Charles Brown, who was born on September 13, 1922, was an American blues singer and pianist, originally a member of The Blazers. He stayed with the Blazers until 1948 (see 1948 in music), playing with them on several hits, including "Drifting Blues" and "Merry Christmas Baby."

Brown signed to Aladdin Records and released "Get Yourself Another Fool", "Black Night", "Hard Times" and "Trouble Blues", all major hits in the early 1950s. He was unable to compete with the burgeoning rock and roll sound, though he maintained a small and devoted audience.

This continued until the 1980s, when Bonnie Raitt helped usher in a Charles Brown comeback tour. He began a recording career again, to greater success than he had achieved since the 50s, but died in 1999. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Charles was a fascinating man, a chemist by trade with a classic music backgound, a marvelous person and an immensely talented musician who was greatly loved and greatly missed in the Bay Area.

Charles Brown passed January 21, 1999, in Oakland, California.

CD Review

Honey Dripper

Concert Review

Concert Archives

Wikipedia