“I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you fire!”
If you followed rock music in the heady late ’60s, you undoubtedly remember those words as the opening line of “Fire,” credited to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The psychedelic single, released in the United States on Atlantic Records, catapulted to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1968, after which the band (which at one time included Carl Palmer, later of Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and its eponymous leader (known for wearing a burning helmet onstage)—never had another hit. Ditto their debut album, also titled The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and produced by Kit Lambert, manager of the Who—it managed its way up to #7, then bye-bye.
Arthur Brown has remained active in music in several capacities since the ’60s though, and now, billed once again as the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, he will be touring the U.S. for the first time in 45 years. The eight-date mini-tour begins in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, wings its way through Chicago, New York and other major markets, and finishes up with a pair of shows in Austin on Feb. 24-25.
Related: Arthur Brown was born in 1944
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown U.S. Tour Dates
2/15—Los Angeles—Regent Theater
2/16—Las Vegas—Hard Rock Hotel
2/17—San Francisco—Slim’s
2/18—Portland—Star Theater
2/21—Chicago—Reggie’s
2/23—New York—Le Poisson Rouge
2/24-25—Austin—Barracuda
The 74-year-old Brown—nicknamed the God of Hellfire—beside leading the Crazy World then and now, also fronted a band called Kingdom Come and has worked as a solo artist in the years since his sole hit. Brown reformed Crazy World in 2000. Their most recent release is 2013’s Zim Zam Zim.
Watch The Crazy World of Arthur Brown perform “Fire” in 1968
Don’t miss a post! Sign up for Best Classic Bands‘ Newsletter; form is on every page.
