Rex Brown
| Rex Brown | |
|---|---|
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Rex Brown, live with Down in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rex Robert Brown |
| Also known as | Rex Rocker (pre-1990) |
| Born | July 27, 1964 |
| Origin | Graham, Texas |
| Genres | Heavy metal, groove metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, glam metal, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | Roadrunner |
| Associated acts |
Pantera Down Kill Devil Hill Arms of the Sun Jerry Cantrell |
Rex Robert Brown (born July 27, 1964) is an American musician and author, who is best known as having been the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling, now defunct band Pantera (1982–2003). He is a former member of Down (2001–2011), and is currently the bassist for the band Kill Devil Hill.[1]
Brown authored a book called Official Truth 101 Proof, which was released in April 2013. The book documents Pantera's formation, career, and break-up.[2]
Biography
Rex Robert Brown was born in Graham, Texas on July 27, 1964.[3][4] His father was forty when Brown was born, and died in 1971.[5] He was raised by his mother and sister. Brown was first introduced to music through his grandmother, who taught him to play the piano when he was a child, and turned him onto ragtime music and Scott Joplin. Brown was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.[6] Brown became a fan of ZZ Top and Def Leppard as a youth, and started playing bass when he was twelve years old. He remains a fan of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and hardcore punk.[5]
Career
Pantera
Rex joined Pantera in 1982 with his classmate from the high school jazz band drummer Vinnie Paul, guitarist Dimebag Darrell (then known as Diamond Darrell), and vocalist Terry Glaze. During the early days of Pantera, Rex Brown went by the stage name Rex Rocker. For the 1990 album Cowboys from Hell he was credited simply as Rex. It was not until the 1994 album Far Beyond Driven that he used his full name of Rex Brown.
Pantera recruited vocalist Phil Anselmo to replace Glaze in 1987. By 1990 the band had been signed to Atco Records and released Cowboys from Hell which proved to be the band's turning point. Over the course of four more studio records, a live album and a greatest hits compilation, Pantera were nominated for four best metal performance Grammys, for "I'm Broken," "Suicide Note Pt. I," "Cemetery Gates," and "Revolution Is My Name." During downtime Brown, Dimebag, and Vinnie teamed up with country artist David Allan Coe in a project called Rebel Meets Rebel in 1999. This group released an album on May 2, 2006 on Vinnie Paul's Big Vin Records label. In late 2010 Rex became a founding member of Kill Devil Hill, with Vinny Appice, Dewey Bragg and Mark Zavon. Kill Devil Hill released their debut album in May 2012 to critical acclaim, and continue to tour in support of their music.
Down
In 2001, Anselmo decided to put Pantera on hold because of back pain while he toured and recorded with his side projects, including Down. Pantera disbanded in 2003 and also released the greatest hits compilation CD/DVD The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! . Brown subsequently rejoined Anselmo in Down to replace bassist Todd Strange. On March 26, 2002, Down released their second album called Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow with Brown on bass. After Down reunited in 2006 after a four-year hiatus, work began on their third album, Down III: Over the Under.
Other work
Brown has worked previously with Jerry Cantrell on five tracks included on the album called Boggy Depot as well as eleven tracks with Crowbar on the album Lifesblood for the Downtrodden. He has also provided bass work for Crowbar in 2004 and 2005 and to Cavalera Conspiracy in 2008. Rex revealed his new project Arms of the Sun, a project also featuring John Luke Hebert (of King Diamond) on drums, Lance Harvill on vocals and guitar, and Ben Bunker (of Gryn) on guitar. The group has completed work on thirteen tracks at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Recording Studio in Austin, produced and mixed by Terry Date. In February 2011 it was announced that Rex had amicably left Arms of the Sun. A replacement bassist has not yet been announced.
In March 2011 it was announced that Rex had formed a new band, Kill Devil Hill with Vinny Appice (Heaven & Hell, Black Sabbath, Dio) on drums, Mark Zavon (RATT, W.A.S.P., 40 Cycle Hum) on guitar and Dewey Bragg (Pissing Razors) on vocals. The group has demoed around 10 songs, which, according to Appice, sound "like a cross between Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains and a little bit of Led Zeppelin thrown in. It's heavy, but with a lot of cool hooks and melodic overtones, too."[7]
As of 2013, Rex has released an autobiography called "Official Truth: 101 Proof" which chronicles Rex's personal life, journey through Pantera, and the events that led to the downfall of one of metal's most influential bands.
Personal life
Brown is divorced, is in a relationship as he states in his book,[8] and has children.[9] Brown does not "subscribe to any particular organized religion," though he says he believes in God and the Ten Commandments.[10]
In August 2009, Brown was disincluded from the Down tour due to acute pancreatitis.[11] He would then have his gallbladder and polyps on his pancreas removed.[11]
Playing style and equipment
Brown was a jazz bassist and was offered a scholarship to the University of North Texas but declined.[12] He often plays with a pick. He is widely considered to be, along with Dimebag Darrell, one of the driving forces behind groove metal.
Brown was notable for often contributing walking basslines underneath Darrell's guitar solos. Standout tracks include "Floods" "Walk" "5 Minutes Alone", "Throes of Rejection", "Cowboys from Hell", "Living Through Me (Hells Wrath)", "I Can't Hide", "Use my Third Arm", "Where You Come From", "This Love", "I'm Broken" and many others.
In Pantera's earliest days, Brown was witnessed playing an Ibanez Roadster bass. In the late 80's he switched to Charvel basses and played a white 5 string and a black 4 string model. He used these basses exclusively through the Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power albums, before he briefly used a 4 and 5 string model Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray bass during the Vulgar Display of Power tour as well as a Fernandes Telecaster shaped bass for the "Walk" music video. In 1993, Brown began endorsing Spector bass guitars, notably all his basses had humbuckers. He continues to use Spectors to this day, with his own signature model. Shaped somewhat similar to a Gibson Thunderbird, the Spector Rex Brown Signature bass comes in several different finishes and is available in 4 and 5 string models. In 2011, Spector released a new signature bass by Brown named the Spector RXT. The bass has the same electronics as his first signature bass but instead of a Thunderbird, it is shaped like a Telecaster.
Brown currently endorses Spector basses and Hartke amplification.[12][13]
Basses
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Effects
Amplifiers
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Discography
Album appearances
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Collaborations
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References
- ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET – Bassist REX BROWN Will Not Return To DOWN, Says Drummer JIMMY BOWER". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJQf_NgCdLY
- ↑ Texas Births, 1926–1995, Rex Robert Brown
- ↑ Biography for Rex Brown at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNvvwpimb6Y
- ↑ http://cms.bassplayer.com/artists/1171/rex-brown-rex-drugs-and-rock--roll/31134
- ↑ "VINNY APPICE And REX BROWN Join Forces in KILL DEVIL HILL; First Photo Available". Roadrunner Records.
- ↑ Official Truth, 101 Proof Page 252, In his acknowledgements, he says that 2 women have affected him deeply: his ex wife Belinda and his first love Elena who he is now reunited with.
- ↑ Official Truth, 101 Proof Page 7
- ↑ Ibid. Pg. 8
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "DOWN/Ex-PANTERA Bassist REX BROWN Diagnosed With Acute Pancreatitis". BlabberMouth.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Pantera’s Rex Brown Digs In With Down
- ↑ "rex brown of pantera". GuitarGeek. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
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