EMF founding keyboardist Derry Brownson dies aged 55
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EMF has announced the death of its founding keyboardist Derry Brownson, aged 55, describing the loss of their “band mate and friend” as devastating. Brownson was a key member of the Gloucestershire group behind the 1991 hit “Unbelievable”, and his death is significant for a band that had recently returned to recording and performing.
The band said Brownson had appeared with them on stage only a few months earlier; Billboard had not independently confirmed his death or its cause at publication. BBC Gloucestershire reported that he had been receiving treatment for a brain tumour. “Unbelievable” reached number three in the UK and spent one week at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, while EMF had reportedly been nearing completion of a new 14-track album.
- EMF co-founder and keyboardist Derry Brownson has died aged 55.
- He was known for the band’s 1991 hit “Unbelievable”.
- Reports said Brownson had been treated for a brain tumour.
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EMF are an English alternative dance band formed in Gloucestershire in the late 1980s. Their sound combined rock instruments with electronic beats and sampling, a style that became prominent in British music around that period.
The group are best known for “Unbelievable”, which became an international hit in 1991 and introduced them to a much wider audience. Derry Brownson was one of the band’s founding members and played keyboards, contributing to the electronic elements of their music.
After their early success, EMF released further records and later reunited for live shows and new material. Brownson’s role in the group spanned its original rise and its more recent return to recording and performing.
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Originally published by Billboard as “EMF Announces Death of Founding Keyboardist Derry Brownson: ‘Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again’”.