Great Live Moments - Charles Brown

April 29, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: ballad style, blues at sunrise, career track, civil service job, drifting blues, elvis presley, favorite records, high school science, ivory joe hunter, Listening Post, Live Music, lucky millinder, Masters, merry christmas baby, music party, pine bluff arkansas, second world war, sheraton hotel, sun studios, sweet slumber, toast of the nation, trouble blues, wbgo
ballad style

blues at sunrise

career track

civil service job

drifting blues

elvis presley

favorite records

high school science

ivory joe hunter

Listening Post

Live Music

lucky millinder

Masters

merry christmas baby

music party

pine bluff arkansas

second world war

sheraton hotel

sun studios

sweet slumber

toast of the nation

trouble blues

wbgo

Circumstances could have been completely different. Charles Brown was a chemist. He attended college, earned a degree in chemistry, taught high school science, and landed a civil service job in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. That would have been a career track for most. Brown had other ideas. He bristled at the racism he encountered each day. He volunteered to serve in the second world war, but was deemed unfit due to asthma. So Charles Brown packed his bags and headed to California.

Thank goodness. Can you imagine a holiday season without "Merry Christmas Baby?" Or a world without "Drifting Blues?" And who played the piano behind a fellow Texan, Ivory Joe Hunter, on "Blues at Sunrise?" How about "Trouble Blues," or "Black Night?" Mind you, most of those songs were hits before Elvis Presley had ever set foot in Sun Studios.

How about one of my all-time favorite records, Sam Cooke's Night Beat? If you simply listen to the way Cooke sings on that record, you might reach the same conclusion I did - would that record exist were it not for Charles Brown?

Brown celebrated New Year's Eve with WBGO, part of the Toast of the Nation coast-to-coast live music party. He welcomed 1994 from the Sheraton Hotel in Tacoma, Washington. His cool, bluesy ballad style was especially poignant on a song popularized by Lucky Millinder.
-Josh

Listen to "Sweet Slumber Till Dawn," from the WBGO Archives.
© 2008 WBGO

Share |

Note: These comment boards are available to the general public. Statements expressed in the comment boards do not necessarily reflect WBGO's views. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them. For more information, please read our Terms of Service.

Bookmark & Share

RSS Feed

The easiest and most convenient way to catch up with the latest blog posts is to subscribe to WBGO's Blog RSS Feed.

Get the WBGO Blog Feed

Discover WBGO

RADAR: Terence Blanchard's MAGNETIC

Hear Terence Blanchard's MAGNETIC now - exclusively on WBGO more
Montreal Jazz Festival Trip

WBGO Travel invites you to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Montreal Jazz Festival, June 30 -... more
SportsJam with Doug Doyle

Host Doug Doyle talks to Veteran Boxing Referee Eddie Cotton. more
Allan Wolper talks with community activist Julie Menin

Julie Menin, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Borough President of Manhattan, is... more
Volunteer for WBGO!

Volunteers are very important to WBGO's existence. We welcome you to become involved in our... more
Newark Today with guest Mayor Cory Booker

The next Newark Today is on Thursday, May 23, at 8pm. more
Two Decades of JazzSet

See and hear highlights from WBGO’s national series, JazzSet from NPR Music more
Free WBGO Mobile app

Click here to download the free WBGO app for iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android phones. more
WBGO HD2 - the jazz bee

WBGO's new showcase for emerging jazz artists and styles. Hear it at 88.3 HD2 and online now. more
Midday Jazz with Rhonda Hamilton Weekdays 10am - 2pm

Rhonda gives you the great music you need to get through the day, and she does it in her own... more
Morning Jazz with Gary Walker Weekdays 6 - 10am

Gary Walker helps you start your day each weekday morning. Join Gary and Morning News Anchor... more
Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez

Classic & contemporary soul, R&B, funk, blues, salsa/bugalu, Afro-soul and rock 'n... more
Afternoon Jazz with Michael Bourne Weekdays 2 - 6:30pm

Music host Michael Bourne bops in at 2pm, then strikes a chord with the Blues Hour each day at... more
The Checkout

An hour-long music magazine hosted by Josh Jackson features what's new on the New York jazz... more
Sunday Night Music Mix with Eulis Cathey

Each Sunday from 7-11pm, tune into WBGO to hear Sunday Night Music Mix with Eulis Cathey.... more
The WBGO Blog: Dr. Lewis Porter profiles

Visit the WBGO Blog for Dr. Lewis Porter's series "You Don't Know Jazz," to learn little known... more
Page 1 of 6
Show more