Dave Dowda. He took some older tunes and took them to the next level, then will take you right back to the depths of his souls with a solo acoustic track. Sold album from beginning to end.
Not stopping there, 4 more releases scheduled for 2016..... Why you ask? Why not? he replies.....
Born Gary Alan Brown in beautiful Northwest Georgia, then raised in the sticks of rural Alabama in his formidable years. This son of a truck-driver has been recording and writing music for well over 20 years. 10 of those years are chronicled in over 20 record releases on over 16 record labels around the world with his southern punk rock band Hellstomper. In 2004 they called it a day and went their separate ways.
Sweet GA Brown went solo and dove head-long into writing lyric-based songs in the spirit of Roger Miller meets John Prine. Often upbeat acoustic songs dealing with everyday issues with his own
