Danny Joe Brown

Danny Joe Brown (August 24, 1951 – March 10, 2005) was an American singer.

Brown was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1951 and graduated from Terry Parker High School in 1969.

Shortly after graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was stationed in New York City for two years.

He was the lead singer of the Southern rock group Molly Hatchet and was co-writer of the band's biggest hits from the late 1970s.

Once he left the Coast Guard, Brown's focus turned solely to music and he joined Molly Hatchet in 1974.

Although not a founding member, he is best known for writing and singing on such songs as "Flirtin' with Disaster" and "Whiskey Man."

He was also the vocalist on "Dreams I'll Never See," a faster-tempoed cover of the Allman Brothers song.

The band's sound was immediately recognizable by Brown's distinct voice: a deep, raspy, throaty growl.

Brown left Molly Hatchet in 1980 because of chronic diabetes and pancreatic problems, but soon started his own band, The Danny Joe Brown Band, which released a single studio album in 1981.

He rejoined Molly Hatchet in 1982 only to leave again in 1995 after suffering a stroke.

Brown moved into his mother's home in Davie, Florida, after becoming ill.

He died there on March 10, 2005, at the age of 53.

His obituary attributed his death to kidney failure, a complication of the diabetes he had since age 19, along with Hepatitis C.

Brown is buried at Lauderdale Memorial Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.