Thomas A. Brown, known as Tommy Brown (May 27, 1931 – March 12, 2016) was an American R&B singer who achieved most of his success in the early 1950s, particularly on
records
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, ...
with The
Griffin Brothers
The Griffin Brothers were an American rhythm and blues band from Norfolk, Virginia, sometimes credited on record as the Griffin Brothers Orchestra. They made successful recordings with singer Margie Day, and had a no.1 hit on the ''Billboard'' R& ...
.
Life and career
Born in
Lumpkin, Georgia
The city of Lumpkin is the county seat of Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 891.
History
This area of Georgia was inhabited by succeeding cultures of indigenous Native Americans for thousands of ...
, Brown formed a small band with himself as the
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
in the 1940s, and worked in clubs around Atlanta. In 1949 he recorded "Atlanta Boogie" on the Regent label, a subsidiary of
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music.
In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music.
...
. The track contained early references to
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
:
::''Well, the whole town's rockin' just about the break of day''
::''Well, when the bar starts jumpin' you can hear the cats all say''
::''Well, let's rock'n'roll, well, let's rock'n'roll''
::''Yes, let's rock'n'roll till the break of day...''
In 1951 he moved on to Dot where he was teamed with the Griffin Brothers, an R&B orchestra led by brothers
Jimmy Griffin
James Arthur Griffin (August 10, 1943 – January 11, 2005) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s soft rock band Bread. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1970 as co-writer ...
(trombone) and Ernest "Buddy" Griffin (piano) from
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 ...
. They had toured widely with
Amos Milburn
Joseph Amos Milburn (April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Houston, Texas, and died there 52 years later. One commentator noted, "Milburn excel ...
, Paul Williams, and others, and recorded as the backing band for
Margie Day
Margie Day (born Margaret Hoffler,Biography at C ...
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
, "Street Walkin' Daddy" and "
Little Red Rooster
"Little Red Rooster" (or "The Red Rooster" as it was first titled) is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style. His ...
".
In August of that same year Brown was featured singer on the R&B Top 10 hit "Tra-La-La", credited to the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, and later in the year the combination reached #1 on the R&B chart with "Weepin' and Cryin'", credited to The Griffin Brothers Orchestra featuring Tommy Brown.
In early 1952, Brown joined the United States Marine Corps, and when he returned in October of the same year, he moved to
United Records
United Records was a record company and label founded in Chicago by Leonard Allen and Lew Simpkins in 1951.
United issued records by such artists as Tab Smith, Jimmy Forrest, Gene Ammons, Memphis Slim, Roosevelt Sykes, the Four Blazes, the M ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
. While Brown was away, his previous label released in March 1952 the "No News From Home" single, which was recorded from earlier sessions. He played for a while in
Bill Doggett
William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...
's band, and claimed to help write Doggett's hit "Honky Tonk". He also recorded with Walter Horton during this period. Over the next decade he recorded R&B for a number of smaller labels, including his own T & L Productions which he formed with his wife singer
Liz Lands Elizabeth Lands (February 11, 1939 – January 11, 2013) was an American soul singer. Her purported five octave vocal range started her Motown career before Berry Gordy tried to make a name for her in the R&B/Pop market on Gordy Records.
Life and ...
. Brown performed as a comedian in the 1960s and 1970s. He released two live albums for his comedy act, 1967's ''I Ain't Lyin' '' and ''I Ain't Lyin' Vol. 2'' a year later.
In 1977, Brown returned to Atlanta to run the Landmark Personal Care Center. After fans sought a return in his musical career, Brown made a comeback in 2001, recording and performing around the world in blues festivals. His past recordings have also been reissued on
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
* 1967: ''I Aint Ly'ing (Live From The Club)'' (T & L Productions)
* 1968: ''I Ain't Lying, Vol. Two: Live From The Shed House'' (TNL Productions)
* 1973: ''Soul Brother In Heaven And Hell'' (TNL Productions)
* 2004: ''Remember Me'' (Bonedog Records)
* 2009: ''Rockin' Away My Blues'' (Bonedog Records)
With
Bill Doggett
William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...
*1956: ''
Everybody Dance the Honky Tonk
''Everybody Dance the Honky Tonk'' is an album by American organist Bill Doggett released by the King label in 1956.