Bryan Art

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Bryan Art
Bryan Art PORTRAIT.jpg
Bryan Art by Bryan Art press release photo
Background information
Birth nameBryan Joseph Grant
Also known asBrah Yhan, Brahyhan Art, Gitsy
Born (1977-09-18) 18 September 1977 (age 47)
Origin Murray Mount, Saint Ann. Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall, roots reggae, lovers rock, reggae fusion, world music
Occupation(s)Recording artist, singer musician, guitarist, producer
InstrumentsVocals, Guitar
Years active1995–present
LabelsFiWi Music, Junction Files, AL.TA.FA.AN Records
Website bryanartmuzik.com

Bryan Art (formerly Brah Yhan or Brahyhan Art), born Bryan Joseph Grant in Murray Mount, Saint Ann Parish is a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and guitarist. He is a former touring member of the Legendary Fire House Crew and band leader/guitarist of the Grass Roots Band. He was named Best New Artist in the year 2002 by Television Jamaica's ER (Entertainment Report). [1]

Contents

Biography

Background

Bryan Art was born in Murray Mount, a rural community in the Parish of Saint Ann, Jamaica, a few miles away from Nine Mile, where Reggae legend Bob Marley was born. Bryan, the youngest of 12 children, was raised in a home where most of his family members were musically inclined. As a young boy, Bryan emulated his eldest brother Ray, a musician and singer who had several recordings. However, it was his mother who first taught him how to play the guitar. Grant left Murray Mount in the late 1980s and moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where he currently resides. In the mid-1990s, Bryan attended The Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts.

While attending the college, Grant was discovered and recruited by band leader George Miller (Fyah George) of the Firehouse Crew. He was asked to join the band as lead guitarist, providing musical support for Philip "Fatis" Burrell's Xterminator Production artists Luciano, Mikey General and Sizzla. A few years later, Grant became co-founder and band leader of Grass Roots Band, which supported and toured with Reggae artist Bushman. He also filled in occasionally as a guitarist on tours with Black Uhuru.

Brah Yhan to Bryan Art transition

Bryan Art Bryan Art Portrait 3.jpg
Bryan Art

In 2001, Grant released his first single as a solo artist using the stage name "Brah Yhan", which is a moniker and customized spelling/pronunciation in Jamaican Patois of the name Bryan. The track was titled Soon Come Back. This song was produced by Grant with Courtney Morrison for FiWi Music Label, who had signed him previously. In 2002, Brah Yhan was awarded the Best New Artiste of the year by Television Jamaica's ER. [2] Over a 3-year period, Brah Yhan recorded and released several other songs, the majority under the FiWi Music Label, including "When Your Eyes Speak," "Stain," "Hug Me Baby", and "Wrong Time". However, Grant's most notable releases are "Rock And Come In" in 2004 and "Get It" in 2005. In the same year, Bryan cut ties with FiWi Music and changed his stage name to Brahyhan Art. In 2009, after his hit song "Murder Dem A Play" was released he changed his name for a second time to Bryan Art.

In 2010, Art released his debut album titled Bryan Art 20Ten on the Junction File/Jah Chin Label. In 2012, he registered his record label, Junction Files. In 2013, Bryan Art repackaged Bryan Art 20Ten [3] and re-titled it Bryan Art with some changes to the track line up. [4] He entered into a distribution agreement with AL.TA.FA.AN/VPAL Music Label. The following year (2014), he formed The File 13 Band which consisted of a few talented young musicians he recruited from his Alma Mater. Later that year, he released Fresh Start EP on his own Junction Files Label.

Career

Bryan Art playing guitar in 2006. Bryan Art playing his guitar.jpg
Bryan Art playing guitar in 2006.

Art has performed at several local and international shows including the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Rebel Salute, ATI, Fully Loaded, St. Mary Mi Come From, Unity Splash, and Reggae Month event. He was appointed Reggae Month Ambassador for 2014. Art has appeared on national television shows including TVJ's Smile Jamaica , Entertainment Prime, CVM TV's On Stage and CVM at Sunrise, among others.

His international appearances included tours of the Caribbean, United States, Europe and Canada. In Europe, he performed at Reggae Jam 2011. In Canada, he performed at Calgary International Reggae Festival in 2012. As a songwriter, he has penned songs for artists such as Etana, George Nooks, Singing Melody, Bushman, and Luciano. As a musician, he has recorded scores of Guitar tracks on many local and international projects including The Sunshine Riddim on Nelly Furtado's "Turn Off The Light" (Reggae Mix), The Natty Bay Riddim on her song "... On the Radio (Remember the Days)." He appears on Queen Ifrica's hit song "Far Away" Acoustic remix.

He has been featured in Reggae magazines and websites such as United Reggae, [5] Reggaeville, [6] Reggae France [7] and Irie Mag. [8] He has also been featured on several international blogs including Jamendo in 2014. [9] Today, Bryan Art has appeared on several Reggae/Dancehall Riddim compilation albums along with some of the leading Reggae recording artists.

Discography

Albums

Studio Albums
TitleRelease dateLabelFormat
Bryan Art 20Ten28 May 2010Jah Chin/Junction File CD, Digital distribution
Bryan Art16 Apr 2013AL.TA.FA.AN/VPAL MusicCD, Digital Distribution

EPs

EPs
TitleRelease dateLabelFormat
Knowledge Is The Power EP7 Aug 2015Junction FilesDigital Distribution
Fresh Start E.P20 Jun 2014Junction FilesDigital Distribution

Singles

Singles
TitleLabelRelease yearFormat
"Soon Come Back"FiWi Music2001 Vinyl
"When Your Eyes Speak"FiWi Music200245 Record|Vinyl
"Stain"Fiwi Music200245 Record|Vinyl
"Hug Me Baby"Fiwi Music200245 Record|Vinyl
"Get Over It"FiWi Music200345 Record|Vinyl
Never Throw My Love"Acoustic Vibes200345 Record|Vinyl
"Don't Come Knocking"Fiwi Music200345 Record|Vinyl
"Players Style"Jah Snowcone200345 Record|Vinyl
"Wrong Time"Tuff Riddim200445 Record|Vinyl
"Bonafide"Fiwi Music200445 Record|Vinyl
"Send Dem On"Kirkledove Records200445 Record|Vinyl
"Rocking The Blues"FiWi Music200445 Record|Vinyl
"Rock And Come In"Fiwi Music200445 Record|Vinyl
"Blazing Hot"FiWi Music200445 Record|Vinyl
"Get It"Fiwi Music200545 Record|Vinyl
"Get It Remix"Cap Calcini200545 Record|Vinyl
"Restrain The Youth"Vertex Records200545 Record|Vinyl
"Somewhere"Jamplified Records200845 Record|Vinyl
"Best of My Love"M Bass Productions200845 Record|Vinyl
"Murder Dem A Play"Andrew Khool Inc.200945 Record|Vinyl, Digital Distribution
"Dem Fass"Junction Files2011Digital Distribution
"Dem Fass Remix" (feat. Capleton)Junction Files2012Digital Distribution
"Fresh Start"Junction Files2013Digital Distribution
"Knowledge Is The Power"Junction Files2013Digital Distribution
"Murder Dem A Play 3Mix" (feat. Sizzla & Queen Ifrica)Junction Files2014Digital Distribution
"Miss You Bad"G-Block Records2017Digital Distribution
"Can't Cut Wi Vibes"G-Block Records2017Digital Distribution

Bibliography

References

  1. "Bryan Art". MTV. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  2. "Bryan Art". itzCaribbean. itzcaribbean.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  3. Trench, Vladimir (15 April 2013). "Bryan Art repackages debut album".
  4. "Bryan Art". VP Reggae. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. "Bryan Art, Sampler – United Reggae".
  6. reggaeville. "Album-Review: Bryan Art – Bryan Art". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  7. "Reggaefrance.com /". reggaefrance.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  8. "Bryan Art | Jamaica | Irie Magazine". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  9. ""Always be yourself and listen to your heartbeat." – Bryan Art -".