In the late 1940s a rising demand for blues was driven by an increasing white teenage audience in the South which quickly spread north and west. Blues shouters got the attention, but also greatly influential was what writer Charles Keil dubbs "the postwar Texas clean-up movement in blues" led by stylists such as T-Bone Walker, Amos Milburn and Charles Brown. Their singing was lighter, more relaxed and they worked with bands and combos that had saxophone sections and used arrangements.
As a child Brown demonstrated his love of music and took classical piano lessons. Early on, Brown moved out to Los Angeles, where the great influx of blacks created an integrated nightclub scene in which black performers tended to minimize the rougher blues elements of their style. The blues club style of a light rhythm bass and right-hand tinkling of the piano and smooth vocals became popular, epitomized by the jazz piano of Nat King Cole. When Cole left Los Angeles to perform nationally, his place was taken by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, featuring Charles Brown's gentle piano and vocals.
Brown signed with Aladdin Records and his 1945 recording on that label of the bestseller "Driftin' Blues" with a small combo was a typical club blues song. The single was on the R&B charts for six months, putting Brown at the forefront of a musical evolution that changed American musical performance. His style dominated the influential Southern California club scene on Central Avenue during that period and he influenced such performers as Floyd Dixon, Cecil Gant, Ivory Joe Hunter, Percy Mayfield, Johnny Ace and Ray Charles.
"Driftin'" was the first of several hits Brown subsequently released "Get Yourself Another Fool", "Black Night", "Hard Times" and "Trouble Blues", all major hits in the early 1950s on such labels as Modern Records as well as Alladin. He was unable to compete with the burgeoning rock and roll sound, though he maintained a small and devoted audience.
Brown's approach was too mellow to survive the transition to rock's harsher rhythms, and he faded from the national limelight. His Please Come Home for Christmas, a hit in 1960 on the King Records remained seasonally popular. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, he occasionally recorded and tried to regain some prominence. This continued until the 1980s, when Bonnie Raitt helped usher in a Charles Brown comeback tour.
He began a recording and performing career again, under the musical direction of guitarist Danny Caron, to greater success than he had achieved since the 1950s. Several records received Grammy Award nominations.
He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received both the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship and the W. C. Handy Award.
Brown died in 1999 in Oakland, California.
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Hard Times
Charles Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said "Son when I'm gone
Don't forget to pray"
'Cause there'll be hard times
Hard times oh yeah, yeah
Who knows better than I?
Well I soon found out
Just what she meant
Just to pay my rent
Talkin' about hard times
Hard time oh yeah, yeah
Who knows better than I?
I had a woman
Who was always around
But when I lost my money
She put me down
Talkin' about hard times
You know that hard times
Lord who knows better than I?
Yeah Lord yeah, one of these days
There'll be no more sorrow
When I pass away
And no more hard times
I said "No more hard times"
Yeah Lord who knows
Yeah Lord better than I
Before she passed away
Said "Son when I'm gone
Charles Brown's song "Hard Times" is a reflection of the difficulties and challenges that one encounters in life. The song begins with the singer's mother offering her advice that when she's gone, her son should not forget to pray because there will be hard times. The son eventually finds out what she meant when he has to pawn his clothes just to pay his rent, exemplifying the struggles of everyday life.
The song also tells a story of heartbreak when the singer has a woman who is always around when he has money but disappears once he loses it all, leaving him alone during the hard times. The song's repetition of "hard times" reinforces the central theme of the song; the struggles and difficulties of life.
One of the remarkable things about the song is the deep emotion that Charles Brown showcases in his delivery. The lyric isn't subtle, but Brown's voice injects significant meaning into the tune. The song was released in 1952 and became an instant hit. The song was also later covered by numerous artists, including Ray Charles and Eric Clapton.
Line by Line Meaning
Before she passed away
My mother, before she died
Said "Son when I'm gone
Don't forget to pray"
Told me, her son, to continue praying even after she's gone
'Cause there'll be hard times
Because difficult times are inevitable
Hard times oh yeah, yeah
Who knows better than I?
I know firsthand what hard times are and how they feel
Well I soon found out
Just what she meant
When I had to pawn my clothes
Just to pay my rent
I realized the meaning of my mother's words when I had to sell my clothes for money to pay rent
Talkin' about hard times
Hard time oh yeah, yeah
Who knows better than I?
I know what it means to go through tough times and struggle
I had a woman
Who was always around
But when I lost my money
She put me down
Talkin' about hard times
You know that hard times
Lord who knows better than I?
I had a woman in my life who stood by me until I lost my money and she abandoned me during difficult times
Yeah Lord yeah, one of these days
There'll be no more sorrow
When I pass away
And no more hard times
I said "No more hard times"
Yeah Lord who knows
Yeah Lord better than I
I believe that one day, after I die, there will be no more pain or hardship and nobody knows it better than me
Writer(s): Noble Watts, Ray Charles Copyright: Unichappell Music Inc., Dare Music Inc.
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Antonio
Mar 1, 1952 Charles Brown recording of "Hard Times" (Aladdin Records) debuted on the R&B Charts, stayed for 3 weeks and peaked at #7 (written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller)
Myron Fagan
Less than 3K listens! End times folks, end times. Beautiful track. Thanks for posting.
C. F
Damn right! This type of music feels so good in our shitty digital age
Luc Benistant
Lieber and Stoller on their best. They are the best songwriters
or better: record makers as they say themselvesof the fifties. Beautiful song by Charles Brown. Read the book Hounddog, the autobiography of Lieber and Stoller. Love it!Luc Benistant
A fantastic song, written and produced by Lieber and Stoller.
Quaalude Charlie
:) QC