A songwriter's songwriter, Iowa folk artist Greg Brown is in a category all of his own, with a body of work stretching back to 1981's The Iowa Waltz (on Minnesota's Red House Records), followed by more than 30 highly-regarded albums. While Brown has retired from music and touring, he collaborated with Minnesota's Ramshackle Press on Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook. The 136-page book is a collection of writings, drawings, and photographs that accompany the lyrics and sheet music to many of Greg’s classic songs and features a foreword by musician Seth Avett, who released an album of Brown's songs in 2022. In addition, Brown has announced four appearances in the Upper Midwest where he'll be reading from the book, telling stories and taking questions from the audience along with playing a few songs.
The son of a rural Iowa preacher, Brown's songs embody a sense of place — he still calls Iowa home, where he lives with his wife, songwriter Iris Dement. Brown was born in the Hacklebarney section of southeastern Iowa and raised by a family that made words and music a way of life. His seasoned songwriting, storytelling, and music are deeply rooted in that place, with songs like "Your Town Now,” "Canned Goods," “Two Little Feet,” and “Spring Wind.” His songs have been covered by many artists including Joan Baez, Seth Avett, Gillian Welch, Willie Nelson, Ani DiFranco and others.
Brown's deep, rumbling vocals, ability to lyrically paint a picture and mastery of so many genres of American music, from folk to early blues to country, make him a true original and hero to newer generations of musicians. No Depression described him as a "Carhartt-clad beatnik, a Midwestern mystic who’s been singing his idyllic ballads that mix pastoral heartland ideals and dark visions of the bleeding red American middle."
Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook will be released on April 30th through Ramshackle Press.
Pre-orders, including limited editions and signed copies, are available through ramshacklepress.org.
GREG BROWN:
April 26 Viroqua, WI - Driftless Books
April 27 Winona, MN - Minnesota Marine Art Museum
May 2 Minneapolis, MN - Electric Fetus
May 3 Iowa City, IA - Prairie Lights Bookstore.
