#6 Roy Brown

ROY BROWN

1995 - The Complete Imperial Recordings





Flamboyant late 40s singer/composer Roy Brown had a noticeable influence on the vocal stylings of Elvis Presley (among others), when he fused the rockin’ rhythm & blues of the day with his gospel music roots.

Which makes for some rich irony, considering Brown was once referred to as “a Negro singer who sounds white,” before Presley would first surface as a white singer who sounded black. But, both artists were heavily influenced by the R&B jump-band combos that came before them, including Wynonie Harris – who Brown tried to interest in his composition, “Good Rocking Tonight,” in the mid-40s.

These Imperial recordings represent Brown’s ‘later’ work from 1956-1958, when Brown himself would begin to incorporate 50s R&R into his stylistic repertoire after the rise of Elvis.

But, as old habits die hard, Brown’s R&B/gospel tilt was dominate, despite the commercial overtures.

Roy Brown’s story is just as interesting as his music, and involves winning a 1952 royalties lawsuit against King Records (and some possible industry blacklisting as a result), jail time for tax evasion, and a stint as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, before ending his career at Mercury Records around 1970.