The frontman for one of the most revered British bands of the 1980s and '90s, the Stone Roses. Although the group released one of the three or four most influential records of the decade in 1989 (their debut, at that), they slowly imploded during the early '90s and released only one more album before splitting up.

Guitarist/songwriter John Squire formed a new band, Seahorses, while bassist Mani (Gary Mounfield) joined Primal Scream. Brown inaugurated his post-Stone Roses career with a 1998 solo LP, Unfinished Monkey Business. The album was recorded with the help of ex-Roses replacement guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, but spotlighted a more emotionally diverse approach to music-making than expected.

The excellent follow-up, Golden Greats (1999), and Music of the Spheres followed in 2001. In 2003, Brown contributed a volume in the Under the Influence series and had a cameo in the third Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The next year Brown released "Solarized", his most varied and politically charged record to date. He worked with hip-hop producer Emile and an alternative supergroup (featuring Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Paul Ryder) for 2007's The World Is Yours.

Brown is widely considered to be a very influential artist, as well as an enduring indie cult icon. His work from his early Stone Roses days, to the present day have provided inspiration for numerous hugely popular indie groups today. Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher have cited on numerous occasions Ian's influence on the band, with Noel Gallagher recently quoting Brown's lyrics from Stone Roses track 'She Bangs the Drums' as 'my inspiration' for a recent HMV poster campaign. Sheffield indie icons Arctic Monkeys have also cited Brown as one of their biggest and most important influences, and have claimed that he is their "musical hero".