Dennis Brown; Reggae Star for 30 Years

Dennis Brown, a major figure in reggae music who began his career as a child prodigy and rose to become the “Crown Prince of Reggae,” died Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 42 and the cause of death was initially listed as respiratory problems, but according to a hospital official was still being studied.

In a career lasting more than 30 years, Brown recorded more reggae classics than just about any other performer. He was one of the last of a generation of singers who combined what critic and reggae archivist Roger Steffens on Thursday called, “the styles of Lover’s Rock and Roots Consciousness” reggae.

Brown was the son of Arthur Brown, one of Jamaica’s most famous actors. He was a child performer at many of the theaters in Kingston and began his recording career at 13 as one of many child performers for the Studio One recording label. His first hit, “No Man Is an Island,” was recorded just after signing with Studio One, and it was in that song that Brown found a style that was to stay with him all his career. His voice grew more mature as he aged, what one critic termed a “tart tenor,” but his style stayed the same.

Among his hits were “Baby Don’t Do It,” “The Look of Love,” “Things in Life,” and “Money in My Pocket,” which were all pop hits set to a reggae beat.

His recording of “Money in My Pocket” in Britain in 1979 propelled him to international fame after it rose to No. 14 on the charts. He toured Europe that year and in 1980 he signed with A & M records, his first major label, and toured North America. But some career missteps, including an effort to expand his American audience by recording with K.C. and the Sunshine Band, did little to enhance his following in the states.

With the death of Bob Marley from cancer in 1981, Brown became the No. 1 interpreter of traditional reggae music. If Marley was indeed the king of reggae, Brown was certainly the prince. He was a fixture in the legendary Reggae Sunsplash festivals of the 1980s and ‘90s in Jamaica. Those festivals, which could last well into the next morning over a period of four or five days, were favorites with tourists and locals. His later hits included “Westbound Train,” “How Could I Leave,” and “Ghetto Girl,” a song recently covered by British singer Mick Hucknall of the pop group Simply Red.

In 1995 he earned a Grammy nomination for his album “Light My Fire.”

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne, and 13 children, Radio Jamaica reported.