Miquel Brown
Encyclopedia
Miquel Brown
Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown, 1954 is a Canadian actress and Disco/Soul
singer from the 1970s and '80s most popular for the songs "Close to Perfection" and the Hi-NRG
songs 'So Many Men, So Little Time' and "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner" (both now considered vintage gay anthems) produced in London by Ian Levine
. Also known for her boyish cornrows hairstyle, which she altered into a more womanly cut after some confusion regarding her gender
(public, not personal). Originally named Michael, her parents changed the spelling (but retained the pronunciation) so as not to confuse her with a male producer
and children's author of the time (Michael Brown
). Only 14 years old, she gave birth to twins, actress/singer Sinitta and Greta, both of whom were adopted out, never knowing of one another until 19 years later. Miquel is the step sister of disco singer Amii Stewart
.
and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Her grandfather died when she was 9, her grandmother died when she was 11, and she ran away from her aunt who took her in. Miquel gave birth to both Sinitta and Greta at the age of 14.. As a teenager, Miquel frequented nightclub
s, influencing her dream of becoming a performer.
She was prompted to leave the university after she auditioned for the U.S. touring company of the musical Hair
and landed the part of Sheila. At the end of the Hair tour she visited Australia
.
Miquel arrived in the UK
in May 1973, having divorced her husband. She was cast as the lead in Decameron '73 at the famous Roadhouse in London
on Saturday, August 4, 1973, and through this earned critical acclaim - 'a star is born.' She was then given an interview on the Michael Parkinson Show, and later appeared in the pilot of The Sweeney with John Thaw.
In 1974 she was granted a part in the film Rollerball with James Caan, as well as the role of Miriam in the tele-play Regan (on Tuesday, June 4, 1974). She also held a two year association with the singing and dancing group 'Second Generation', during which time she appeared in the BBC
production of Armchair Theatre.
Through the next two years she performed various parts in Bubbling Brown Sugar and television appearances in Seaside Special (on Saturday, June 25, 1977), Supersonic (on Saturday, March 5, 1977-show 40), The Ronnie Corbett Show, Jack Parnell's Show, Vince Hill's Musical Time Machine and Bruce Forsyth's Bring on the Girls.
(of Emile Ford and the Checkmates, The Shadows and Love De-Luxe), who signed her for an album deal. The album 'Symphony of Love' (1978) was her first real international hit, which included the title track, 'Dancin' with the Lights Down Low', 'This is Something New to Me', 'The Day They Got Disco in Brazil', 'Do It' and 'Something Made of Love'. This album shot up the American charts to No. 26 (her music was very popular within the gay
community), only to come down again in the early 1980s as disco
'died' (at least in America).
Also in 1978 she appeared in the American film Superman, as the non-speaking 8th reporter in a scene following the first Superman spotting.
In need of a producer in the early '80s, Miquel crossed the paths of Ian Levine
and Fiachra Trench
in 1983. Together with Record Shack Records, they created the album Manpower
, a Hi-NRG
classic. The first single released from the album, "So Many Men, So Little Time" became a hit, reaching #88 on the UK Singles Chart
on June 11, 1983. and peaking at number #2 on the club charts and put Miquel on the international music map.
In the two years following Manpower, she appeared in stage productions of Only in America, the Lieber and Stoller Musical; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and One Mo' Time, as well as in numerous international clubs but did not release any more albums until 1985. Close to Perfection
(also produced by Levine) could not compete with her first success. The album featured two massive U.S. dance radio & dance chart hits, with "Black Leather" and "Close to Perfection", the latter of which gave her her highest UK chart placing (#63) for 7 weeks.
In 1986, she filled in for The Three Degrees
singer Helen Scott while Scott was pregnant at that time. Brown helped the Degrees as they had a single called "This Is The House" to promote around Europe.
Later songs include 'On the Radio' (not the Donna Summer
song), 'Footprints in the Sand' and 'This Time It's Real', all with Nightmare Records (Ian Levine's own attempt at a record label).
In 1989 she was seen as Jill in the second episode of the fourth series ('Accidents Happen' - September 15, 1989 (Season 4, Episode 2) ) of the British show Casualty.
.
Then in 1995, she starred as the Housekeeper in Solomon and Sheba, with Halle Berry
. Also in 1995 she played Sgt. Patton in French Kiss, with Meg Ryan
and Kevin Kline
(a mini-part in the United States Embassy scene). She can be heard on the London cast recordings of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (1993) and Fame
(1995) (as Miss Sherman, the English teacher).
at the Royal National Theatre
(Lyttelton), in London
, directed by Trevor Nunn
and starring Glenn Close
as Blanche DuBois.
She also appeared in the 2001 film Wit, where she has a brief exchange with Emma Thompson
(who plays Vivian Bearing), as the 2nd Technician
.
In 2004, Brown appeared as Idella in the London production of Purlie
at the Bridewell Theatre in London (a role originally played by Helen Martin
, from the American sitcom 227
). Her performance was critiqued as 'forcefully played'.
Miquel Brown: The Lady, Her Loves and Her Lord was presented at the Bullion Room Theatre in London in 2005. This one-person revue was said to be 'a musical journey through her life from birth to the present'.
In 2005, Miquel appeared as Chloe the old maid in An American Haunting
with Sissy Spacek
. As it like the novel of the same name, it is based on the account of the Bell Family, allegedly tormented by The Bell Witch
of Red River, Tennessee
. The following year, 2006, she co-starred alongside Robert Ashe in the drama film 9/11: The Twin Towers.
In 2007, Brown starred in the original London production of Menopause: The Musical.
In March 2008, Brown was seen, when her daughter Sinitta appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, swapping partners with ex-Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones.
In 2008, Brown appeared in How To Lose Friends & Alienate People as Harding's Assistant, along side Jeff Bridges
.
On Sunday, August 3, 2008, Brown appeared in Antwerp, Belgium, and sang her biggest hit to date "So Many Men So Little Time".
Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown, 1954 is a Canadian actress and Disco/Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer from the 1970s and '80s most popular for the songs "Close to Perfection" and the Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
songs 'So Many Men, So Little Time' and "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner" (both now considered vintage gay anthems) produced in London by Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
. Also known for her boyish cornrows hairstyle, which she altered into a more womanly cut after some confusion regarding her gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
(public, not personal). Originally named Michael, her parents changed the spelling (but retained the pronunciation) so as not to confuse her with a male producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and children's author of the time (Michael Brown
Michael Brown (writer)
Michael Brown is a producer and writer of songs and books. Of his books, the most widely known are several children's stories about Santa Mouse....
). Only 14 years old, she gave birth to twins, actress/singer Sinitta and Greta, both of whom were adopted out, never knowing of one another until 19 years later. Miquel is the step sister of disco singer Amii Stewart
Amii Stewart
Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...
.
Biography
She was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Her grandfather died when she was 9, her grandmother died when she was 11, and she ran away from her aunt who took her in. Miquel gave birth to both Sinitta and Greta at the age of 14.. As a teenager, Miquel frequented nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s, influencing her dream of becoming a performer.
She was prompted to leave the university after she auditioned for the U.S. touring company of the musical Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
and landed the part of Sheila. At the end of the Hair tour she visited 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...
.
Miquel arrived in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in May 1973, having divorced her husband. She was cast as the lead in Decameron '73 at the famous Roadhouse in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on Saturday, August 4, 1973, and through this earned critical acclaim - 'a star is born.' She was then given an interview on the Michael Parkinson Show, and later appeared in the pilot of The Sweeney with John Thaw.
In 1974 she was granted a part in the film Rollerball with James Caan, as well as the role of Miriam in the tele-play Regan (on Tuesday, June 4, 1974). She also held a two year association with the singing and dancing group 'Second Generation', during which time she appeared in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
production of Armchair Theatre.
Through the next two years she performed various parts in Bubbling Brown Sugar and television appearances in Seaside Special (on Saturday, June 25, 1977), Supersonic (on Saturday, March 5, 1977-show 40), The Ronnie Corbett Show, Jack Parnell's Show, Vince Hill's Musical Time Machine and Bruce Forsyth's Bring on the Girls.
Music career
In 1976 she played Sister Anna in the musical Mardi Gras (which opened Thursday, March 18 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London). It was through this that she was discovered and signed for her first record release, 'The First Time Around'. This led her to musician Alan HawkshawAlan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw is a British composer and performer, particularly of themes for movies and television programmes...
(of Emile Ford and the Checkmates, The Shadows and Love De-Luxe), who signed her for an album deal. The album 'Symphony of Love' (1978) was her first real international hit, which included the title track, 'Dancin' with the Lights Down Low', 'This is Something New to Me', 'The Day They Got Disco in Brazil', 'Do It' and 'Something Made of Love'. This album shot up the American charts to No. 26 (her music was very popular within the gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community), only to come down again in the early 1980s as disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
'died' (at least in America).
Also in 1978 she appeared in the American film Superman, as the non-speaking 8th reporter in a scene following the first Superman spotting.
In need of a producer in the early '80s, Miquel crossed the paths of Ian Levine
Ian Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
and Fiachra Trench
Fiachra Trench
Fiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench is a musician and composer from Drogheda, County Louth in Ireland....
in 1983. Together with Record Shack Records, they created the album Manpower
Manpower (album)
Manpower is an album by Miquel Brown, recorded in 1983. Includes the major international hits "So Many Men, So Little Time" and "He's a Saint, He's a Sinner" which peaked at number two and number twenty-nine respectively as well as the moderate hits "Beeline" and "Sunny Day.""So Many Men, So...
, a Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
classic. The first single released from the album, "So Many Men, So Little Time" became a hit, reaching #88 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on June 11, 1983. and peaking at number #2 on the club charts and put Miquel on the international music map.
In the two years following Manpower, she appeared in stage productions of Only in America, the Lieber and Stoller Musical; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and One Mo' Time, as well as in numerous international clubs but did not release any more albums until 1985. Close to Perfection
Close to Perfection
Close to Perfection is a 1985 Hi-NRG album by Miquel Brown, produced by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench. The album includes the single "Close to Perfection" and the hard rock-influenced "Black Leather."- Track listing :...
(also produced by Levine) could not compete with her first success. The album featured two massive U.S. dance radio & dance chart hits, with "Black Leather" and "Close to Perfection", the latter of which gave her her highest UK chart placing (#63) for 7 weeks.
In 1986, she filled in for The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
singer Helen Scott while Scott was pregnant at that time. Brown helped the Degrees as they had a single called "This Is The House" to promote around Europe.
Later songs include 'On the Radio' (not the Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
song), 'Footprints in the Sand' and 'This Time It's Real', all with Nightmare Records (Ian Levine's own attempt at a record label).
In 1989 she was seen as Jill in the second episode of the fourth series ('Accidents Happen' - September 15, 1989 (Season 4, Episode 2) ) of the British show Casualty.
The 1990s
In 1990 she released the songs "I Was Strong (My Moment)" and "Which Way Is Up" on HansaHansa Records
Hansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
.
Then in 1995, she starred as the Housekeeper in Solomon and Sheba, with Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
. Also in 1995 she played Sgt. Patton in French Kiss, with Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
and Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
(a mini-part in the United States Embassy scene). She can be heard on the London cast recordings of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (1993) and Fame
Fame (musical)
A stage musical based on the 1980 musical film Fame has been staged under two titles. The first, 'Fame – The Musical' conceived and developed by David De Silva, is a musical with a book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes and lyrics by Jacques Levy. The musical premiered in 1988 in Miami,...
(1995) (as Miss Sherman, the English teacher).
The year 2000 to present
Brown played the Negro Woman in the 2001 play A Streetcar Named DesireA Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
at the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
(Lyttelton), in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, directed by Trevor Nunn
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
and starring Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
as Blanche DuBois.
She also appeared in the 2001 film Wit, where she has a brief exchange with Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
(who plays Vivian Bearing), as the 2nd Technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
.
In 2004, Brown appeared as Idella in the London production of Purlie
Purlie
Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis' 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which was later made into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included all of the original Broadway cast, including Ruby...
at the Bridewell Theatre in London (a role originally played by Helen Martin
Helen Martin
Helen Dorothy Martin was an American actress of stage and television who is perhaps most well known for her role in the sitcom 227 as Marla Gibbs' neighbor Pearl.-Early life and education:...
, from the American sitcom 227
227 (TV series)
227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...
). Her performance was critiqued as 'forcefully played'.
Miquel Brown: The Lady, Her Loves and Her Lord was presented at the Bullion Room Theatre in London in 2005. This one-person revue was said to be 'a musical journey through her life from birth to the present'.
In 2005, Miquel appeared as Chloe the old maid in An American Haunting
An American Haunting
An American Haunting is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Courtney Solomon. It stars Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood, and James D'Arcy. The film was previewed at the AFI Film Festival on November 5, 2005 and was released in U.S. theaters on May 5, 2006. The film had an...
with Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
. As it like the novel of the same name, it is based on the account of the Bell Family, allegedly tormented by The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a poltergeist legend from Southern United States folklore, involving the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee...
of Red River, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The following year, 2006, she co-starred alongside Robert Ashe in the drama film 9/11: The Twin Towers.
In 2007, Brown starred in the original London production of Menopause: The Musical.
In March 2008, Brown was seen, when her daughter Sinitta appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, swapping partners with ex-Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones.
In 2008, Brown appeared in How To Lose Friends & Alienate People as Harding's Assistant, along side Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
.
On Sunday, August 3, 2008, Brown appeared in Antwerp, Belgium, and sang her biggest hit to date "So Many Men So Little Time".
Personal life
She married Anthony Blackett in the 1960s, and on October 19, 1968, when she was 14 years old, gave birth to twin daughters, Greta and popstar Sinitta. Brown divorced her husband in England in May, 1973.Albums
- Symphony of Love 1978
- ManpowerManpower (album)Manpower is an album by Miquel Brown, recorded in 1983. Includes the major international hits "So Many Men, So Little Time" and "He's a Saint, He's a Sinner" which peaked at number two and number twenty-nine respectively as well as the moderate hits "Beeline" and "Sunny Day.""So Many Men, So...
1983 - Close to PerfectionClose to PerfectionClose to Perfection is a 1985 Hi-NRG album by Miquel Brown, produced by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench. The album includes the single "Close to Perfection" and the hard rock-influenced "Black Leather."- Track listing :...
1985 - The Best of Miquel Brown Hot Productions 1991
Singles
- "First Time Round"
- "Dancin' With the Lights Down Low"
- "This Is Something New to Me"
- "The Day They Got Disco In Brazil"
- "Do It"
- "Something Made to Love"
- "Beeline"
- "So Many Men, So Little Time"
- "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner"
- "Close to Perfection"
- "Black Leather"
- "On The Radio"
- "One Hundred Percent"
- "Footprints In The Sand"
- "This Time It's Real"
- "I Was Strong (My Moment)"
- "It's A Sin"