Ian Brown

Since the release of “I Wanna Be Adored”—the hypnotic first track of The Stone Roses’ 1989 self-titled debut album—frontman Ian Brown has been the consummate rock star: a cocky, charismatic spokesman for our most unspoken thoughts and desires. While The Stone Roses would become one of the most influential bands of the ‘90s, Brown has spent the following decades living up to his messianic myth as a solo artist. Born in 1963 in Warrington, Brown took to Sex Pistols and The Clash as a teenager and would carry that punk ethos for life. In 1984, he formed The Stone Roses, who helped shape the hedonistic scene and dance-rock sound of “Madchester”. After two acclaimed albums, the band broke up in 1996. That split would be well-documented on Brown’s 1998 self-produced solo debut, Unfinished Monkey Business, which balances the Roses’ groovy bagginess with Brown’s smoothly sung bitterness. Over the next decade, the singer and multi-instrumentalist remained a dominant presence in alt-rock, releasing a string of albums that played with electronic effects, minimalist soundscapes and taboo topics, including 2001’s spacey Music Of The Spheres and 2007’s politically charged The World Is Yours. After The Stone Roses reunited in 2011, Brown resurfaced in 2019 with Ripples. Featuring tracks like “First World Problems”, the album proved the seasoned rocker could still bring the hooks, the swagger and plenty of sarcasm.