1. Sam Brown, who's he?

Sam Brown is a female British singer-songwriter with a truly magnificent voice. She rose to prominence in the late 1980s and has created a diverse body of music displaying her fine musical talents - she sings, plays piano, writes, produces and occasionally wears hats. She's also a good laugh.

2. Any songs that I'd know?

You probably know "Stop!" the international hit single from 1988 that was Number 1 in five countries, and got to Number 4 in the UK charts in 1989. There's also "Can I Get A Witness?" (UK Number 15 in 1989) and "Kissing Gate" (UK Number 23 in 1990). She's released a clutch of other singles that are listed in full in the discography.

3. What about albums?

Sam's debut album "Stop!" (1988) topped the charts all over the world and has sold nearly three million copies worldwide. Records. That was closely followed by "April Moon" (1990), then "43 Minutes" (1993), "Box" (1997) and her superb current album "ReBoot" came out in September 2000. See the discography for full details of all her albums.

4. Where can I buy Sam's albums and singles?

The album "Stop!" is available in any good record shop on A&M Records in most countries in the world, certainly in Western Europe, Australasia and North America. The current album "ReBoot" should be similarly available on Mudhut records - your best bet is to buy it direct from Mudhut's Mudmerchandise website - they will deliver anywhere in the world. Sam's much-loved, much-requested and impossible-to-get third album "43 Minutes" will be re-released in summer 2003 on Sam's own label Pod Music. Her last single "In Light Of All That's Gone Before" is available direct from Mudhut.

If you're having trouble finding "Stop!" round your neck of the woods then it is available from many on-line stockists, especially in the UK. Yahoo have a pretty good list of UK Music retailers. We wouldn't want to show any favouritism, but for those of you unfamiliar with UK music shops, especially looking for reliable exporters, the bigger more established stockists include HMV, Audio Street, Amazon and CD Zone.

All of Sam's other albums and singles are (in the blunt terminology of the music industry) deleted. You would be extremely unlikely to find them sitting patiently for you in an ordinary record shop. You're more likely to find them in second-hand shops, but you'd need to look very hard! We don't have any spare copies either, but there are some good second-hand online shops with more extremely rare Sam Brown stuff than you thought even existed. Try Netsounds, Gemm, Matt's CD Singles (unsurprisingly, just for singles) and inevitably eBay.

5. Who is Sam like in the "pop" world?

An impossible question! Okay, try to imagine a white, British Aretha Franklin. See? Impossible! When she was younger and making a living as a jobbing backing singer, she was sometimes turned back from gigs because they'd hired her on the strength of her voice assuming she was black.

6. Can Sam deliver the goods on stage?

Sam is a consummate live performer and really belts out the tunes, singing and playing piano. After all, that's what music's all about, isn't it?

7. Who is in Sam's live band?

Her band's line-up has changed over the years, but two core members have been playing with her since day one: Her younger brother Pete Brown plays guitar, sings, co-produces and eats curried chips. Her foster brother Richard Newman plays drums, sings (a bit) and occasionally gets his hair cut. It's a family affair! For the last few years Aaron McRobbie has completed the line-up on bass guitar, and now seems pretty much part of the family. This trio were last known as The Spirit Of Ted.

8. Where can I see Sam on tour in the UK?

Sam played eight solo UK shows in April 2003, just her on the stage creating a charming, intimate and highly charged atmosphere. She is already planning another short UK tour in the autumn along the same lines, most likely at the end of September. See the tour dates for slightly more information.

9. Where can I see Sam on tour outside the UK?

Unfortunately there are no plans for touring outside the UK, although it's something Sam's keen to do again in the future and if we're really lucky she'll arrange a few solo gigs in western Europe, possibly in 2004. You're more likely to catch her outside the UK with Jools Holland or other bands that she's recently performed with, such as Deep Purple or Pink Floyd. Full details of these sort of gigs will appear on the One Candle website as soon as we hear about them.

10. Why is Sam singing with Jools Holland?

Because he's a top musician with a wonderful band! In the 1990s Sam appeared as a guest vocalist at some of his shows, and for the last four years she's been a full-time member of his band, featuring prominently on Jools's last few albums both as a singer and increasingly as a co-writer. If you want to know more about Jools Holland then go to the official website at www.joolsholland.com or the unofficial fansite at www.joolsholland.org.uk

11. Who else has Sam collaborated with?

It's almost impossible to list them all, although Mike Devery's had a healthy stab at it in our discography. She's recorded singles with Jools Holland, Black and Fish. Her albums have featured contributions from Dave Gilmour, Herbie Flowers and Joe Brown. She's featured on albums from Jools Holland, Jon Lord, George Harrison and the Ad Fundum film soundtrack. She's contributed to several charity singles and albums, including Spirit Of The Forest (or The Rainforest Album), Rock Therapy and Wicked Women. She's done backing vocals on albums for numerous artists including Pink Floyd, The Small Faces, Gary Moore and Lonnie Donnegan, and at live shows for Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Spandau Ballet and Adam & The Ants. She's also performed at a host of live charity shows too numerous to mention here, often in association with Jools Holland, Dave Gilmour and Deep Purple.

When the Queen was looking for Britain's best backing singers for her Golden Jubilee Party At The Palace, she called up Sam and her old friends Margo Buchanon and Claudia Fontaine.

12. Who are Sam's parents?

Sam's dad Joe Brown (offical website: www.joebrown.co.uk) is a household name in the UK where he's been entertaining the nation for forty years as a singer, player, actor and all-round cheeky chappie. He was regular feature of the top ten singles chart in the 1960s and has had an accomplished theatre, film and television career. He has been concentrating mostly on his music for the last ten years or so.

Those of you in Holland and maybe Belgium should be familiar with Sam's mum Vicki Brown. Vicki sang in various bands in the 1960s and 1970s, and supplied backing vocals for many others, including Joe's. In the late 1980s she recorded three solo albums, finding a big audience in Holland and Belgium. Sadly Vicki died of cancer in 1991, her last album "About Love And Life" (1990) being produced by Sam. More details can be found at this unofficial website: www.fluid.tue.nl/users/jos/cits/vicki.html

13. What's Sam like in "real life"?

She's a great laugh. Very down-to-earth, honest, realistic, and devoted to her music and her family. Really she is.

14. Is Sam married?

Yes, to Robin Evans, a sound engineer by trade and a thoroughly decent chap by reputation. They have two children, Vicki and Mo. Vicki, the elder sister, was born in 1993 and Mo, the younger brother, was born in 1995. They all live in a beautiful remote cottage in Scotland.

15. Didn't Sam used to be a topless model before she became a singer?

Pur-lease!! You're thinking of Sam Fox. Now go to your room and don't come back until you're really sorry.

16. Whatever happened to Margo Buchanan?

She's got her very own very nice website at www.margobuchanan.com