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Post by topgsfan on Feb 5, 2013 18:30:11 GMT -5
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Post by topgsfan on Mar 14, 2013 15:01:54 GMT -5
JIM ED BROWN
(Nashville, TN-3.12.13) The Tennessee State Senate honored Grand Ole Opry and country music legend, Jim Ed Brown with a ceremony held yesterday in the Senate chamber at the State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. The resolution was sponsored by State Senator Douglas Henry and State Senator Jack Johnson with special remarks by Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey.
The resolution honored and celebrated Jim Ed Brown on his magnificent career and countless accomplishments in country music; including 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and expressed their best wishes to him for continued success and happiness.
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Post by topgsfan on Apr 4, 2013 22:49:15 GMT -5
JIM ED BROWN
Over the past four decades, Jim Ed Brown has firmly established himself in the minds of Country Music Fans as a masterful presence in every aspect of the Country Music Industry Field. Born in 1934, the Native of Sparkman, Arkansas was one of five children (two boys and three girls) of a struggling lumberman and his wife. Some of his earliest memories are of close family times, when all of the members of the houshold would gather on Saturday nights to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on a battery powered radio. Jim Ed and his older sister, Maxine, were fascinated by what they heard and soon began harmonizing together. A few years later, Jim Ed and Maxine began to perform occasionally on the local radio shows.
By Jim Ed's second year in college, he and Maxine were regular members of the 'Barnyard Frolic' on KRLA in Little Rock, and together, they penned what was to become their first hit record, 'Looking Back To See'.
Released on a small label in 1954, 'Looking Back To See' provided the necessary momentum to bring the pair to national attention. They became members of the Louisiana Hayride, and went on to join Red Foley as featured regulars on the Ozark Jubilee in 1955.
Later that year, younger sister Bonnie joined them as 'The Browns', and they scored immediate top-10 hit, 'Here Today and Gone Tomorrow.' The group signed with RCA Victor in 1956, and two number-one releases followed in quick succession, 'I Take the Chance' and 'I Heard the Bluebird Sing.'
Jim Ed's career took a vastly different turn when he was called to a two year stint in the service. After his discharge, he rejoined his sisters to record the song which would leave the indelible mark on musical history, 'The Three Bells.'
Released in 1959, 'The Three Bells' sold over a million copies and created a sensation as the first number one country song ever to cross over to number one on the pop and rhythm & blues charts as well. After a two year break, the Browns were not only back, but they were more in demand than ever. Other classic hits including, 'The Old Lamplighter' and 'Scarlet RIbbons' soon followed, and in 1962, the trio joined the Grand Ole Opry.
By the mid 1960's, however, the rigors of combining busy careers with caring for their growing families brought both Bonnie and Maxine to the decision to permanently retire from the group. Jim Ed was left to carry on alone, and in 1966, he scored his first solo success with, 'Pop-A-Top Again.' Through the 60's and 70's, he continued to grow as a star in his own right with more hit singles including, 'Southern Loving,' 'Sometime Sunshine,' and memorable 'Morning.'
A six-season run as co-host of the syndicated weekly television series, 'Nashville On The Road' began in 1975, further enhancing Jim Ed's career and leading to his being selected as a national spokesperson for Dollar General Stores.
Then in 1976, he teamed up with Helen Cornelius to form one of the most successful recording duos of all time. With smash releases like, 'Don't Bother to Knock' and 'Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye.' Jim Ed and Helen also set an industry record when 'Lying in Love With You' made the largest single Country chart leap in history, vaulting from 0 to 19.
In 1983, Jim Ed started working with TNN, the Nashville Network. 'You Can Be A Star' for six years, and he co-hosted a show with his wife, Becky, 'Going Our Way.' Beginning 2003 Jim Ed added another chapter to his entertainment repertoire when he began hosting the weekly Country Greats Music Radio Show. As of 2009 the popular weekly show was being broadcast on nearly 200 stations nationwide. Jim Ed’s folksy storytelling and warm recollections of the stories behind the songs has helped make the show the fastest growing country music show in America.
Jim Ed still remains with the Grand Ole Opry where he is an audience favorite. Jim Ed still performs around 30 shows per year on the Opry, as well as performing a number of shows on the road. In addition to his radio and television committments, Jim Ed continues to tour throughout the nation where he presents his down-to-earth brand of family entertainment to an ever growing legion of fans.
If there is one word best suited to describe Jim Ed Brown, it is versatile. As a dynamic component in duets and a trio, as a solo recording artist, and as a popular television host, in the course of his professional lifetime, he has filled role after role with shining success. The last career of this balladeer from Arkansas can easily be likened to a well-cut gem, with its facets reflecting light on many different planes, yet collectively achieving the warm, enduring brilliance of an unforgettable star, a TRUE LEGEND...
Jim Ed is scheduled to be on the Grand Ole Opry August 12,2013 Grand Ole Opry
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Post by topgsfan on Apr 4, 2013 22:52:53 GMT -5
Photo of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters....Maxine & Bonnie when they were young. I loved their harmony. It was the greatest!
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Post by topgsfan on Apr 13, 2013 11:27:30 GMT -5
I receive Maxine Brown's newsletter in my email and here's the one I just got.
Maxine Brown News and Outdoor Cooking Recipes (I'll leave the recipes off here.....(topgsfan)
Posted: 12 Apr 2013 12:42 PM PDT
Personal Note from Maxine
I wish to thank all those who have worked so hard and diligently with me these past years, promoting The Browns and trying to restore some memories for those who may have forgotten.
The Browns have been Lifetime Members of the CMA since the beginning. Our numbers are 79, 80 & 8l. The membership card is signed by Tex Ritter. We have had a great career in spite of all we had to endure. We never set out to conquer the world of success. All we ever wanted was to record a good tempered harmony song and a good listening audience to sing to. But success often came our way, with 68 Awards and Achievements from all fields of music, and the several million selling records.
I wish to congratulate our very good friend, Bobby Bare for winning the 2013 Hall of Fame Award. We think the CMA made a wise choice. Bobby is one of the nicest people we ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have a story about him in my book, on pages 186 & 187. I hope you will read what I wrote about one of the greats of country music.
The three of us have not been just sitting around day dreaming all these years. This month (April), The Browns will be inducted into the Missouri Walk Of Fame in Marshfield during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Bonnie: Awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Beaux Art Academy in Russellville, AR as its first VP, with over 30 years of service to the community and the Arts. Jim Ed: Honored by the State of TN Senate celebrating his magnificent career and accomplishments to country music, including 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. I am happy to report that my book, “Looking Back To See” is now a KINDLE book, on the Amazon Kindle Book Store. I received this nice note from Mike Bieker at the University of Arkansas Press:
“Hi Maxine, Just wanted to let you and your fans know that the University of Arkansas Press Spring 2013 catalog is out and, once again, ‘Looking Back to See’ is included in the Selected Backlist section. Why? Because, after 7 years in print and 7,000 copies sold people still can’t get enough of a good thing! The book is still selling well and we’re releasing an electronic edition into various markets as we speak. It’s currently in the Apple and Google e-bookstores and will be available as a kindle edition soon. Take care my dear!! Warm regards, Mike Bieker” Available now! View Kindle Edition
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Post by topgsfan on May 21, 2013 21:30:23 GMT -5
Jim Ed Brown Member of the Grand Ole Opry Since 1963 Jim Ed Brown has the career distinction of topping the charts as a member of a trio, a duo, and as a solo artist. He also has one of the smoothest singing voices ever put on record. One of five children of a struggling Arkansas lumberman and his wife, Jim Ed and family gathered around the family’s battery-powered radio to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. Inspired by what they heard, Jim Ed and his older sister Maxine would harmonize together. They began appearing on local radio while Jim Ed was still in high school. By his second year in college, Jim Edward (as he was credited) and Maxine were regulars on the Barnyard Frolic on Little Rock radio station KLRA. Their first hit, “Looking Back to See,” became a No. 8 country hit in 1954. The next year, younger sister Bonnie joined them, and they became the Browns, scoring another Top 10 hit with “Here Today and Gone Tomorrow.” The group signed with RCA in 1956 and quickly notched two Top 5 hits, “I Take the Chance” and “I Heard the Bluebird Sing.” After a two-year stint in the service, Jim Ed joined his sisters again, and in 1959 they hit with the “The Three Bells,” topping the country chart for 10 weeks and the pop charts for four weeks. Follow-up singles “The Old Lamplighter” and “Scarlet Ribbons” were pop-country hits as well. The Browns joined the Opry in 1963, but by the mid-’60s, Bonnie and Maxine decided to retire. Jim Ed went solo and scored hits throughout the next two decades. His 1966 smash, “Pop a Top,” hit No. 3. Beginning in 1975, Jim Ed co-hosted the syndicated weekly television series Nashville on the Road for six seasons. He also teamed with Helen Cornelius to become one of country music’s most successful duos. The pair topped the charts with “I Don’t Want To Have to Marry You” in 1976, and were named CMA Vocal Duo of the Year in 1977. In 1983, Jim Ed became host of You Can Be a Star, a country music talent search on The Nashville Network. In 1994, he and his wife Becky co-hosted TNN’s travel show Going Our Way. Today, Jim Ed hosts the nationally syndicated Country Greats Radio Show and remains the smooth-voiced crowd pleaser, and from time to time Opry audiences witness a truly magical moment, when Bonnie and Maxine reunite with Jim Ed on stage and the Browns are once again together in the spotlight. www.opry.com/artists/b/Brown_JimEd.html |
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Post by topgsfan on May 21, 2013 22:42:01 GMT -5
 This is Jim Ed Brown's new CD. He just released the single by the same name.
He's still in great voice! He sung this song on the Grand Ole Opry recently and this is what he posted on Facebook".
"What a timeless moment at the Opry last night. It's been 15 years since I have
added an encore to one of my songs. I'm glad everyone's enjoying my new single
"In Style Again." It's available on my website at www.jimedbrown.com or iTunes!
Thank you friends! — at Grand Ole Opry." |
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Post by topgsfan on Jun 24, 2013 22:36:34 GMT -5
Jim Ed, Maxine & Bonnie Brown were inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame in 1998. 
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Post by topgsfan on Jun 13, 2015 22:25:45 GMT -5
This is so sad. I loved Jim Ed Brown's singing. He had one of the smoothest voices in Country Music along with....of course, Jim Reeves.
Jim Ed was...and still is in my top 4 favorites of all time. He will certainly be missed!
Country Music Legend, Jim Ed Brown, Dies At 81
Country music legend, James Edward "Jim Ed" Brown passed away June 11 at the age of 81 from lung cancer.
It was announced in September 2014 that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. In early 2015 he was in remission,
but unfortunately, the cancer returned, which he announced June 3rd, and passed a week later.
Born in Sparkman, Arkansas, Jim Ed rose to fame in the 1950s with his sisters, Maxine and Bonnie, as a member of The Browns.
He broke away from the trio in the 60s and started his solo career. He wasn't just a singer, but also a radio host on the
popular country music program called Country Music Greats Radio Show.
Jim Ed's first major hit was "Pop A Top" in 1967,as it peaked at #1. Other popular songs were "Morning", "Southern Loving",
and "I Don't Want To Have To Marry You". He performed many duets with Helen Cornelius up until 1981.
He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1963 and was an active member until the very end. He was inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame in June. When it was announced that his cancer had returned, a close friend of Jim Ed's,
"Whispering" Bill Anderson, visited him in the hospital to present him with the Country Music Hall of Fame medallion.
"It was sad, but in a beautiful way, because we were making him happy," Anderson said, according to The Tennessean.
"Jim Ed was pretty emotional. He was very lucid. He laughed and he cried, and you could tell just how proud he was."
Because Jim Ed was having trouble breathing, he wondered aloud to Bill if he'd be able to sing in Heaven, since it was so hard
to do so in his condition. "I said, 'Well, Jim Ed, if you get up there and find you can't sing, no worries,'" Bill Anderson told
The Tennessean. "I'll loan you my license to whisper. You can steal my act until I get there.' He started laughing, and he laughed
until tears were running down his face." And then the country music legend proceeded to sing the chorus of "Will The Circle Be
Unbroken" as his other guests joined in.
Jim Ed Brown leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Becky, and his daughter and son. You will be missed dearly.
I got this from Facebook.
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Post by topgsfan on Jun 13, 2015 22:45:14 GMT -5
'The Three Bells' ..... Jim Ed Brown and his sisters on the Grand Ole Opry'
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Post by topgsfan on Jun 13, 2015 23:03:36 GMT -5
'I Heard The Bluebirds Sing...' Jim Ed and his sister Maxine.
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Post by topgsfan on Jun 13, 2015 23:18:28 GMT -5
'Pop A Top' .....Jim Ed Brown (1966)
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