Maxine Brown (country singer)

Maxine Brown (born April 27, 1932) is an American country music singer who was originally a member of the successful 1950s trio the Browns, before a brief solo career.

Biography

Brown was born in Campti, Louisiana to Floyd and Birdie Brown. While still a toddler, her family moved to a farm near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Encouraged by her parents, she began singing and performing at local venues. Brown signed a recording contract in 1954 with RCA Records as half of a duo with younger brother Jim Ed Brown. They earned national recognition and a guest spot on Ernest Tubb's radio show for their humorous song "Looking Back to See," which hit the top ten and stayed on the charts through the summer of 1954.^[1]

In 1955, younger sister Bonnie Brown joined Maxine and Jim Ed to create the trio group, the Browns. They scored their biggest hit when their folk-pop single "The Three Bells" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop and country charts in 1959. In December of that same year, "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)" proved to be a successful follow up single; just missing the top ten. "The Old Lamplighter" was next in 1960. Another highlight for the group came in 1963, when they were inducted into Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. The Browns disbanded in 1967.

Recent Years

Brown is now the only surviving member of the defunct trio following the deaths of brother Jim Ed in 2015 and sister Bonnie in 2016.

Brown had a brief solo career during the late 1960s, releasing a single and an album for Chart Records titled Sugar Cane County.

Her autobiography, Looking Back to See, was published in 2005 by The University of Arkansas Press. It delivered an account of the American country music business in the 1950s and 1960s.

References

External links

• The Browns at Allmusic.com
• The Browns at CMT.com