Biography
After his storied tenure with the Cleveland Browns concluded, Jim Brown chose to support a Cleveland-area vocal ensemble through his newly formed Big Jim Records. The imprint, operating as a subsidiary of Way Out Records, set out to document regional artists and selected the previously unheralded Occasions—Jennifer Mason, Johnal Thompson, Billy Carter, and Evans Woodson—as its inaugural act. In 1967 the label issued the Carter-Woodson composition “Baby Don't Go,” a gentle floater that registered immediate local success and circulated through additional urban markets. Its flip side, the brisk uptempo “There's No You,” spotlighted Woodson on lead. Although Big Jim announced further projects, none materialized.
Brown had already stepped away from the Browns after the 1965 campaign to pursue film roles, and he relocated permanently to Hollywood soon after the Occasions single appeared. Listeners continued to anticipate a follow-up that never arrived; the group performed only a handful of live dates, so few observers ever witnessed them onstage. Disheartened, the members disbanded without further recordings. Jennifer Mason later married Evans Woodson, who passed away in the late 1990s; the remaining members continue to reside in Cleveland.
Brown’s next venture came quickly in California, where he backed the Friends of Distinction. Their debut single, “Grazing In The Grass,” reached listeners in 1969.
Brown had already stepped away from the Browns after the 1965 campaign to pursue film roles, and he relocated permanently to Hollywood soon after the Occasions single appeared. Listeners continued to anticipate a follow-up that never arrived; the group performed only a handful of live dates, so few observers ever witnessed them onstage. Disheartened, the members disbanded without further recordings. Jennifer Mason later married Evans Woodson, who passed away in the late 1990s; the remaining members continue to reside in Cleveland.
Brown’s next venture came quickly in California, where he backed the Friends of Distinction. Their debut single, “Grazing In The Grass,” reached listeners in 1969.