David Arthur Brown began keeping a journal and writing poetry while living as a runaway on the streets of Los Angeles. At the age of 18 he wound up living in San Francisco, washing dishes at a local punk rock/gay restaurant to save up money to buy a saxophone. Through a series of low budget international travels (India, South America, Europe and the Far East) he was able to hone his saxophone skills enough to land gigs with musicians like Beck, Siouxie Sioux , Ben Lee and Jude.

When Beck hit the big time, he tapped Brown as the saxophonist in his touring band, and invited him to play on the Odelay album. In 1997, during the world tour supporting Odelay, Brown conceived the idea for his band Brazzaville, taking the name from the capital of the Congo, which in a recent study had been branded with the worst quality of life of any major city in the world. In the wee hours of touring, Brown began writing the songs that would become the first Brazzaville record.

When Brown returned to Los Angeles in 1998, he put together a diverse lineup of musicians that reflected his own wide-ranging tastes:

Trombonist/saxophonist David Ralicke who worked with numerous acts, including Natalie Merchant, Ozomatli, Ben Harper, Macy Gray, and Ziggy Marley, and later joined the L.A.-based Cambodian rock band Dengue Fever. Guitarist/bassist Kenny Lyon, who'd grown up in Zaire and Spain, had performed with alternative bands like the Lemonheads and the Divinyls, as well as singer/songwriters like Mark Curry, Jann Arden, and David Baerwald. Guitarist Smokey Hormel was another Beck regular who also performed and recorded with Cibo Matto, Sam Phillips, John Doe, and Tom Waits, among others. Percussionist Danny Frankel had played with musicians from Victoria Williams to Luscious Jackson to bluesman Ted Hawkins. Pianist Mike Boito was another Beck cohort who'd also played with Ralicke in the ska band Jump With Joey.

Currently, David lives in the Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona with his wife and two young children.