Milton Brown
Milton Brown (born September 8, 1903 in Stephenville , Erath County , Texas , † April 13, 1936 in Fort Worth , Texas) was an American country musician . Along with Bob Wills, Brown is considered to be the "father of western swing ". However, due to his untimely death, he never reached Wills' popularity.
Life
Childhood and youth
Milton Brown was born in Stephensville in 1903, where he also spent his childhood. In 1918 Brown moved to Fort Worth, where he graduated from high school in 1925. He then worked as a cigarette seller , but lost his job in the late 1920s due to the Great Depression .
Career
In 1930 Brown began his career as a musician. During a performance by the Wills Fiddle Band , which consisted of Bob Wills and his brothers, in a dance hall, Brown was accidentally brought on stage to sing the St. Louis Blues with Wills . Wills was impressed with Brown and asked him if he would like to join the band with Brown's brother Durwood, who played guitar . Brown and his brother accepted.
The group played on Medicine Shows in Texas and got a small radio show on WBAP sponsored by the Aladdin Lamp Company. For this, the band had to rename itself The Aladdin Laddies . In early 1931 the group around Wills and Brown was hired by the Light Crust Flour Company to perform daily at KFJZ. After another name change to Light Crust Doughboys , company owner W. Lee O'Daniel , now also manager of the group and radio host, organized a daily show on another station's program. The Light Crust Doughboys were an instant hit because they had a wide range of musical styles including hillbilly , jazz , blues, and other popular music that appealed to almost every listener. In February 1932 a first record was recorded for RCA Victor under the name Fort Worth Doughboys .
In 1932, Brown left the band after disputes with O'Daniel and formed his own group, the Musical Brownies . The line-up was as follows: Milton Brown ( vocals ), his brother Durwood (guitar), Wanna Coffman ( bass ), Ocie Stockard ( banjo ) and Jessie Ashlock ( fiddle ). And again it was the mix of pop, jazz and early country music that brought Brown and his band to success. The group made appearances on the KTAT program and filled every dance hall in which they performed. In the meantime, Fred Calhoun had joined the group as pianist and fiddler Cecil Bower - as a replacement for Ashlock. In 1934 Brown and his musical Brownies played their first songs for Bluebird Records .
At the end of 1934, another musician joined the band, steel guitarist Bob Dunn . With its blatantly distorted electrical sound, it set the tone. In January of the next year, Brown got a recording contract with Decca Records and subsequently recorded 36 more songs. It was these singles in particular that made Brown and his band the most famous and sought-after western swing orchestra in Texas. Fiddler Cliff Bruner also supported the group at another session .
In April 1936 Milton Brown was involved in a serious car accident, of which he died five days later. After his death, his brother Durwood continued the band for two years. Even if Brown never achieved the success of a Bob Will, he had a great influence on the development of country music and western swing, which without him would never have existed in its present form.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluebird Records | |||
| 1934 | Oh You Pretty Woman / Swinging on the Garden Gate | ||
| 1934 | Do The Hula Lou / Four Five or Six Times | ||
| My Precious Sonny Boy / Garbage Man Blues | |||
| Loveland and You / This Morning, This Evening, So Soon | |||
| Take It Slow and Easy / Get Along Cindy | |||
| Trinity Waltz / Girl of my Dreams | |||
| Sitting On Top of the World / Loveless Love | |||
| Joe Turner Blues / Brownie's Stomp | |||
| Where Have You Been So Long, Corrine? / Talking About You | |||
| Decca Records | |||
| 1935 | St. Louis Blues / A Good Man Is Hard to Find | ||
| 1935 | In El Rancho Grande / Beautiful Texas | ||
| 1935 | Love in Bloom / Object of My Affection | ||
| 1935 | My Mary / You'e Tired of Me | ||
| 1935 | Sweet Jenny Lee / I Love You | ||
| 1935 | Wabash Blues / You're Bound to Look Like a Monkey | ||
| 1935 | Pray for the Lights to Go Out / Down by the Ohio | ||
| 1935 | Shine on Harvest Moon / Sweet Georgia Brown | ||
| 1935 | In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree / Black and White Rag | ||
| 1935 | Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet / Some of These Days | ||
| 1935 | I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You / Taking Off | ||
| 1935 (?) | Copenhagen / Who's Sorry Now | ||
| 1935 (?) | Cheezy Breeze / Chinatown, My Chinatown | ||
| 1935 (?) | Brownie Special / Going Up Brushy Fork | ||
| 1935 (?) | Darktown Strutter's Ball / Crafton Blues | ||
| 1936 (?) | House at the End of the Lane / Little Betty Brown | ||
| 1936 (?) | Our Baby Boy / I Got Bluef gor Mammy | ||
| 1936 | Mexicali Rose / Goofus | ||
| 1936 | When I Take my Sugar to Tea / Somebody's Been Using That Thing | ||
| 1936 | Eyes of Texas / Wheel of Wagon Broken | ||
| 1936 | If You Can't Get Five Take Two / Show Me the Way to Go Home | ||
| 1936 | Tired of Same Old Thing / Texas Hambone Blues | ||
| 1936 | Old Water Mill by Waterfal / Waltz You Saved Gor Me | ||
| 1936 | Sweetheart of Sigma Chi / I'll String Along With You | ||
| 1936 | Chinese Honeymoon (Shanghai Honeymoon) / Fan It | ||
| 1936 | Song of the Wanderer / Keep a Knocking | ||
| 1936 | A Thousand Goodnights / Baby Keep Stealing | ||
| 1936 | The Old Gray Mare / Yes Sir (Just Because) | ||
| 1936 | Washington and Lee Swing / Hesitation Blues | ||
| 1936 | On I Blue / When Its Harvest Time | ||
| 1936 | When I'm Gone You Dont Gri / Yellow Rose Of Texas | ||
| 1936 (?) | Mama Dont Allow It / Stay on Right Side Sister | ||
| 1936 (?) | Beale Street Mama / Roseland Melody | ||
| 1936 (?) | Sheik of Araby / Cielito Lindo | ||
| 1937 (?) | Sadie Green (The Vamp of New Orleans) / Alice Blue Gown | ||
| 1937 (?) | One of Us Was Wrong / Just a Dream | ||
| 1937 (?) | Easy Riding Papa / Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider | ||
| 1937 | Wheezie Anna / Right or Wrong | ||
| 1937 | My Galveston Gal / La Golondrina | ||
| 1937 | Carry Me Back To Lone Prai / Memphis Blues | ||
| 1937 | I Had Someone Before I Had / Under the Double Eagle | ||
| 1937 | Avalon / Somebody Stole My Gal | ||
| Unpublished titles | |||
|
Decca Records (rejected) | ||
Albums
- 1955: Dance-O-Rama
- 1977: Taking Off (US & UK)
- 1982: Pioneer Western Swing
- 1983: Western Swing 1934
- 1987: Easy Ridin 'Papa (UK)
- 1996: Complete Recordings of the Father of Western Swing 1932-1937 (5CDs, Texas Rose)
- 2003: Daddy of Western Swing (4CDs, Proper UK)
Web links
- Entry in the All Music Guide
- Milton Brown on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Brown, Milton |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 8, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stephenville , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 13, 1936 |
| Place of death | Fort Worth , Texas |