Early life
She was born in Montreal and reared in Vancouver, Canada, although some sources list her birthplace as Detroit, Michigan. As a teenager, Miquel frequented nightclubs, influencing her dream of becoming a performer. As a young woman, Miquel read Medicine at George Washington University in Washington D.C., during which time she married and had daughter Sinitta Renet Malone (popularly known as Sinitta, of 'So Macho' and 'Toy Boy' fame) in Seattle, Washington.
She was prompted to leave the university after she auditioned for the U.S. touring company of the musical Hair and landed the part of Sheila.
Miquel arrived in the UK in May of 1973, having divorced her husband. She was cast as the lead in Decameron '73 at the famous Roadhouse in London and through this earned critical acclaim - 'a star is born.' She was then given an interview on the Michael Parkinson Show, and later appeared in the pilot of The Sweeney with John Thaw.
In 1974 she was granted a part in the film Rollerball with James Caan, as well as the role of Miriam in the tele-play Regan. She also held a two year association with the singing and dancing group 'Second Generation', during which time she appeared in the BBC production of Armchair Theatre.
Through the next two years she performed various parts in Bubbling Brown Sugar and television appearances in Seaside Special, Supersonic, The Ronnie Corbett Show, Jack Parnell's Show, Vince Hill's Musical Time Machine and Bruce Forsyth's Bring on the Girls.
Music career
In 1976 she played Sister Anna in the musical Mardi Gras (which opened Thursday, March 18 at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London). It was through this that she was discovered and signed for her first record release, 'The First Time Around'. This led her to musician Alan Hawkshaw (of Emile Ford and the Checkmates, and The Shadows), who signed her for an album deal. The album 'Symphony of Love' (1978) was her first real international hit, which included the title track, 'Dancin' with the Lights Down Low', 'This is Something New to Me', 'The Day They Got Disco in Brazil', 'Do It' and 'Something Made of Love'. This album shot up the American charts to No. 26 (her music was very popular within the gay community), only to come down again in the early 1980s as disco 'died' (at least in America).
Also in 1978 she appeared in the American film Superman, as the non-speaking 8th reporter in a scene following the first Superman spotting.
In need of a producer in the early '80s, Miquel crossed the paths of Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench in 1983. Together with Record Shack Records, they created the album 'Manpower', a Hi-NRG classic. The first single released from the album' So Many Men, So Little Time' became a huge hit and peak at number #2 on the club charts and put Miquel on the international music map.
In the two years following Manpower, she appeared in stage productions of Only in America, the Lieber and Stoller Musical; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and One Mo' Time, as well as in numerous international clubs but did not release any more albums until 1985. 'Close to Perfection' (also produced by Levine) was indeed a great album, but could not compete with her first success. The album featured two massive U.S. dance radio & dance chart hits, with "Black Leather" and "Close to Perfection."
Later songs include 'On the Radio' (not the Donna Summer song), 'Footprints in the Sand' and 'This Time It's Real', all with Nightmare Records (Ian Levine's own attempt at a record label).
In 1989 she was seen as Jill in the second episode of the fourth series ('Accidents Happen') of the British show Casualty.
The 1990s
Then in 1995, she starred as the Housekeeper in Solomon and Sheba, with Halle Berry. Also in 1995 she played Sgt. Patton in French Kiss, with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline (a mini-part in the United States Embassy scene). She can be heard on the London cast recordings of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (1993) and Fame (1995) (as Miss Sherman, the English teacher).
The Year 2000 To Present
Brown kick off the new millennium playing the Negro Woman in the 2001 play A Streetcar Named Desire at the Royal National Theatre (Lyttelton), in London, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Glenn Close as Blanche DuBois.
She also appeared in the brilliant 2001 film Wit, where she has a brief exchange with Emma Thompson (who plays Vivian Bearing), as the 2nd Technician.
In 2004, Brown appeared as Idella in the London production of Purlie at the Bridewell Theatre in London (a role originally played by Helen Martin, from the American sitcom 227). Her performance was critiqued as 'forcefully played'.
Miquel Brown: The Lady, Her Loves and Her Lord was presented at the Bullion Room Theatre in London in 2005. This one-person revue was said to be 'a musical journey through her life from birth to the present'.
In 2005, Miquel appeared as Chloe the old maid in An American Haunting with Sissy Spacek. As it like the novel of the same name, it is based on the account of the Bell Family, allegedly tormented by The Bell Witch of Red River, Tennessee. The following year, 2006, she co-starred along side Robert Ashe in the drama film 9/11: The Twin Towers.
In 2007 Brown is starring in the original London production of Menopause: The Musical.
Discography
Albums
* Symphony of Love 1978
* Manpower 1983
* Close to Perfection 1985
* The Best of Miquel Brown Hot Productions 1991
Singles
* "First Time Round"
* "Dancin' With the Lights Down Low"
* "This Is Something New to Me"
* "The Day They Got Disco In Brazil"
* "Do It"
* "Something Made to Love"
* "Beeline"
* "So Many Men, So Little Time"
* "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner"
* "Close to Perfection"
* "Black Leather"
* "On The Radio"
* "Footprints In The Sand"
* "This Time It's Real"
Blind Date
Miquel Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I should forget the past
Although I've been through heartbreak
I could still find a love to last
But I was much too scared to go out
And meet somebody new
That's when they all said to me
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
When I opened up the door
Blind date, he smiled at me and I fell
In love once more
This match stood before me
And I couldn't believe my eyes
I'd expected someone boring
But I sure had a surprise
My man had -
To never fall in love again
Now I'm closing my eyes
And counting up to ten
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
When I opened up the door
Blind date, he smiled at me and I fell
In love once more
I didn't like the way my friends
Tried to -
I was ready to ignore
The guy they sent round here
One look into those eyes
And in that moment I fell
He took me away in the night
And I was under his spell
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
When I opened up the door
Blind date, he smiled at me and I fell
In love once more
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
When I opened up the door
Blind date, he smiled at me and I fell
In love once more
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
When I opened up the door
Blind date, he smiled at me and I fell
In love once more
The lyrics to Miquel Brown's Blind Date narrate the singer's hesitation to move on from heartbreak by dating again. Her friends advise her to forget the past and seek a new relationship. However, she is too scared to meet someone new until her friends set her up on a blind date. She opens the door to her date with little expectation, but is taken aback by his appearance and personality. Her date confesses he has given up on love, but the singer falls in love with him regardless.
The overriding theme of the song is the singer's willingness to take a chance on an unfamiliar situation despite her fears. Her friends' persistence in setting her up on the blind date and the unexpected chemistry she shares with her date exemplify this theme. The song's melody and upbeat tempo contrast with the singer's vulnerable storyline, creating an upbeat yet relatable ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
All of my friends kept telling me
My close companions advised me
That I should forget the past
To disregard my previous experiences
Although I've been through heartbreak
Despite experiencing emotional distress
I could still find a love to last
I was hopeful regarding lasting love
But I was much too scared to go out
I was too afraid to venture out
And meet somebody new
And to meet an unfamiliar individual
That's when they all said to me
Then they collectively advised me
Go we're gonna find for you
They offered to search for my potential partner
Blind date, I didn't know what to expect
I was uncertain of the unknown experience
When I opened up the door
When I finally welcomed him in
He smiled at me and I fell
His grin charmed me profoundly
In love once more
I have fallen in love again
This match stood before me
The person they found for me was present
And I couldn't believe my eyes
I was taken aback by what I saw
I'd expected someone boring
My expectation was someone dull
But I sure had a surprise
I was surely surprised
My man had -
My partner had
To never fall in love again
A resolved that he will not love again
Now I'm closing my eyes
I'm shutting my eyes
And counting up to ten
And I am counting from one to ten
I didn't like the way my friends
I did not appreciate the method of my friends
Tried to -
Attempted to
I was ready to ignore
I was prepared to disregard
The guy they sent round here
The man they brought or arranged to meet me
One look into those eyes
Upon beholding those eyes
And in that moment I fell
In that instance, I fell in love
He took me away in the night
He brought me away at night
And I was under his spell
I was captivated by him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FIACHRA TRENCH, IAN LEVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheila Hart
Berwick Street Studios, London, England; Trident Studios, London, England. Arranger: Fiachra Trench. Personnel: Miquel Brown (vocals); Alan Murphy (guitar); Fiachra Trench, Nick Glennie-Smith (keyboards); Peter Van Hooke, Charlie Morgan (drums); Louis Jardim (percussion); Earlene Bentley, Sheila Hart, Sylvia Mason, Wavelength , Sarah MacMahon, Laura Pallas, Shirley Lewis, Marilyn David, Ruby James (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Sergio Munzibai; Ian Levine; John Morales.
Sheila Hart
I sang background vocals on this.....:) Sheila Hart