Odell Brown
Encyclopedia
Odell Elliott Brown Jr. was an American jazz
organist. Brown was born in Louisville, Kentucky
. He was mainly active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing in a soul jazz
and jazz funk vein, and was often billed with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. The band was originally formed in Nashville in 1961. His most popular record was 1967's Mellow Yellow, which reached #173 on the Billboard 200
. The band's personnel was O'Dell Brown, organ, Artee "Duke" Payne and Tommy Purvis, tenor saxophones, Curtis Prince, drums.
Brown also co-wrote Marvin Gaye
's hit single "Sexual Healing
". He played electric piano with Marvin Gaye in the late 70's, early 80's. Brown also accompanied singer Johnny Nash in the 1970s, and arranged and conducted an album with Minnie Riperton on Epic records.
Brown has been living in Richfield, Minnesota
since the early 1990s, to stabilize his professional and personal life. He died in 2011 in Richfield, Minnesota
.
As sideman
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
organist. Brown was born in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He was mainly active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing in a soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
and jazz funk vein, and was often billed with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. The band was originally formed in Nashville in 1961. His most popular record was 1967's Mellow Yellow, which reached #173 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The band's personnel was O'Dell Brown, organ, Artee "Duke" Payne and Tommy Purvis, tenor saxophones, Curtis Prince, drums.
Brown also co-wrote Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's hit single "Sexual Healing
Sexual Healing
"Sexual Healing" is a 1982 song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Columbia Records label. It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, following the release of the In Our Lifetime album the previous year...
". He played electric piano with Marvin Gaye in the late 70's, early 80's. Brown also accompanied singer Johnny Nash in the 1970s, and arranged and conducted an album with Minnie Riperton on Epic records.
Brown has been living in Richfield, Minnesota
Richfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,439 people, 15,073 households, and 8,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,993.9 people per square mile . There were 15,357 housing units at an average density of 2,226.9 per square mile...
since the early 1990s, to stabilize his professional and personal life. He died in 2011 in Richfield, Minnesota
Richfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,439 people, 15,073 households, and 8,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,993.9 people per square mile . There were 15,357 housing units at an average density of 2,226.9 per square mile...
.
Discography
As leader- Raising the Roof (Cadet RecordsCadet RecordsCadet Records was started as Argo Records in 1955 as the jazz subsidiary of Chess Records. Argo changed its name in 1965 to Cadet to avoid confusion with the similarly named label in the UK...
, 1966) - Mellow Yellow (Cadet, 1967)
- Ducky (Cadet, 1967)
- Odell Brown Plays Otis Redding (Cadet, 1969)
- Free Delivery (Cadet, 1970)
- Odell Brown (Paula Records, 1974)
As sideman
- with Sonny StittSonny StittEdward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
-Bunky GreenBunky GreenBunky Green is an American jazz alto saxophonist and educator.-Biography:Vernice "Bunky" Green was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he played the alto saxophone, mainly at a local club called "The Brass Rail."...
Soul in the night (Cadet, 1966) - with Dorothy Ashby Dorothy's harp (Cadet, 1969)
- with Eddie HarrisEddie HarrisEddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
"The reason why I'm talking S**t !"(Atlantic, 1975) - with Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
Live (Tamla, 1976)