Biography
Mel Brown earned widespread recognition through more than ten years accompanying Bobby "Blue" Bland, where he fused soul, funk, and jazz ingredients into one of the most singular guitar approaches found in modern blues. Born October 7, 1939, in Jackson, MS, he was given his first guitar at age 14 during a bout with meningitis and devoted countless daily hours to absorbing the sounds of heroes such as B.B. King and T-Bone Walker while confined to bed. Another major early inspiration came from his father, John Henry "Bubba" Brown, an accomplished amateur guitarist who frequently supported Delta legend Tommy Johnson. Once recovered, Brown entered the Duke Juniors, a youthful offshoot of the well-regarded local society ensemble the Duke Huddleston Orchestra. News of his exceptional talent circulated rapidly across the area, leading to a series of engagements at age 15 backing the great Sonny Boy Williamson. Following a short period in Los Angeles, he came back to Jackson in 1955 to refine his technique under Huddleston, then moved permanently to L.A. three years afterward. A six-month engagement with West Coast R&B singer Jimmy Beasley preceded two years supporting R&B great Johnny Otis. Late 1960 brought a tour with the Olympics and then a two-year stretch with the great Etta James. While working alongside James he exchanged his Les Paul for a hollow-bodied Gibson ES-175, an instrument he later praised for producing the warm, rich tone that distinguished him from other guitarists.
Touring demands prompted Brown to leave the road by 1963. Returning to L.A., he renewed his partnership with Otis for a long run at the Club Sands and simultaneously began session work, appearing on discs by artists ranging from Bobby Darin to Bill Cosby and on T-Bone Walker's Funky Town LP. Those efforts caught the attention of ABC/Impulse! producer Bob Thiele, who offered Brown the chance to record his own project for the label. The resulting 1967 release Chicken Fat, a richly greasy blues-funk session featuring fellow guitarist Herb Ellis, endures as a cult favorite. Several strong follow-up albums, among them The Wizard, I'd Rather Suck My Thumb, and Big Foot Country Gal, appeared in rapid order before Brown joined Bland in 1971 and performed on the singer's classic California Album two years later. While with Bland he also contributed behind blues legends John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Roy Brown. In 1976 he shifted to Nashville, where his session workload grew even heavier than it had been in Los Angeles. Upon rejoining Bland, Brown chose to set the guitar aside temporarily in favor of piano. He stayed with the vocalist until 1982, after which he paused his performing career and relocated to remote northeast Mississippi in an effort to step away from the music industry.
Brown reemerged in 1983 as part of the house band at the famed Austin, TX, blues venue Antone's. In subsequent years he supported artists including Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Clifton Chenier. He accepted Albert Collins' invitation in 1986 to join the Icebreakers, recording the acclaimed LP Cold Snap before returning to Antone's. Resuming his solo path in 1989, he issued If It's All Night, It's All Right on the club's own label. Several months later he headlined at the Pop-the-Gator Club in Kitchener, Ontario, an experience that prompted his move to Canada in early 1990. There he assembled the Homewreckers and maintained a steady schedule of southern Ontario club dates, finally returning to recording in 1998 as a guest on Snooky Pryor's Can't Stop Blowin'. His Electro-Fi debut, Neck Bones & Caviar, arrived the following year and captured the W.C. Handy Award for Blues Comeback of the Year. Co-headlining Double Shot! with Pryor in 2000 earned the pair a W.C. Handy nomination for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. The live concert recording Homewreckin' Done Live appeared one year afterward. After another five-year recording hiatus, Brown released Blues: A Beautiful Thing in early 2006.
Touring demands prompted Brown to leave the road by 1963. Returning to L.A., he renewed his partnership with Otis for a long run at the Club Sands and simultaneously began session work, appearing on discs by artists ranging from Bobby Darin to Bill Cosby and on T-Bone Walker's Funky Town LP. Those efforts caught the attention of ABC/Impulse! producer Bob Thiele, who offered Brown the chance to record his own project for the label. The resulting 1967 release Chicken Fat, a richly greasy blues-funk session featuring fellow guitarist Herb Ellis, endures as a cult favorite. Several strong follow-up albums, among them The Wizard, I'd Rather Suck My Thumb, and Big Foot Country Gal, appeared in rapid order before Brown joined Bland in 1971 and performed on the singer's classic California Album two years later. While with Bland he also contributed behind blues legends John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Roy Brown. In 1976 he shifted to Nashville, where his session workload grew even heavier than it had been in Los Angeles. Upon rejoining Bland, Brown chose to set the guitar aside temporarily in favor of piano. He stayed with the vocalist until 1982, after which he paused his performing career and relocated to remote northeast Mississippi in an effort to step away from the music industry.
Brown reemerged in 1983 as part of the house band at the famed Austin, TX, blues venue Antone's. In subsequent years he supported artists including Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Clifton Chenier. He accepted Albert Collins' invitation in 1986 to join the Icebreakers, recording the acclaimed LP Cold Snap before returning to Antone's. Resuming his solo path in 1989, he issued If It's All Night, It's All Right on the club's own label. Several months later he headlined at the Pop-the-Gator Club in Kitchener, Ontario, an experience that prompted his move to Canada in early 1990. There he assembled the Homewreckers and maintained a steady schedule of southern Ontario club dates, finally returning to recording in 1998 as a guest on Snooky Pryor's Can't Stop Blowin'. His Electro-Fi debut, Neck Bones & Caviar, arrived the following year and captured the W.C. Handy Award for Blues Comeback of the Year. Co-headlining Double Shot! with Pryor in 2000 earned the pair a W.C. Handy nomination for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. The live concert recording Homewreckin' Done Live appeared one year afterward. After another five-year recording hiatus, Brown released Blues: A Beautiful Thing in early 2006.
Albums
