Blue King Brown are a Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

-based, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n urban roots band. They have released a self-titled EP (2005) and a full length album, Stand Up (2006). They released their follow-up Worldwize Part 1 - North & South on 20 August 2010. They have opened for acts such as Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana

Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...

, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Damian Marley

Damian Marley

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....

, The John Butler Trio, The Cat Empire

The Cat Empire

The Cat Empire are an Australian ska and jazz band formed in 1999. Core members are Harry James Angus , Will Hull-Brown , Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala , Ollie McGill , Ryan Monro and Felix Riebl...

, Silverchair

Silverchair

Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...

, Dispatch

Dispatch

Dispatch or dispatches may refer to:In literature* Dispatches , a 1977 book by Michael Herr about the Vietnam War* dispatches , a magazine edited by Gary Knight and Mort RosenblumIn radio and television...

 and Powderfinger

Powderfinger

Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....

.

Biography

The two founding and songwriting members of the band, Carlo Santone and Natalie Pa'apa'a, commenced playing and songwriting on guitar, jamming with residents and itinerants alike in their original base of Byron Bay. They originally performed as a percussion duo and also with a band called Skin, which became the beginnings of Blue King Brown.

This beats driven collaboration formed many connections within the Australian roots scene and they were invited to sit in as percussionists with The John Butler Trio at many of their shows, along with many other guest performances with a number of local and international touring artists over the years.

After moving to Melbourne in 2004 to concentrate on the new collective of Blue King Brown, they recruited Salvador Persico as the band's percussionist, adding a Latin influence to the Blue King Brown sound. Sam Cope is the bands keyboardist and Peter Wilkins plays the drum kit. Hailey Cramer, Ngaiire and Jess Harlen were added as the original backing vocalists.

Success came quickly for the newly formed Blue King Brown. Their debut single, "Water", released on their debut self-titled EP, was quickly added to high rotation on Triple J

Triple J

triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

, as well as earning them an AIR Chart award in 2006.

Blue King Brown backed up their first EP release with a debut album entitled Stand Up, independently released in October 2006 through their own label, Roots Level Records and in Japan through Village Again/Sideout. The album was nominated for the 2006 J Award

J Award

The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...

 and their song "Come and Check Your Head" was #100 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006

Triple J Hottest 100, 2006

The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2007. It is the fourteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....

, as voted by the listening public.

Members

• Natalie Pa'apa'a – vocals, guitar
• Carlo Santone – bass
• Salvador Persico – percussion
• Pete Wilkins – drums
• Sam Cope – keyboards
• Emily G – trombone
• Nadee – backing vocals
• Jess Harlen – backing vocals

Albums and EPs

• Blue King Brown (EP, Roots Level Records, 12 September 2005)
• Stand Up (LP, Roots Level Records, 14 October 2006)
• Worldwize Part 1 North & South (LP, Lion House Records, 20 August 2010) #44 Australia

Singles

• "Moment of Truth"
• "Water"
• "Come Check Your Head (download single, Roots Level Records)
• "Stand Up" (Roots Level Records, 3 March 2007)
• "Women's Revolution (download single, Roots Level Records, 11 June 2010)
• "Never Fade Away" (Lion House Records, 20 August 2010)

External links

• Blue King Brown official website
• Blue King Brown at Australian Music Online
• NGAIIRE official website