The ever-so-famous richness of Greg Brown’s voice has been with him for his entire life—and so has his desire to play music.

As a child, the Iowa native was surrounded by extensive creative expression. His mother played electric guitar, his grandfather was a seasoned banjo player, and his grandmother was a poet.

Although Brown’s home was always an ample source for music, his church also gave him examples of gospel and hymns.

After 18 years of developing his own unique style, Brown decided to leave Iowa and move to New York City.

“I wanted to see if I could make a living playing the music I wanted to play,” Brown said.

He had success in the Big Apple, but not just in his performances.

Greg Brown fell in love.

The once-serious-musician-turned-Romeo pawned his guitar and bought a one-way plane ticket to be with his Juliet.

For approximately four years his musical career was on the back burner, but he gradually re-entered the profession “that was in [his] heart,” and has been going strong ever since.

According to Brown’s biography, he wrote songs, played Midwest clubs and coffeehouses, and hooked up with the Iowa Arts Council, which took him to tiny communities around the state, writing, singing and telling stories.

Brown furthered his career by recording a couple of albums on his own. Since the printing of “44 & 66” and “The Iowa Waltz,” Brown has released 13 albums for Red House Records, the company he founded.

The sheer quantity of Brown’s work is impressive, but the quality is even more exuberant.

His 1989 release, “One Big Town,” earned him his first National Association of Independent Record Distributors Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year.

Brown’s 1998 release, “Slant 6 Mind,” received a four-star review by Rolling Stone and is nominated for the Folk Album of the Year Grammy.

The list of highly-regarded praise goes on and on, but arguably one of the most meaningful examples of Brown’s prominent position as a global icon lies in his overseas performances.

Despite being known for his lyrical excellence in the U.S., many of his overseas audience members do not speak English and thus can’t fully absorb his message.

This, however, doesn’t prevent Brown from selling out venues. What moves the crowd in every place he plays is his overall musical communication, not just his words.

Brown does enjoy lyrical composition though. “Writing is an endless source of opportunity,” he said.

The well-versed Brown is always looking for a new approach to the process that he finds “interesting” and said he would consider getting published as a future venture.

But until that day comes, and most likely even after the fact, music lovers of all ages will always be welcome to enjoy the Iowa legend in a variety of intimate settings throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Brown finds that the audience is able to relax and enjoy the music much more in smaller, more comfortable environments. Without hesitation he claims his favorite venue as The Mill in Iowa City.

Ames fans will be able to experience Brown at a similar site Friday when he plays at the Maintenance Shop. He will play at 8 and 10:30 p.m. for $10, $8 for students.