Biography
A vocalist specializing in big-band jazz and rhythm & blues during the 1940s, Dolores Brown frequently appears under the alternate spelling Delores Brown across discographies, leaving researchers without consensus on the accurate vowel. The episode most firmly associated with her career remains her 1942 rendition of the stark “Cold Weather Papa,” captured while the American Federation of Musicians recording ban barred conventional musicians from studios. Because the union did not classify the harmonica as a legitimate instrument—whether diatonic, chromatic, or otherwise—Brown alone among singers could still record, supported by four harmonica specialists who mimicked an entire rhythm section. The lineup featured Frank C. Andriello of the Polka Dots alongside Hy Dolber, Ralph Files, and the exceptional Michael Chimes. Issued with the similarly scored “20-99 Blues” on the reverse, the single achieved respectable sales despite its unconventional accompaniment.
Brown received $25 for the date, an instance routinely cited to illustrate producer Joe Davis’s flair for inventive workarounds and modest compensation. The session was not her first with Davis; as a member of the Erskine Hawkins orchestra she had already recorded his composition “’S’posin’,” one of many pieces Davis either wrote outright or to which he attached his name or the alias E.V. Body when dealing with traditional or uncopyrighted material. Her initial recordings with Hawkins date to 1939, an association that lasted more than twelve months. Although the Hawkins ensemble earned admiration for its instrumental output, commentators routinely dismiss its vocal selections; reissue reviews often characterize Brown’s contributions as “harmless if forgettable.”
By 1943 she had joined the Don Redman Orchestra for a lengthy run at New York City’s Zanzibar. Recording evidence places her residence in Brooklyn for much of the decade. Redman featured her on several V-Disc sides toward the end of that year, and in 1947 she participated in multiple Sterling label projects, among them a pairing with the boogie-woogie pianist Bill Doggett and a version of “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” credited jointly to Brown and the vocal ensemble the Auditones. In spring 1948 she appeared at the reopening of Spider Kelly’s club in Philadelphia, fronting the Al Russell Trio, and she also cut material with blues artist Big John Greer.
Brown received $25 for the date, an instance routinely cited to illustrate producer Joe Davis’s flair for inventive workarounds and modest compensation. The session was not her first with Davis; as a member of the Erskine Hawkins orchestra she had already recorded his composition “’S’posin’,” one of many pieces Davis either wrote outright or to which he attached his name or the alias E.V. Body when dealing with traditional or uncopyrighted material. Her initial recordings with Hawkins date to 1939, an association that lasted more than twelve months. Although the Hawkins ensemble earned admiration for its instrumental output, commentators routinely dismiss its vocal selections; reissue reviews often characterize Brown’s contributions as “harmless if forgettable.”
By 1943 she had joined the Don Redman Orchestra for a lengthy run at New York City’s Zanzibar. Recording evidence places her residence in Brooklyn for much of the decade. Redman featured her on several V-Disc sides toward the end of that year, and in 1947 she participated in multiple Sterling label projects, among them a pairing with the boogie-woogie pianist Bill Doggett and a version of “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” credited jointly to Brown and the vocal ensemble the Auditones. In spring 1948 she appeared at the reopening of Spider Kelly’s club in Philadelphia, fronting the Al Russell Trio, and she also cut material with blues artist Big John Greer.