Last updated: 4 hours ago
Altyrone Deno Brown's childhood was a lost one, spent not on playgrounds but in recording studios, dressing rooms, and nightclubs, chasing the promise of stardom. In his portfolio are newspaper stories, magazine pieces, theater programs, personal photographs, and dozens of headshots and publicity photos. Tattered press clippings tell the story, proclaiming Deno the “Michael Jackson of Chicago”; one headline even put Bob Dylan on notice: “Watch Out Dylan, Here Comes Deno!”
While other kids were outside playing, Deno was in the house, practicing the songs for his debut 45 over and over again. As his press clippings and publicity glossies attest, Arrow’s investment paid off quickly. He went from a sideshow for family and friends at his father’s weekend parties to a full-fledged artist on Bandit Records in no time flat. Handwriting on the label of his first Bandit single announces the young performer’s age: just seven years old. That 1972 record is impressive, even considering the “7 Year Old Wonder Boy of Chi-Town” who fronted it. On one side, “If You Love Me” is a rollicking, wah-drenched soul stomper of the kind Arrow had attempted with Sandy Cleveland and Linda Balentine; “Sweet Pea,” on the flip, is a downbeat ballad with low-key drumming and guitar arpeggios, nearly unique in the Bandit catalogue. Deno's career took off, and it took off quickly but unfortunately, would never see the Jackson-style fame imagined for him due to his father's own selfishness.
While other kids were outside playing, Deno was in the house, practicing the songs for his debut 45 over and over again. As his press clippings and publicity glossies attest, Arrow’s investment paid off quickly. He went from a sideshow for family and friends at his father’s weekend parties to a full-fledged artist on Bandit Records in no time flat. Handwriting on the label of his first Bandit single announces the young performer’s age: just seven years old. That 1972 record is impressive, even considering the “7 Year Old Wonder Boy of Chi-Town” who fronted it. On one side, “If You Love Me” is a rollicking, wah-drenched soul stomper of the kind Arrow had attempted with Sandy Cleveland and Linda Balentine; “Sweet Pea,” on the flip, is a downbeat ballad with low-key drumming and guitar arpeggios, nearly unique in the Bandit catalogue. Deno's career took off, and it took off quickly but unfortunately, would never see the Jackson-style fame imagined for him due to his father's own selfishness.
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