Roy Brown (blues musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roy Brown
Background information
Birth name	Roy James Brown
Born	September 10, 1920 or 1925 Kinder, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	May 25, 1981 San Fernando, California, U.S.
Genres	Jump blues R&B rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1945–1981

Roy James Brown (born September 10, 1920 or 1925 – died May 25, 1981) was an American blues singer. He greatly influenced the early sounds of rock and roll and R&B. His famous song, "Good Rockin' Tonight", was covered by many artists. These included Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Little Richard.

Roy Brown was one of the first R&B singers to use a gospel-like singing style. This was new and exciting at the time. His strong, pleading voice also inspired many other famous singers. Some of these were B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and Elvis Presley.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Roy Brown was born in Kinder, Louisiana. Some records say he was born in 1925, but other information points to 1920.

Like many R&B singers, Roy started singing gospel music in church. His mother was a talented singer and played the church organ. In the 1940s, he moved to Los Angeles. For a short time, he was even a professional boxer!

In 1945, he won a singing contest at the Million Dollar Theater. He sang "There's No You", a song made famous by Bing Crosby. The next year, in 1946, Brown moved to Galveston, Texas. There, he sang popular songs with a group in a nightclub. One of the songs he performed was "Good Rockin' Tonight".

After being unable to join the army, Brown got a job singing in Shreveport, Louisiana. He mostly sang pop songs. The club owner liked that he was a Black singer who sounded "white." At this club, Brown started singing more blues songs. He learned popular R&B tunes like "Jelly Jelly". In 1947, he returned to New Orleans and performed at the Dew Drop Inn.

Music Career and Hits

Roy Brown was a big fan of the blues singer Wynonie Harris. Brown tried to get Harris to listen to his song "Good Rockin' Tonight," but it didn't work. Then, Brown met another blues singer, Cecil Gant. Brown sang his song for Gant. Gant was so impressed that he called the president of De Luxe Records, Jules Braun, at 4:00 in the morning!

Brown quickly got a recording contract. He recorded "Good Rockin' Tonight" in a jump blues style. It came out in 1948 and became a hit. It reached number 13 on the Billboard R&B chart. Later that year, Wynonie Harris recorded his own version of the song, which went to number one. Elvis Presley also covered the song in 1954.

Brown had many more hits for De Luxe Records from 1948 to 1951. He had 14 songs on the R&B charts during this time. Some of his biggest hits were "Hard Luck Blues" (his best seller), "Love Don't Love Nobody", "Rockin' at Midnight", and "Boogie at Midnight". He was one of the top R&B artists of those years.

After this successful period, Brown's career slowed down. New music styles like doo-wop and R&B groups became very popular. Brown also had some challenges, including issues with money.

Roy Brown performed at several famous Cavalcade of Jazz concerts in Los Angeles. He played at Wrigley Field in 1951, 1952, and 1953. He shared the stage with many other great artists. These included Lionel Hampton, Louis Jordan, and Louis Armstrong.

In 1957, Brown had a brief comeback with Imperial Records. He worked with Dave Bartholomew and had another hit song, "Let the Four Winds Blow". He wrote this song with Fats Domino, who also had a hit with it later.

Brown returned to King Records, but his popularity was not as high by 1959. He found work where he could and made some recordings in the 1960s. To earn more money, he even sold the rights to his famous song "Good Rockin' Tonight". He also worked as an encyclopedia salesman.

In 1970, Roy Brown performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival. The audience loved his performance. After this, he recorded "Love for Sale", which became a hit for Mercury Records.

Later Life and Passing

In the late 1970s, a collection of his old songs was released. This brought new interest in his music. In 1978, he had a successful tour in Scandinavia. He performed at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood shortly before he passed away. He was also a main performer at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1981. He died a month later.

Roy Brown passed away from a heart attack on May 25, 1981. He was at Pacoima Lutheran Memorial Hospital in California. The Reverend Johnny Otis led his funeral service.

Years later, Little Richard said that Roy Brown was one of the artists who inspired him when he was starting his career.

Legacy

Roy Brown was honored after his death. He was added to the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981.

Some of his songs are featured in popular video games. "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1" and "Mighty Mighty Man" are in Fallout 3. "Butcher Pete, Pt. 1", "Butcher Pete, Pt. 2", "Good Rockin' Tonight", and "Mighty Mighty Man" are in Fallout 4. There is also a quest in the video game Fallout: New Vegas named after his song "Hard Luck Blues".

Chart Singles

See also

In Spanish: Roy Brown (músico) para niños

• List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
• List of blues musicians
• List of jump blues musicians
• West Coast blues