Sarah Brown’s Triumphant Return to the Antone’s Stage
A Celebration of Resilience and Community
We were thrilled to welcome Sarah Brown back to the stage at Antone's at the Women of HOME event. Brown, known as the cornerstone of Antone's house band in the '80s and '90s, has weathered a turbulent health battle that kept her away from the spotlight for far too long. But on Sunday, her return marked not only a personal triumph but a powerful show of love and support from the Austin music community.
In 2017, Sarah faced a life-altering diagnosis: primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease that caused her liver to deteriorate. After years of battling her illness, she is now the proud recipient of a liver transplant, thanks to a living donor. This Sunday’s performance at the Women of HOME event, where Sarah was welcomed back on stage by HOME Vice Chair Eve Monsees, was her first at Antone’s since before the pandemic. The evening was filled with emotion, as Sarah, accompanied by some of Austin's finest musicians, celebrated not only her recovery but the enduring power of community.
Sarah’s journey through illness and recovery is a testament to the strength of Austin’s musical family, which rallied together in support during her darkest times. This event was more than just a concert; it was a celebration of life, resilience, and the deep bonds that tie the Austin music scene together.
In addition to her musical legacy, Sarah has been an instrumental part of the local community through her work with HOME. As the long-time chair of the Client Services Committee, she has been dedicated to ensuring that fellow musicians have had access to the support they needed to age with dignity and stay in their homes. Now, after receiving her own gift of life, she returns to HOME with a renewed sense of purpose.
Interview with Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown returns to the Antone’s stage, singing and playing bass alongside fellow founding HOME Board members—proving that the heart of Austin’s music community beats stronger than ever.
Hanna Cofer: Sarah, it’s so great to see you back on stage at Antone’s. What’s this moment like for you?
Sarah Brown: It was, it was very emotional, but I think I felt way more at home on stage than I thought it would. It had been five years since I've been on stage. I didn't have to work at being prepared, but it was kind of like riding a bike, you know? I got up there, and I had my buddies there to play with, and I had every bit of confidence in their ability to keep me afloat. And there were so many friends. So many wonderful friends supported me throughout all of this. And my HOME community, which I'm really proud to be a part of. It was a beautiful night for me.
Hanna Cofer: It’s been a long road since your diagnosis and transplant. Can you talk a little about the journey and what kept you going?
Sarah Brown: In 2017 I was diagnosed with a rare liver disease. It was a complete surprise. It's called primary sclerosing cholangitis - it's not related to drug or alcohol abuse or necessarily genetics or environment. They don't know what causes it, but it's pretty rare, and I started to get ill around 2020. I was tired a lot, and I did have to miss some gigs because of that. In 2020, I played my last gig the night before the lockdown, with Denny Freeman and our band that we played with on Tuesday.
And then, because of the lockdown, people with chronic illness I think really suffered because we weren't able to get out when others could. We had to stay home, so I spent a lot of time inactive, taking care of myself, and became more ill, and then I became aware of a method of liver transplant called living donor transplant, and some friends of mine put together a campaign to try to find a living donor. And well, unbeknownst to me, a friend of mine was in the background trying to get approved to be a donor. I think more than a dozen people started the process of becoming a donor. Lots of people were too old, and they told me they tried, but there was an age limit.
“During that time, we had a benefit show. And that was probably the most amazing night of my life.”
During that time, we had a benefit show. And that was probably the most amazing night of my life. So many of my musical friends over 50 years showed up that night to play for me, including Bonnie Raitt and Jimmy Vaughn and Johnny Nicholas and all the Antone’s people, and even Derek and Kaz and Nick Connolly - the stage all night was full of people that I played with over 50 years. I was unable to play that night, and that was the first time I'd gotten out into a large crowd since I started getting really ill, but we wanted to help raise awareness of the process of living donor donation, and I think they accomplished that. I plan to have another benefit in late summer to accomplish the same thing. Just to bring awareness of the process of being a living donor.
Hanna Cofer: I think the impact of that evening - aside from just being a fantastic evening of music - will live well beyond any of our lives. In addition to that, you continue to do so much for the community, both on and off the stage, especially through your work with HOME as the chair of the Client Services Committee. How has that experience shaped or changed your perspective on life and music?
“My whole experience of being ill and not being in touch with everything led to me being astonished when I came back and how much HOME has accomplished, what an impact we’ve had on the older Austin musicians. I’m very proud of that.”
Sarah Brown: Well, we came together as friends of Lavelle White, our original legacy donor, just to find her a place to live. Myself and Marcia Ball, Susan Antone and the other founders of HOME came together for that purpose, and things grew in a way that has really astonished me. We knew there were more people that needed that help and support, and we looked for them. Meanwhile, a couple of members of our group are fantastic fundraisers, so to me, I was astonished at the amount we could do. And I still am astonished. My whole experience of being ill and not being in touch with everything that was going on led to me being astonished when I came back and how much HOME has accomplished, what an impact we've had on the older Austin musicians. I'm very proud of that.
Hanna Cofer: A lot of the uniqueness of the HOME brand is that it was developed by musicians trying to help out their fellow musicians. We're all grateful that Austin's music loving community has kind of stepped up to allow us to grow, because there's a lot more folks out there that are going to need our help.
Sarah Brown: True, the care of our fellow human beings has been thrown to us at this point in history. The funds have been drawn up from the government, I just have to add that, and there's so little support for health and the aging community and the arts community that citizens have to come together to help their fellow citizens. And I think HOME is a really good example of that.
Hanna Cofer: What message do you have for your fellow musicians and anyone who might be going through something difficult like you did?
“friends are an enormous factor in a happy life, so maintaining our connections with other people is critical”
Sarah Brown: It's been shown that friends are an enormous factor in a happy life, so maintaining our connections with other people is critical. I had an epiphany about how important that was, when I was recovering with another person’s liver in my body, you know. But if somebody finds themselves in an untenable position, my hope is that any friends at all can come together to help them out. It may not be easy in some circumstances, but the power of people working together is really an enormous power. So I just think we need to create that kind of support. So many people don't realize that they're competent to offer help, and I say most people are.
I'm proud of the way home has grown, and the number of people who've been able to help. I see that continuing in the near future.
As Sarah Brown’s return to the Antone's stage proves, the power of music, community, and resilience cannot be understated. Sunday was just the beginning, with Sarah now turning her focus back to the HOME advisory board, where she will continue to help musicians like herself navigate the challenges of life and aging. Here's to many more years of music and support -
Sarah, we’re so happy you’re back where you belong!
