Charles Brown
In A Grand Style
(Bullseye 1161-9551-2)
Texas lost another of our great Bluesmen this year. To me, it is fitting that
the Charles Brown CD released during this last year of his life was a solo effort. As much
as we all love the other great players that Charles worked with, it is right that with
this CD we can listen to him and him alone doing what he did best; playing piano and
singing the blues. Recorded during his never before released early 1990s Bullseye sessions
at the Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, this CD is the perfect synopsis of Charles
Brown's life. Its material ranges from his early 40s feel that so strongly influenced,
among others, Ray Charles, through modern blues and into the realm of swing. The CD begins
with Charles crooning the old standard "One Never Knows, Does One?" a song that
allows him to contrast his rich voice against sparse but solid keyboard work. His mastery
of both keyboards and vocals shines through and is highlighted by his sense of humor as he
performs tunes like "Give Me A Woman" and "Charles' Chopin Listz." On
the other hand, his "You Gave Me Everything But Love" is a mournful tune and a
fine contrast. The CD contains 10 tracks of Charles and winds up with the beautiful song,
"Wouldn't It Be Grand." 1999 again saw Charles nominated for another WC Handy
award for Best Blues Instrumentalist - Keyboards and while Pinetop Perkins won, I'm sure
that this choice was one of those no win picks where the judges had to somehow select the
best from two equally great and gifted players. Earlier in the year on March 15th Mr.
Brown was also posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately,
on January 21st of this year, Charles passed away in his sleep after a several month long
battle with congestive heart failure. Charles' final live performance was with John Lee
Hooker and Charlie Musselwhite last August in California and it marked the passing of the
founder of the "West Coast Cool Blues" style. Fortunately, before he died,
Charles had experienced an ongoing worldwide comeback. Charles was born September 13, 1922
in Texas City, Texas. He was the only child of Mose and Mattie Evelyn (Simpson) Brown.
Charles Brown was married twice... first to R&B singer Mabel Scott and later to Eva
Shelton, who passed away during their marriage. Charles had no children. Classically
trained on the piano, Brown earned a degree in chemistry from Prairie View College before
moving to Los Angeles in 1943. Early on Brown modeled himself in a Nat "King"
Cole style but he developed a much deeper bluer tone in those ballad-heavy days. In 1945
with Charles Brown on vocals and piano, his band The Blazers released (on Philo Records)
their first big hit song, "Drifting Blues." It stayed on Billboard's R&B
charts for 23 weeks, peaking at #2. Follow-ups for the Exclusive and Modern labels
(including "Sunny Road," "So Long," "New Orleans Blues," and
their immortal 1947 Yuletide classic "Merry Christmas Baby") kept Charles Brown
and The Blazers around the top of the R&B listings from 1946 through 1948, until he
decided to move into a solo style. All through the late 1940s and 50s, Charles produced
hit after hit in the blues and R&B world. The 1960s and 70s were a slower time for him
and while he recorded frequently his quieter and more laid-back style was overshadowed by
the rise of rock & roll and contemporary blues and blues rock styles. But in the late
80s and into the 90s, Charles came back strong by touring with Bonnie Raitt, and later
with a strong band headed by guitarist Danny Caron. This is definitely a CD that fills
many needs from those nice, late nights with your sweetie to the serious study of blues
chord voicings and vocal technique. If you're a serious blues and piano aficionado, don't
waste anymore time hanging around here; go buy this CD! Now!
- Jim Wells -
Southwest Blues CD Review - September 1999
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