User:Broccoliwizard/sandbox

= Brushy One String =

Introduction
Andrew Chin, known as Brushy One String, is a Jamaican singer and guitarist popularized by his use of a homemade unitar, a guitar yielding only one thick E string.

Early life
Hailing from Ochos Rios, Jamaica, Brushy One String is son of the soulful, Jamaican reggae singer Freddie Mckay and a former backup singer for Tina Turner, Beverly Foster. Orphaned at a young age due to his father’s death in 1986, Brushy did not have an easy life. Devoid of an education and unable to read until adulthood, he turned to music as his schooling. Growing up he taught himself to sing and attempted to play instruments on the streets, including six string guitar and drumming on pans. Brushy claims he can not play a regular guitar well because he typically broke every string.

Career
After Brushy One String returned from touring Japan, England, and America in the early nineties, he largely remained off the grid struggling to find success. When he was featured prominently on a local Jamaican TV show his obscurity began to fade. Filmmaker Luciano Blotta would meet Brushy’s while recording his cult reggae documentary RiseUp which was released in 2009 and featured Brushy’s song “Chicken in the Corn”.

Blotta would return to Jamaica to film more of Brushy’s music and released his debut album “The King of One String” on his label Rise Up Entertainment. The label would go on to also release Brushy One String’s album Destiny in 2013 and No Man Stop Me in 2016. According to his website, “No Man Stop Me takes us on a journey through the obstacles that have defined Brushy’s career, and the spirituality which carried him from humble means to world tour status.”

Musical Influences
Brushy One String’s choice of instrument may seem to be a novelty, but it’s origins can be traced way all the way back to West Africa. The diddley bow was a single stringed instrument popular among children in the deep south’s African American community. Many blues guitarists started their musical careers on it, but rarely was it recorded as they would progress to other instrument.

Some early country blues musicians in the deep south such as Eddie “One String” Jones and Lonnie Pitchford used the diddley bow. Brushy’s soulful vocal and playing style is reminiscent of his father’s, Freddie Mckay, known as one of the most soulful reggae artists to come from Jamaica.

The acoustic unitar, a one-string guitar that, although uncommon traditionally, has seen use in Delta blues, an early style of blues that originated along the Mississippi Delta. Other notable unitar players include One String Willie and Seasick Steve. The unitar itself is related to the Ektara, a single stringed instrument associated with wandering bards and minstrels of India. Brushy channels the “wandering bard” persona with a Jamaican twist, telling stories of his travels and beliefs.

Discography

 * The King of One String – (Rise Up Entertainment, December 1, 2010)


 * Rise Up (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) –  (Rise Up Entertainment, May 12, 2012)


 * Destiny – (Rise Up Entertainment, April 1, 2013)


 * Live At New Orlean Jazz & Heritage Festival – (RiseUp Entertainment, November 3, 2015)


 * No Man Stop Me – (RiseUp Entertainment, February 16, 2016)