Victor Brown (died 2016), known professionally as Vic Evans, was a Cuban-born, Jamaican-British variety performer, known for being one half of Harriott & Evans.

Life

Victor Brown was born in Banes, Cuba, the son of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n parents: John Brown, an engineer, and his wife Mirian, ''née'' Brown. He trained as an engine-room seaman and left Jamaica for Britain in 1939, before serving in

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 ...

. He subsequently performed (eventually, with his brother Noel, as the Brown Brothers) for the

Entertainments National Service Association The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

and the

League of Coloured Peoples The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP) was a British civil-rights organization that was founded in 1931 in London by Jamaican-born physician and campaigner Harold Moody with the goal of racial equality around the world, a primary focus being on bl ...

, and then in nightclubs. He worked with Prince Zulamkah and then briefly joined forces with the pianist

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

. In 1947, he moved with his wife, Kameedea, ''née'' Packwood, to West Africa, where she was working as a nurse. While there, he joined Ghanaian music troupes (playing with E. T. Mensah and

Guy Warren Guy Warren of Ghana, also known as Kofi Ghanaba (4 May 1923 – 22 December 2008), was a Ghanaian musician, best known as the inventor of Afro-jazz — "the reuniting of African-American jazz with its African roots" — and as a member of The T ...

) and tried to establish a timber business. When that failed, he returned to Britain and began performing with his brother Noel, working their way to the Gateways, a pioneering lesbian club in Chelsea, where he met the pianist

Chester Harriott Chester Leroy Harriott (24 February 1933 – 4 July 2013) was a Jamaican-born pianist and entertainer known for his eight years as one part of the variety act Harriott and Evans. Life Harriott was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, the son of a doctor ...

. The pair formed a duo, with Harriott on the piano and Brown singing (he was a

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

), an arrangement that proved successful; they spent eight years playing and touring as a

variety act Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

, Harriott & Evans (for Victor Brown was then known on stage as Vic Evans), mixing with a booming jazz scene and travelling across the world. As support act for a

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

concert at the

Blackpool Opera House The Opera House Theatre is a theatre in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre and originally opened in 1889, although it has been rebuilt twice, in 1910 and ...

in August 1961, they were described as "Europe's greatest coloured entertainers". Harriott and Evans went their separate ways in 1962. In later life, Brown and his wife moved to

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, settling in

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

. He died in 2016, aged 95.

Val Wilmer Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz, gospel, blues, and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include ''Jazz People'' (1970) and ''As Serious As Your Lif ...

"Victor Brown obituary"
''The Guardian'', 15 November 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2017.Val Wilmer
"Chester Harriott obituary"
''The Guardian'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

References

External links

* Harriott & Evans
"On Top of Old Smokey"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Victor Year of birth missing 2016 deaths People from Banes, Cuba Migrants from British Jamaica to the United Kingdom 20th-century Black British male singers