Roy Brown (blues musician)

Roy Brown

Roy Brown
Background information
Birth name Roy James Brown
Born (1920-09-10)September 10, 1920 or 1925
Kinder, Louisiana, United States
Died May 25, 1981(1981-05-25) (age 55-60)
San Fernando, California, United States
Genres Jump blues, rhythm and blues, blues, rock and roll
Occupation(s) Singer, composer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1945–1981

Roy James Brown (September 10, 1920[1] or 1925[2] – May 25, 1981) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and musician, who had a significant influence on the early development of rock and roll and the direction of R&B. His original song and hit recording "Good Rocking Tonight" was covered by Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, James Brown, the Doors, and the rock group Montrose. Brown was the first singer in recording history to sing R&B songs with a gospel-steeped delivery, which was then considered taboo by many churches. In addition, his melismatical pleading, vocal style influenced such notable artists as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Elvis Presley, Jackie Wilson, James Brown and Little Richard.[2][3]

Early life and education

Brown was born in Kinder, Louisiana.[1] Some sources report his birth date as September 10, 1925,[2] but researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc give the same date in 1920 on the basis of 1930 census and social security information, and state that 1925 is incorrect.[1]

As with most R&B singers, he started singing gospel music in the church. His mother was an accomplished singer and church organist.[4] After a move to Los Angeles some time in the 1940s, and a brief period spent as a professional boxer in the welterweight category, he won a singing contest in 1945 at the Million Dollar Theater covering "There's No You", originally recorded by Bing Crosby. In 1946, Brown moved to Galveston, Texas, where he sang in Joe Coleman's group performing mostly songs from the Hit Parade, in a club called the Club Granada. His numbers included a song he wrote entitled "Good Rocking Tonight". After being rejected by the Armed Forces because of flat feet, he secured his first major job in a Shreveport, Louisiana club singing mostly pop ballads such as "Stardust" and "Blue Hawaii". The owner of Bill Riley's Palace Park hired him, as Brown told a Blues Unlimited interviewer, because of his appeal as "a Negro singer who sounds white."[5] It was at the Palace Park that Brown started developing a blues repertoire, learning contemporary R&B tunes such as "Jelly Jelly" (recorded by Billy Eckstine).[5] He returned to New Orleans in 1947, where he performed at The Dew Drop Inn.[6]

Career

Brown was a big fan of blues singer Wynonie Harris. When Harris appeared in town, Brown tried but failed to interest Harris in listening to "Good Rocking Tonight." Dejected, Brown approached another blues singer, Cecil Gant who was appearing at another club in town. Brown introduced his song, and Gant had Brown sing it over the telephone to the president of De Luxe Records, Jules Braun, reportedly at 4:00 in the morning. Brown was signed to a recording contract immediately. Brown recorded the song in a jump blues style with a swing beat. It was released in 1948 and reached #13 on the US Billboard R&B chart. Ironically, Wynonie Harris covered it and hit the top of Billboard's R&B chart later in 1948.[2] Presley also covered the song for Sun Records in 1954; later re-released on RCA Victor when his recording contract was sold to that record label in 1956.

Brown continued to make his mark on the R&B charts, scoring 14 hits from mid-1948 to late 1951 with De Luxe, including "Hard Luck Blues" (his biggest seller in 1950), "Love Don't Love Nobody", "Rockin' at Midnight," "Boogie at Midnight," "Miss Fanny Brown," and "Cadillac Baby", making him, along with Harris, one of the top R&B performers for those three years.

After his popularity peaked, Brown began to experience a lull in his career. Doo-wop and R&B groups were quickly gaining popularity as the standard sound of R&B in the early to mid-1950s. The decline of his fortunes coincided with his winning a lawsuit against King Records for unpaid royalties in 1952, one of the few African American musicians to do so in the 1950s. This has led some, such as author Nick Tosches (in his book Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll, which contained a chapter on Brown) to believe that Brown may have been blacklisted. Brown's other misfortunes included trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. When confronted by the government for unpaid taxes he owed, he approached Elvis Presley for help. Presley wrote him a check on a brown paper bag, but it wasn't enough to keep him out of jail. Brown did a little prison time for tax evasion.

Brown had a brief comeback through Imperial Records in 1957. Working with Dave Bartholomew, Brown returned to the charts with the original version of "Let the Four Winds Blow", co-written with Fats Domino, who would later have a hit with it.

He returned to King Records where his popularity ground down to a low by 1959, but he sporadically managed to find work and do some recording through the 1960s, making appearances where ever he was wanted.[2] To supplement his income, Brown sold the rights to "Good Rocking Tonight". "I was selling door to door," he once reminisced,[7] referring to his stint as an encyclopedia salesman.[8]

In 1970, Brown closed The Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival. As a result of the crowd's positive reaction, he recorded "Love For Sale", which became a hit for Mercury Records.[4]

Later life and death

In the late 1970s, a compilation album of his old work brought about a minor revival of interest. In 1978 he had a successful tour in Scandinavia following the releases of Laughing But Crying and Good Rocking Tonight. Shortly before his death he performed at the Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood, California and headlined the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1981.

Brown died of a heart attack, at Pacoima Lutheran Memorial Hospital,[9] near his home in the San Fernando Valley on May 25, 1981.[1][2] The Reverend Johnny Otis conducted the funeral. He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the same year.

Legacy

Two of Brown's songs, "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1" and "Mighty Mighty Man" are featured in the 2008 video game, Fallout 3. "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1," "Butcher Pete, Pt. 2", "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Mighty Mighty Man" are featured in the 2015 sequel, Fallout 4.

Discography

Chart singles

Year Single Chart Positions
US Pop[10] US
R&B[11]
1948 "Good Rocking Tonight" – 13
"'Long About Midnight" – 1
1949 "Rainy Weather Blues" / "'Fore Day in the Morning" – 5 / 6
"Rockin' at Midnight" – 2
"Miss Fanny Brown" – 8
"Please Don't Go (Come Back Baby)" – 9
"Boogie at Midnight" – 3
1950 "Hard Luck Blues" – 1
"Love Don't Love Nobody" – 2
"Cadillac Baby" / "'Long About Sundown" – 6 / 8
1951 "Big Town" – 8
"Bar Room Blues" – 6
1957 "Party Doll" 89 13
"Let The Four Winds Blow" 29 5

Original 10" shellac (78rpm) and 7" vinyl (45rpm) releases

LP releases of note

CD releases of note

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. pp. 381, 492. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Roy Brown". Allmusic. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Very Best of Roy Brown: Rockin' at Midnight CD Album". Cduniverse.com. August 17, 2004. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  4. 1 2 Back cover of We Came To Party, presumably by Roy Brown himself
  5. 1 2 Honkers And Shouters. The Golden Years of Rhythm And Blues. Crowell-Collier Press, New York, 1978, p. 100
  6. ↑ Gérard Herzhaft; Paul Harris; Brigitte Debord; Jerry Haussler; Anton J. Mikofsky. Encyclopedia of the Blues.
  7. ↑ Liner notes, The Best of Roy Brown, Rhino Records, R2 71545, by Arthur Fein, Hollywood, August 1993
  8. ↑ "Roy Brown – Rock n Roll Archive". Rocknrollshow.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  9. ↑ Palmer, Robert (May 26, 1981). "Obituaries : Roy Brown A Pioneer Rock Singer". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 89. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995. Record Research. p. 53.
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