Gabriel Brown
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Brown was an American
Piedmont blues
singer and guitarist
.
, and graduated from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1934, Brown performed at the first National Folk Festival
in St. Louis
, Missouri
. He was musically discovered by folklorist
Zora Neale Hurston
. She enlisted Alan Lomax
who, in June 1935, recorded Brown for the Library of Congress
.
Similar to Ralph Willis
, Alec Seward
and Brownie McGhee
, Brown then relocated from the Southern United States
to New York City
. Hurston gave Brown a part in her light opera, Polk County. In 1935 Brown started a four year tenure with the Federal Arts Theatre, initially under Orson Welles
' direction. By the late 1930s, Brown appeared as a singer on Cincinnati radio, and took part in the show, St. Louis Woman. He found employment with the civil service
, working for the Army Signal Corps in Asbury Park
, New Jersey
. Brown had Joe Davis as his record producer
on his first full recording session in 1943, and the twosome worked together until Brown's final sessions in 1952.
However, in 1945 Brown sang, "I can't have no luck at all, the jinx is on me."
Several of Brown's recordings were not released during his lifetime, and some of those that were issued were not always promoted tastefully, or accurately. In the late 1940s, various tracks were licensed to Coral Records
. Eventually Davis worked in A&R for MGM Records
, and Brown followed him to that label, where he was promoted as a pop
singer. Later compilation album
s were released on record label
s such as Flyright
.
Brown's death from drowning
in Florida in 1972, occurred following a boating accident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Biography
Brown was born in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and graduated from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1934, Brown performed at the first National Folk Festival
National Folk Festival (USA)
The National Folk Festival is an itinerant folk festival in the United States. Since 1934, it has been run by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and has been presented in 26 communities around the nation...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He was musically discovered by folklorist
Folkloristics
Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore. The term derives from a nineteenth century German designation of folkloristik to distinguish between folklore as the content and folkloristics as its study, much as language is distinguished from linguistics...
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
. She enlisted Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
who, in June 1935, recorded Brown for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Similar to Ralph Willis
Ralph Willis (blues musician)
Ralph Willis was an American Piedmont and country blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Some of his Savoy records were released under pseudonyms, such as Alabama Slim, Washboard Pete and Sleepy Joe.-Biography:...
, Alec Seward
Alec Seward
Alec Seward was an American Piedmont and country blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Some of his records were released under pseudonyms, such as Guitar Slim, Blues Servant Boy, King Blues and Georgia Slim...
and Brownie McGhee
Brownie McGhee
Walter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
, Brown then relocated from the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Hurston gave Brown a part in her light opera, Polk County. In 1935 Brown started a four year tenure with the Federal Arts Theatre, initially under Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' direction. By the late 1930s, Brown appeared as a singer on Cincinnati radio, and took part in the show, St. Louis Woman. He found employment with the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, working for the Army Signal Corps in Asbury Park
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Brown had Joe Davis as his record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
on his first full recording session in 1943, and the twosome worked together until Brown's final sessions in 1952.
However, in 1945 Brown sang, "I can't have no luck at all, the jinx is on me."
Several of Brown's recordings were not released during his lifetime, and some of those that were issued were not always promoted tastefully, or accurately. In the late 1940s, various tracks were licensed to Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
. Eventually Davis worked in A&R for MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
, and Brown followed him to that label, where he was promoted as a pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer. Later compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s were released on record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s such as Flyright
Flyright Records
Flyright Records is a British record label incorporated in 1970 by Mike Leadbitter, Simon Napier, and Bruce Bastin. It specialises in reissuing pre and post war blues and jazz recordings.-External links:* *...
.
Brown's death from drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
in Florida in 1972, occurred following a boating accident.