Mel Brown (October 7, 1939March 20, 2009) was an American-born blues guitarist and singer. He is best remembered for his decade long backing of

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

, although in his own right, Brown recorded over a dozen albums between 1967 and 2006.

Career

Brown was born in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, United States, and was presented with his first guitar as a teenager while recovering from a bout of meningitis. By 1955, after performing backing duties for both

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

and Jimmy Beasley, Brown had a two year long stint backing Johnny Otis. This led to work with Etta James, where he swapped his Gibson Les Paul for an

ES-175 The Gibson ES-175 (1949-2019) is a hollow body Jazz electric guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The ES-175 became one of Gibson's most popular guitar designs. History In 1949 the ES-175 was introduced by the Gibson Guitar comp ...

to give him a richer and fuller tone to his guitar work, that set him apart from his contemporaries. The stress of constant touring led him to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, to resume work with Otis, spending an extended residency at the Club Sands. Further session duties saw Brown back

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

and

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

among others, as well as performing on

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

's '' Funky Town''. ABC Records producer

Bob Thiele Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals * Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

offered Brown the chance to record his own material, and Brown released ''

Chicken Fat Chicken fat is fat obtained (usually as a by-product) from chicken rendering and processing. Of the many animal-sourced substances, chicken fat is noted for being high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Linoleic acid levels are between ...

'' in 1967. Though principally a blues musician, Brown would also transition into

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

through his association with Bob Thiele, including a prominent role with the Oliver Nelson Big Band and appearing on Live from Los Angeles released by

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per uni ...

. One of Brown's most celebrated tracks is the 11+ minute guitar solo, "Eighteen Pounds of Unclean Chitlings", which features on ''

I'd Rather Suck My Thumb ''I'd Rather Suck My Thumb'' is the fourth album by American blues guitarist Mel Brown recorded in 1969 for the Impulse! label.

'' (1970), and was reissued as the lead track (and title) on a BluesWay Records collection released in 1973. For many years in the 1980s and 1990s, Brown was a prominent member of the house band at Antone's Night Club in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Brown was nominated for a Juno Award in both 2001 and 2002. Brown died aged 69, on March 20, 2009, in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, of complications from emphysema."Delta bluesman Mel Brown dies in adopted hometown of Kitchener, Ont."

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...

website, March 22, 2009 A

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

, ''Love Lost & Found: The Story of Mel Brown'' directed by Sean Jasmins for Blue Fusion Productions was granted a theatrical release in 2014.

Discography

As leader

* 1967: ''

'' ( Impulse!) * 1968: ''

The Wizard Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book supe ...

'' (Impulse!) * 1969: '' Blues for We'' (Impulse!) * 1969: ''

I'd Rather Suck My Thumb ''I'd Rather Suck My Thumb'' is the fourth album by American blues guitarist Mel Brown recorded in 1969 for the Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!) * 1971: '' Mel Brown's Fifth'' (Impulse!) * 1973: '' Big Foot Country Girl'' (Impulse!) * 1973: ''Eighteen Pounds of Unclean Chitlins and Other Greasy Blues Specialties'' (BluesWay) * 1998: ''Can't Stop Blowin ( Electro-Fi)

Snooky Pryor James Edward "Snooky" Pryor (September 15, 1919 or 1921 – October 18, 2006) was an American Chicago blues harmonica player. He claimed to have pioneered the now-common method of playing amplified harmonica by cupping a small microphone in his ...

with special guest Mel Brown * 1999: ''Neck Bones & Caviar'' (Electro-Fi) Mel Brown * 2000: '' Double Shot!'' (Electro-Fi) Snooky Pryor and Mel Brown * 2001: ''Homewreckin’ Done Live'' (Electro-Fi) Mel Brown and The Homewreckers * 2006: ''Blues – A Beautiful Thing'' (Electro-Fi) Mel Brown and The Homewreckers * 2006: ''Mel Brown – The DVD'' (Electro-Fi)

As sideman

Clifford Coulter Clifford Coulter was an American blues, R&B and jazz guitarist and keyboardist. allmusic Biography/ref> Career He released three albums, 1970's ''East Side San Jose'' with Billy Ingram and Joe Provost on drums. (Impulse! Records), 1971's ''Do I ...

– '' East Side San Jose'' (Impulse!, 1970) *Clifford Coulter – ''

Do It Now! Do, DO or D.O. may refer to: Languages * The English verb, ''do'', which may serve as an auxiliary verb; see do-support * Do (kana), ''Do'' (kana), a mora symbol in Japanese writing * Ditto mark People * Đỗ, a Vietnamese surname * Do (surname) ...

'' (Impulse!, 1971) *

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

... ''L.A. Midnight'' – Guitar *B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland – ''Together for the First Time'' – Guitar *

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

– ''Cold Snap'' – Guitar *

James Cotton James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career. ...

– ''Mighty Long Time'' – Piano *

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list ...

– ''It’s a Sin To Be Rich'' – Guitar, Organ, Electric Piano * John Lee Hooker – '' Endless Boogie'' – Acoustic Guitar *John Lee Hooker ''Never Get Out of The Blues Alive'' – Guitar and Bass *

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...

– ''

The Starting Five ''The Starting Five'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 1986 and released on the Milestone label the following year.

'' (Milestone, 1987) - Guitar *Jimmy McGriff - '' The Dream Team'' (Milestone, 1997) – Guitar *

Doug Sahm Douglas Wayne Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in San Antonio, Texas. Sahm is regarded as one of the main figures of Tex-Mex music, and as an important per ...

– ''Juke Box Music'' – Keyboards *

Earl Hooker Earl Zebedee Hooker (January 15, 1930 – April 21, 1970) was a Chicago blues guitarist known for his slide guitar playing. Considered a "musician's musician", he performed with blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells, and ...

– ''Simply The Best'' – Guitar * Charles Brown – ''Legend'' – Guitar *

– '' Stormy Monday Blues'' (BluesWay, 1968) *T-Bone Walker - ''Funky Town'' (BluesWay, 1969) *Monica Dupont – ''Monica Dupont Vintage'' (1980) – Guitar *Little Bobby and The Jumpstarts – ''Tickets in the Glovebox'' – Piano, Guitar * Harmonica Shah – ''Listen At Me Good'' – Guitar

References

External links

Biography @ Electrofi.com

Facebook page for Documentary Film Love Lost & Found: The Story of Mel Brown

Jimmie Vaughan Remembers Mel Brown
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Mel 1939 births 2009 deaths Canadian people of African-American descent African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers American blues guitarists American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists Deaths from emphysema Singers from Mississippi Impulse! Records artists American emigrants to Canada Black Canadian musicians Canadian blues guitarists Canadian male guitarists 20th-century Canadian male singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Mississippi 20th-century Canadian guitarists