| Charles Brown was a blues institution. For over fifty year he sang and
played his jazzy brand of blues with unmatched class. More than anyone else, Brown
invented the sophisticated, laid back genre called West Coast blues. Charles brown emerged on the scene in 1945 after hooking up with
guitarist Johnny Moore and his band The Three Blazes who modeled themselves on Nat King
Cole except with a bluesier sound. With Brown as their vocalist they recorded
"Driftin' Blues" in 1945 which stayed on the Billboard charts for 23 weeks and
in the process influenced a generation of bluesman. Ray Charles, Amos Milburn, and Floyd
Dixon among others all based their sound on Brown's after hours brand of blues. Ask any
older blues musician who their idols where and Charles Brown's name invariably comes up.
The hits kept coming including the classic "Merry Christmas Baby" in 1947.
In the late forties brown went solo and signed for the
small Aladdin label. Between 1949-1952 he had several hits including "Get Yourself
Another Fool," "Trouble Blues", "Black Night," and "Hard
Times." By the late fifties his once fashionable sound was out of style and he faded
from the limelight. The 60's and 70's were lean years for Charles Brown and it wasn't
until the 80's that he began to reemerge.
Brown's comeback began with the release "One more for
the Road" on the Blue Side label which then was released on one of the largest blues
labels, Alligator records.One listen proved that Brown hadn't lost a step. Around the same
time, Bonnie Raitt offered a helping hand by bringing Charles on tour with her,
introducing him to a whole new audience.
The 90's find Charles Brown back in the spotlight,
enchanting a whole new generation of blue listeners. His recording career was also revived
releasing albums on Bullseye ,Verve and other labels. During this period he recorded
perhaps his finest record, 1990's "All My Life" on Bullseye records. The highest
praise for an artist is to classify his work as timeless- Charles Brown meets that and
then some.
Recommended Listening
Driftin' Blues: The Best of Charles Brown
(Collectables): If your looking for one CD that includes his early Aladdin
classics this is it. "Driftin' Blue", "Black Night", "Trouble
Blues" and many others.
All My Life (Bullseye): One of his best later recordings
with and impeccable band plus guest stars Dr. John and Ruth Brown. Every song's a winner.
The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Charles Brown (Mosiac):
Everything he cut for Aladdin, 109 songs, in this beautiful 5CD box set. If you have deep
pockets this is the one to get. |
