Monty and Marsha Brown
Born in Doncaster, England, Monty was raised and educated In Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., Canada. He studied theatre at the University of B.C. and, after touring with Holiday Theatre and playing a leading role in the Larry Kent cult film, "Bitter Ash," he returned to England to continue his theatrical career. He studied acting at the Stratford East Theatre School, worked in several repertory theatres and two London West End productions.

Later, he worked as a production assistant at BBC television for five years. In 1972 he moved to New York to take up a career in song writing and musical performance. He and his wife Marsha, who was born and raised in Upstate New York, have written many songs together, including two "Would You Fly?" and "Cajun Christmas" - which were used in the popular movie Steel Magnolias.Both these songs are on their second CD, "Dancing Cajun." The Browns spent over a year working for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., where they produced the music and handled the publicity for the 1989 Folk Festival. While at NSU, Monty wrote a thesis on the Louisiana folk legend Leadbelly, and earned his Masters Degree in English. Monty and Marsha's first CD, "Going Back to Shreveport," features comic songs, country/folk originals and the ever popular "Natchitoches Waltz." Email for either CD: cost is $12, postage paid. Or, listen and buy online at Amazon (click on link to Download Music), or iTunes by clicking Cahoots.

Going Back to Shreveport

Yes, they went back to Shreveport, Louisiana, where Marsha organized the regional Film Commission, which attracts Hollywood to the Bayou country. She became the first Executive Director of the Commission. Shreveport has since become a major location for Hollywood filmmakers. ("Mr, Brooks," "The Mist,""The Great Debaters," "W," and many more.) Meanwhile, Monty was announcer and Arts Producer for regional Public Radio in Shreveport, producing a weekly folk music program as well as many live concerts and radio articles on the Arts.

In 1994, they moved to Provence, France, living at a chateau near Lambesc for a year, and spent the following year travelling through France and Great Britain playing music. They return to Europe almost every year to play at cafes, clubs, pubs and festivals, and to film their adventures. Monty & Marsha have returned to live in Louisiana where they still perform music regularly in schools, libraries and clubs, and at festivals, fairs, green markets and farmer's markets. They are listed on the official Louisiana State Artists Roster.

At the turn of the century, (i.e. the year 2000), with the encouragement of traveloggers Sandy and Dale Johnson, Monty and Marsha filmed the sights and sounds of their annual musical tour de France, from the chilly Normandy beaches to the sun baked Mediterranean shore. The film, La Belle France,was booked on the Travel Film circuit in 2003, and their new career was off and running! They have since produced several films, including It's Great! Britain, La Manche/The English Channel, and their latest project, Etched in Stone: Scotland to Provence, which will complete a quartet of travel films set in France and Britain.

Hello Louisiana is about Marsha's & Monty's home state. Billed as a musical travel film, it is based on a program they perform for Louisiana schools: a trip around the state accompanied by the rhythms of country, gospel, blues, jazz, zydeco and Cajun music. These travelogues, or travel films, are created to transport and entertain a live audience. They are about 80 minutes in length; include an onstage introduction, a question and answer period with the filmmakers; they include music and humor and a good deal of geographical and historical information. They are digital video presentations in theaters and auditoriums from Maine to California, Florida to Washington, and many places in the heartland of America and Canada. They can be booked by groups and organizations. (Contact Windoes Travelogues for more information.)

Monty and Marsha have recently completed The Missions of Father Serra.

In 2005, the Travel Adventure Cinema Society awarded them the "Rising Star" trophy, given to new artists in the travelogue field whose work is appreciated by Presenters and their audiences.