Mel Brown (guitarist)
Mel Brown ( born October 7, 1939 in Jackson, Mississippi, † March 20, 2009 in Kitchener, Ontario ) was an American blues guitarist, bassist and pianist.
Life and work
Brown grew up in Jackson ( Mississippi); early idols were the blues guitarist BB King and T -Bone Walker. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked primarily as a session musician since the late 1950s and, among others, images of Bobby Darin, Bill Cosby, but also in T -Bone Walker Album Funky Town participated. The end of 1960 he went with the band The Olympics on tour; Then he played two years in the backing band of singer Etta James; later he also played in the band of Oliver Nelson ( Live from Los Angeles, 1967), Jimmy McGriff (The Starting Five, 1986) or the West Coast bassist Leroy Vinnegar ( Walking the Bass, 1992). He also played in various local blues bands.
In the summer of 1967 was built on jazz label Impulse! Records a first blues -funk album under his own name (Chicken Fat ), to which Gerald Wiggins, Herb Ellis, Arthur Wright, Ronald Brown and Paul Humphrey participated. This was followed on Impulse! Albums such as The Wizard, I'd Rather Suck My Thumb, and Big Foot Country Gal.
In 1971, Brown member of the band the singer Bobby " Blue" Bland, worked at the California Album ( 1973) with. 1979 Brown joined at the San Francisco Blues Festival on. In addition, Brown worked at this time with blues legends such as John Lee Hooker and Lightnin ' Hopkins; he remained until 1982, at Bland.
Brown worked in 1983 in a blues band in Austin, Texas in the house band at the club Antone's; later he accompanied musicians such as Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Clifton Chenier. In 1986 he became a member of Albert Collins ' band the Icebreakers and collaborated on his album Cold Snap with; then he continued working at the club Antone's in Austin.
In early 1990, Brown moved to Kitchener, Ontario in Canada, where he founded his own band, The Homewreckers. The result was the album Neck Bones & Caviar (1999). The following year he was awarded the W. C. Handy Award. 2001 and 2002 he received the Juno Award. In 2006, Brown on his last album ( Blues: A Beautiful Thing ). In 2007 he received the Living Blues Award for best guitarist. In April 2008 he stood for the last time on the stage; he he performed with Buddy Guy in Kitchener Ontario. Brown died in March 2009 from emphysema complications.
Brown united in its style elements of soul, funk and jazz to contemporary blues playing.
Disco Graphical Notes
As a leader
As a sideman
- B.B. King ... L.A. Midnight - Guitar
- B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland ... Together for the First Time - Guitar
- Albert Collins Cold Snap ... - Guitar
- James Cotton Mighty Long Time ... - Piano
- Lightnin ' Hopkins ... It's a Sin To Be Rich - Guitar, Organ, Electric Piano
- John Lee Hooker Endless Boogie ... - Acoustic Guitar
- John Lee Hooker ... Never Get Out of The Blues Alive - Guitar and Bass
- Jimmy McGriff - Dream Team - guitar
- Doug Sahm ... Juke Box Music - Keyboards
- Earl Hooker ... Simply The Best - Guitar
- Charles Brown ... Legend - Guitar
- T -Bone Walker ... Funky Town - Guitar