Oli's gig at the Barrels was phenomenal......at only 19 years of age this guy is a genius...watching the band play was reminiscent of Cream in the early days....it was raw and full of energy which built and built to an almighty crescendo

In 2006 Oli Brown was told by Carl Gustafson from the American Blues band Blinddog Smokin' that he should form his own band in his own name, this was the birth of The Oli Brown Band.

Towards the end of 2006, whilst playing at jam sessions in Norwich, Oli met drummer Simon Dring whom he really admired and asked if he would be prepared to join the band. Oli's next task was to find a bass player. Luckily, Simon knew of a talented bassist and recommended that Oli give Fred Hollis a call. January 2007 saw Oli, Simon and Fred start rehearsals, and March 1 saw The Oli Brown Band perform their first gig at The Walnut Tree Shades in Norwich.

Since that first gig in 2007, the band has played up and down the country. One of the highlights was recording a live session for BBC Radio 2 (at Maida Vale studios) for the Paul Jones Blues Show which was transmitted 14 May 2007. Other highlights include supporting acts like Walter Trout, Aynsley Lister, Devon Allman, Ian Parker and performances for various local radio stations.

2008 is being an exciting and extremely busy year.

In January Oli signed to Ruf Records and went to Germany (with Fred and Simon, of course) to record his first Ruf Records album, titled "Open Road", it was released in June 2008 and has received great reviews.

In February, whilst in America, The Oli Brown Band were invited to record at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, by John Fry himself. (Ardent Studios have been involved with the recording of albums by artists such as REM, The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, Isaac Hayes, ZZ Top, the list goes on and on) Oli and the band recorded a couple of tracks and then performed a live session for "The Ardent Sessions", the hits on the website for The Oli Brown Band set was over 1.4 million in three weeks.

Oli went back to the States for the month of August 2008 and was playing with Blinddog Smokin, Sherman Robertson, Miss Blues, Billy Branch and had his own Oli Brown set too !

The Oli Brown Band just gets better and better, securing support slots in 2008 with artist such as Jon Cleary, Johnny Winter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robben Ford, Walter Trout and Devon Allman. All these gigs will see them playing in larger venues and, hopefully, increasing their rapidly growing fan base.

If you have not see The Oli Brown Band live, I suggest you check out the gig page and book yourself into one, you will NOT be disappointed.