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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One Never Knows Does One?
Charles Brown Lyrics
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When love will come along
Then so suddenly life turns out to be a song
One never knows, does one?
The moment or the place
Then right before your eyes
Someone occupies your embrace
Someday look and you'll find
Two hearts were blessed
Someday fate may be kind
Pray for the future, hope for the best
One never knows, does one?
That's just the way it goes
All at once you hear "Hold me, caress me" and then
Love may come but when, one never knows.
Charles Brown's song "One Never Knows Does One?" is a love song that speaks to the unpredictability of love. The lyrics suggest that love can come at any time and in any place, and that when it does, it can transform life into a beautiful song. The singer marvels at how love can suddenly appear before his eyes, and how someone can occupy his embrace seemingly out of nowhere. The chorus emphasizes the uncertainty of love, noting that it is impossible to know when it will come or how it will manifest itself.
The song also speaks to the hope and joy that love can bring. The singer suggests that someday, two hearts may be blessed and that fate may be kind. He encourages listeners to pray for the future and hope for the best. The song conveys a sense of wonder and amazement at the power of love, and the fact that it can transform even the most ordinary moments into something extraordinary.
Line by Line Meaning
One never knows, does one?
Love is unpredictable and there's no set timeline for when it will appear.
When love will come along
It's impossible to predict when love will enter one's life.
Then so suddenly life turns out to be a song
When love enters one's life, everything becomes happier and more joyful.
One never knows, does one?
Just like the first line, love's unpredictable nature is emphasized.
The moment or the place
There's no way to predict where or when one will fall in love.
Then right before your eyes
Someone occupies your embrace
Love can come at any moment and take you by surprise, making you want to embrace the person you love.
Someday look and you'll find
Two hearts were blessed
Love can bring two people together and create a blessed, happy relationship.
Someday fate may be kind
Pray for the future, hope for the best
The future is uncertain, but it's important to hope for the best and trust that fate will be kind and bring love into your life.
One never knows, does one?
The unpredictability of love is highlighted once again.
That's just the way it goes
Love is beyond anyone's control and is determined by fate.
All at once you hear "Hold me, caress me" and then
When love does come, it can be sudden and intense, with a strong desire to hold and be held.
Love may come but when, one never knows.
Love is unpredictable and there's no way to know when it will appear.
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Jeff Bunn
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