Charles Brown (Born 13/09/1922, Died 21/10/1999)
| Born in Texas City, Brown was initially destined for an academic life when his parents insisted he trained to be a teacher. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles he quickly came to the conclusion that he could probably earn more money as a singer and pianist, having studied the piano as a child. He joined Johnny Moore and the Three Blazers just around the time they took over top billing in LA from Nat King Cole after the latter decided to move on - he recorded one of his best loved songs, 'Driftin' Blues' whilst still with the trio, although by 1948 he had already left the group.
Like so many of the Primer favourites, Brown strayed far from the Blues straight and narrow - and didn't even really think of himself as a staightforward blues singer. He once said:- "Everybody expect after you make a blues hit they figure you sing the blues, well, I was more of a blue ballad singer, not a blues singer, because my numbers are more of strong ballad numbers." He certainly sang in an extremely melodic style which reflected his preference for the ballad form. He's important because as a stylist he influenced many who were to follow, including Ray Charles, and because he also wrote songs of high quality, recorded by B.B. King, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Amos Milburn and Fats Domino among others. In the late 40s through to the mid 50s all his hits were for the independent Aladdin label. In the 60s, his career quietened down, although he continued to record for Ace in New Orleans and King in Cincinnati. In 1986, he issued a wonderful CD which even the highly traditional Blues Mafia considered to be of high quality - although interestingly, Brown never compromised his style. The CD was so successful, it was reissued in 1989 on Demon in the UK and Alligator in the States. He followed this up with recordings into the 90s, including ones of the quality of "Someone To Love", which was released in 1992 So broaden your horizons, and drift off in the coolest of cool blues. |
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weak (the masters weren't always available) but the CD gives ample evidence of a fine singer, pianist and songwriter. An alternative collection is "Driftin' Blues: The Best Of" on EMI.
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