James Earl Brown (August 8, 1926 – December 18, 2006) was an American trumpeter, saxophonist and singer. He was also credited or billed as Jimmy Earle, Jumpin' Jimmy Brown, and Rio Pardo.

Biography

He was born in Great Bend, Kansas, and learned piano before being drawn to other instruments, particularly the trumpet. After graduating, he went into the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, serving in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. On returning to the US, he played in bands in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, where he met and married R&B singer Ruth Alston Weston, known for the rest of her career as

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atl ...

. Jim Heffernan, "Rio Pardo brings crowds to Black Bear Lounge", ''News Tribune Attic'', October 29, 1972
Retrieved 14 November 2016 They performed as a duo, Brown & Brown, and recorded for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

where he was credited as Jimmy Earle. Chip Deffaa, ''Blue Rhythms: Six Lives in Rhythm and Blues'', University of Illinois Press, 1996, pp.31-32"> Chip Deffaa, ''Blue Rhythms: Six Lives in Rhythm and Blues'', University of Illinois Press, 1996, pp.31-32
/ref> After their marriage was annulled, Jimmy Brown moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he played in clubs in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

. In the 1950s he played trumpet and sang with Paul Williams and his Hucklebuckers, and played in the house band at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

. He became known as Jumpin' Jimmy Brown, for his habit of jumping from the stage into the audience with his trumpet. "Jimmy Brown", ''PaulHucklebuckWilliams.com''
Retrieved 14 November 2016 Later he worked with

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, Nat King Cole, was music director for

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

, and played lead trumpet with the Count Basie Orchestra. Obituary: Jimmy Earle Brown
Retrieved 14 November 2016 He moved to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the 1960s, performing in the Twin Cities (

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

- St. Paul), and relocated to a farm near Duluth in 1968. In Duluth, he took the stage name Rio Pardo, saying "I always liked the Latin beat and I saw the name Pardo in a book". He led a band playing in clubs and then at the Hotel Duluth. He moved back to the Twin Cities in the 1990s, and played occasionally with a local band, the Senders, until shortly before his death. He died in Maple Grove, Minnesota, in 2006, aged 80, from an infection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jimmy (musician) 1926 births 2006 deaths American rhythm and blues musicians American rhythm and blues singers American male saxophonists American trumpeters American male trumpeters 20th-century American singers 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century trumpeters People from Great Bend, Kansas 20th-century American male musicians