There are just a few words to describe my good friend, Jerry “BustaBrowne” Simmons, spiritual, musical, diligent, and amusing, but the best one that comes to mind is..Awesome. This talented music producer, songwriter and artist is just the latest gem we want to present.
In 1980, raised in Gary , Indiana was a boy born who had a dream to be a gospel songwriter and artist. He was influenced by so many greats like the Winans, Commissioned’s, Fred Hammond and Mitchell Jones as well as some secular artists like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Al B. Sure, BabyFace, and Boyz II Men.
The inspiration started to build when he noticed the writing credits on some of the popular songs he liked kept coming up on the cassettes and CD jackets. Names like Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and BabyFace. He was so fascinated by how some of the writers and producers were artist too. So in 1992, at the age of 12 years old he began songwriting and found out that he wanted to sing more.
He attended Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts and was a Visual Arts major. He wanted to be there for vocal but his mother wanted him to get better in drawing because her gift was in Visual Arts.
BustaBrowne’s dad was a skilled bass player and sang with many musicians and groups around the Chicago land churches. In 1995 at the age of 15, he noticed that music was calling his heart. BustaBrowne learned how to make musical compositions on the computer during lunch hours on a Apple computer and a Roland keyboard. He got with his classmates and they begin to experiment on how to lay down tracks. Always fascinated by groups like Boyz II Men, 112, Commissioned, and Jodeci he would jump in groups and sing in the hallways harmonizing with them but wouldn’t join the group because of his respect for his mother’s wishes to sing at the church.
Busta and his younger brothers and sister would practice around the house with Commissioned type harmonies and sung a church also. At Emerson, he often found himself around a group called Adagio. Almost every lunch hour he would be in the hallways or band practice rooms adding his parts to the group. This led to later on starting his own gospel group called High Praise.
In the year 2000 he bought his first workstation or “beat machine” and would be up all night long reading and making beats. He found new inspiration of making music and beats through the productions of Warryn Campbell, Dawkins & Dawkins, Tonex, and Rodney and Freddie Jerkins. By 2003 he learned that everything is being done on the computer and that the access to having your own home setup is reachable. While in a local Guitar Center he met a music producer named TyeHill of the Productionix. Tye convinced Busta that he should purchase Reason and gave him a few lessons on it.
That changed his musical life forever. So he purchased a new computer, Pro Tools, and Propeller Head Reason to get started on his dream.
2004 marked many changes in his life and wanted to give up on his music career. His longtime friend and later wife, encouraged him and supported him to go forth. He later purchased better quality equipment and sounds and to better his gift. Also longtime Emerson classmates Terrell Lockett, Jason Carpenter and Robin Coley would offer their skills into helping BustaBrowne’s journey into a better musician and producer. During the age of MySpace he was blessed to feature a music track on Gospel Recording Artist Tonex’s blog of August. Later he reached out to 2x Stellar Award Nominee, Terri Carroll and Claude Deuce who also later in 2012
In the year of 2007 he met a few colleagues by the names of Jesse Blackmon, Aaron Green, and Stephen Powers. They all formed a media and production company called The Beat Fakulty, LLC. This was a good move for everyone because they all learned different styles of music, mixing techniques, business skills and becoming better musicians. Busta found himself learning more and also gaining new long term friends.
Due to difficulties in business, in 2009 the Beat Fakulty decided to disband but on good terms. This moment in life called for a decision to be made and things turned out better than they all hoped for.
Today, BustaBrowne has his own music studio called studio833 and production company, JerMar Music Group. He has been trained at MIW in Chicago and has been under the teachings of Grammy Award Winning producer, Rico Lumpkins, Engineer/Producer/Chuck Kawal and Engineer/Producer Andy Bosnak. He was blessed to work and be around artists, songwriters, and producers like Dwayne Coleman, Reggie Foster Jr., Michael Joiner, Terri Carroll, Terry Garmon, Pharis Evans and Armar’rae Hill .
Busta later produced Tate Music Group’s artist: HGA entire album and is working on many other albums coming out in the future.
Now we anticiapate a solo debut album with Towerlight Records that we cannot wait to promote and bring out to the WORLD!
Definitely don’t take your eyes and ears off BustaBrowne, there is no stopping this phenomenal talent.
Check Busta out here:
http://www.facebook.com/tykeoliver#!/profile.php?id=1826573749
