During the 1980s Brown toured and had recurring performances on
A Prairie Home Companion. In 1986, he released an album called
Songs of Innocence and of Experience based on poems by
William Blake. His album
One Big Town (1989) won an Indie Award from the
National Association of Independent Record Distributors and marked the beginning of Brown's long collaboration with Iowa guitarist
Bo Ramsey.
The Poet Game (1994), his tenth studio album, saw significant international radio play (charting on AAA and topping
The Gavin Report's Americana chart), and received a NAIRD Indie award for singer-songwriter Album of the Year. His 1996 album
Further In received a four-star review from
Rolling Stone, which described it as "a contemplative gem" and a "masterwork". Brown's 1997 release
Slant 6 Mind earned him a second Grammy nomination. and which was featured on an episode of NPR's On Point. In 2024 he released
Ring Around The Moon: A Songbook, a collection of essays, photographs, and sheet music. ==Personal life==