Articles

Charles Brown: Blues And Other Love Songs

By Mark Corroto

Labeled as a blues singer, pianist Charles Brown walks the line between jazz, blues and a long lost genre, popular music. Born in 1922 and classically trained on the ivories, Brown began singing during wartime and was often compared to Nat King Cole. During the forties and fifties, singing R&B didn’t mean rap nor did it imply electric vamp. Brown was a stylist and cool ballad practitioner.

This re-release of a 1992 Muse date again blurs the line between blues ...

Charles Brown: Blues And Other Love Songs

By Glenn Astarita

R&B legend Charles Brown passed away in 1999 at the age of seventy-seven as his career represented something of a paradox. The pianist/vocalist/songwriter enjoyed success with a string of hits in the 40’s then seemed to drift into obscurity until his talents were rediscovered in the 90’s as he also became the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Subsequent tours with singer Bonnie Raitt and a few blues recordings rekindled awareness of his enormous ...

Charles Brown: Blues And Other Love Songs

By Glenn Astarita

R&B legend Charles Brown passed away in 1999 at the age of seventy-seven as his career represented something of a paradox. The pianist/vocalist/songwriter enjoyed success with a string of hits in the 40’s then seemed to drift into obscurity until his talents were rediscovered in the 90’s as he also became the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Subsequent tours with singer Bonnie Raitt and a few blues recordings rekindled awareness of his enormous ...

Charles Brown: In A Grand Style

By Ed Kopp

Charles Brown pioneered a sophisticated form of post-World War II blues that was part slow blues, part mellow jazz. Brown's smooth music inspired the likes of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Little Richard and countless others who later became much wealthier than their idol. Over the past decade, a new generation of listeners has fallen in love with Brown's music, thanks mostly to the efforts of Bonnie Raitt, who invited Brown to tour with her band on the heels of her ...