{"id":2031,"date":"2021-03-30T00:55:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T00:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/news\/entertainment-2\/sheree-brown-s-messages-from-the-spirit-the-collective\/"},"modified":"2021-03-30T00:55:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T00:55:50","slug":"sheree-brown-s-messages-from-the-spirit-the-collective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/news\/entertainment-2\/sheree-brown-s-messages-from-the-spirit-the-collective\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheree Brown\u2019s &#8220;Messages from the Spirit\u2026 The Collective&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown&rsquo;s musical career has been greatly influenced by her upbringing in South Los Angeles.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Support_Standard_web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"296\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The L.A. Standard Newspaper needs your support so that we can continue to create positive stories about Black communities. $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. -Jason Douglas Lewis, Owner\/Publisher. Donations can also be made through Cash App <a href=\"https:\/\/cash.app\/$LAStandard\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/cash.app\/$LAStandard<\/a>, Venmo <a href=\"https:\/\/venmo.com\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/venmo.com<\/a> @LA-Standard-Newspaper, PayPal&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/paypalme\/lastandardnewspaper\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/paypalme\/lastandardnewspaper<\/a> and GoFundMe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-2030\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Messages_web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Messages_web.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Messages_web-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Messages_web-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Brown&rsquo;s album can be purchased from her website, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.realshereebrown.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.realshereebrown.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jEWuGgodT2E\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure>&nbsp;<\/figure>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">By Megan Reed<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Sheree Brown has been creating songs that massages the heart and are wrapped in inspiration; that are about the miracle of love; and that speak to social justice since she was a child growing up in South Los Angeles.&nbsp; The former Capitol Records singer, songwriter, and producer is currently promoting her new book and album, &ldquo;Messages from the Spirit&hellip; The Collective.&rdquo; &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The book and musical album are dedicated to young adult women who tell their life challenging stories.&nbsp; It includes encouraging messages to all and music designed to uplift the spirit and touch one&rsquo;s heart. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown began her career as an R&amp;B and pop recording artist in the early 1980s, and she is very proud of her latest work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I feel like this is the best project that I&rsquo;ve done since my Capitol days; since my first album,&rdquo; she said. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown teamed with Grammy-nominated singer\/songwriter\/composer Patrice Rushen on eight of the songs on this current album.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown&rsquo;s musical talents fit into a few genres, including R&amp;B and jazz.&nbsp; Many people hear her music today and think of Neo-soul, which is a phrase that did not exist when her professional career began.&nbsp; Songs that she co-wrote with Rushen years ago have been sampled for Zhane&rsquo;s &ldquo;Groove Thing&rdquo; and Kirk Franklin&rsquo;s &ldquo;Looking for You.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;The interesting thing, when I was recording at Capitol, I was really before my time,&rdquo; Brown said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Because there are young folks that are just discovering my Capitol music.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s current to them, but it&rsquo;s 40 years old.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Browns&rsquo; interest in music started when she was about four years old, and in her early days, she was mostly self taught as she had a natural talent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;My teacher was trying to teach this little boy how to play the xylophone, but this little boy could not get it,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I was watching and thinking that he should hit here or hit there.&nbsp; So I asked the teacher if I could try it, and I played it right away.&nbsp; So then she picked me to play the xylophone that night for the PTA.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">At 10 years old, Brown received her first guitar, and she learned how to play it from a music book.&nbsp; Not long after that she started to write her own music<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I found joy in creating my own songs and performing them as opposed to learning somebody else&rsquo;s songs,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I would write about love, and joy, and positive things because I felt there was so much negative stuff happening.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown grew up near Foshay Learning Center, and she attended St. Mary&rsquo;s Academy in Inglewood. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I would take my guitar to school everyday and play during all of the breaks,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;All of my peers would gather around and listen to my songs.&nbsp; I would spend the time at home at night writing music.&nbsp; And then I&rsquo;d get up early in the morning and do my homework before I went to school.&nbsp; I would go to school to play my new songs.&nbsp; So I had an audience early on.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown comes from a large family, so she would play her music at every family event.&nbsp; She also participated in local talent shows. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">One of Browns&rsquo; stomping grounds for years has been Leimert Park, where she met Stevie Wonder, and members of Earth, Wind &amp; Fire.&nbsp; She was mentored by Alexander Thomas, who was an original horn player of the band.&nbsp; The musical influences in Leimert Park greatly inspired the early stages of her development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;It was just that community and people just coming together supporting each other in the midst of challenges within the community,&rdquo; she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Over the years Brown has been a regular in Leimert Park and in South Los Angeles, as she has mentored young musicians in the community.&nbsp; On her new project, she&rsquo;s working with many local musicians that she has performed with throughout her career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;The thing that&rsquo;s so exciting about this new project is that it&rsquo;s a collaboration of me working with my seasoned folks; my friends who I have been involved with in the music business for years, and I&rsquo;m also working with some younger artists,&rdquo; she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown&rsquo;s album can be purchased from her website, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.realshereebrown.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.realshereebrown.com<\/a>.&nbsp; Follow her on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shereebrownfanpage\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC2RVnthmijiinzI9mg9Btmw\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/realshereebrown\/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Brown&rsquo;s musical career has been greatly influenced by her upbringing in South Los Angeles.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[169,170,93,1298,168,167,161,218,86,156,157,75,135,163,333,2000,162,446,1999,102,158,160,159],"class_list":["post-2031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment-2","tag-african-american","tag-african-american-newspaper","tag-baldwin-hills","tag-black-music","tag-black-newspaper","tag-community-newspaper","tag-crenshaw","tag-inglewood","tag-jazz","tag-ladera-heights","tag-leimert-park","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-standard-newspaper","tag-mid-city","tag-music","tag-neo-soul","tag-park-mesa-heights","tag-rb","tag-sheree-brown","tag-south-los-angeles","tag-view-park","tag-west-adams","tag-windsor-hills"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}