The Foote Files: The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

(CBS 11) - Arthur Brown (born Arthur Wilton in June 24, 1944 in Whitby, England) is an English rock singer/songwriter who had a big hit on Top 40 radio in 1968.

His band included Sean Nicholas (guitar), Vince Crane (organ) and Carl Palmer (drums). Palmer later was part of the English group Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Brown was known for his flamboyant performances, electric work, and his strong operatic voice. He only had one commercially successful song which we are featuring today yet he has had a lot of influence on other musicians for decades. His style was a combination of theatrical/psychedelic rock.

"Fire" was written by Brown, Vincent Crane, Mike Finesilver, and Peter Ker and produced by Kit Lambert and Pete Townshend (the latter being a member of the English rock band The Who).

It got all the way to #2 on the Billboard Top 40 and was #1 in the UK and Canada. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. During live performances, Brown would perform the song with a burning helmet and, given the way the helmet created that effect, it caused him considerable pain.

You can hear this song on KLUV-FM HD2 and SIRIUS XM 60s On 6.

A one-hit wonder from 1968 and a hard charging song! Song runs 2:54 on the Atlantic Records label.