<back - ROY BROWN - Any glossary of the founding fathers of Rock ‘n Roll should have Roy Brown's near the top. His style set the pattern for future rockers, while his compositions were a decade ahead of their time with their unabashed wildness and discombobulated hi-jinks. But his everlasting legacy remains 'Good Rockin’ Tonight', generally regarded as the first Rock 'n Roll song. It would later be covered by most of the early rockers, including Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Link Wray, and Jerry Lee Lewis. From 1948-1951, Roy Brown delivered 15 consecutive top hits for Deluxe Records.

Included are rockers-- Boogie At Midnight, Rockin’ At Midnight, Ain’t No Rockin’ No More, Miss Fanny Brown, Cadillac Baby, and the “over-the-top” drama of Laughing But Crying. His raucous, half-pleading/half-shouting style was Gospel-based, presaging a sound adopted by future legends BB King, Bobby Bland, and Little Richard. However Brown---like contemporary R&B shouters Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris--couldn’t capitalize on the music he helped invent. Yet his story bears repeating to ensure that the record is set straight, and so that his musical heirs understand where it all came from. Born 1925 in New Orleans; thereafter his family moved to rural parts of Louisiana. At 14, they located to California and prizefighting beckoned Roy for a while, but he abandoned the sport in 1945 and entered a singing contest at Los Angeles 'Million Dollar Theatre'. Early on Roy Brown patterned himself after his idol Bing Crosby, even acknowledging his relative unfamiliarity with the Blues--aside from some early 40’s sides heard from Billy Eckstine and Ella Johnson. He brought his act back to Shreveport Louisiana, singing stuff like 'Stardust' and 'Blue Hawaii'. 'Good Rockin’ Tonight' was written for his trumpeter Wilbur Brown (no relation) during a Galveston Texas stopover, but one day Wilbur got sick, so Roy sung the song. The locals went nuts! Back in New Orleans he ran into pianist Cecil Gant who introduced Roy to Jules Braun of Deluxe. While Wynonie Harris’ version of 'Good Rockin’ Tonight' became the bigger hit, it would signal the passing of Roy Brown the crooner, replaced by the full-throated belter with the power that would set him apart from other singers. After a 3-year hit streak for Deluxe, King/Federal bought out his contract, but when Brown insisted that King Records reimburse him for his rightful royalties he found himself 'blackballed', meaning the hits dried up and so did the gigs. Aside from 4 sides on Chess in 1963, he recorded for 'fly-by-night' labels (Connie, DRA, and Mobile). Roy Brown was only 56 when he passed in 1981. Roy Brown has been inducted into both the Rockabilly and R&B Halls of Fame.-Gary Tate    MP3- The Letter