Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named after his father Oscar Brown, Sr., a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at the age of 15. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Lincoln University but did not obtain a degree. He also served a stint in the U.S. Army.
Brown's father had intended for him to follow in his footsteps and become a practicing lawyer. While he did help his father at his practice, he ventured off into other careers, such as advertising and serving in the army in the mid-1950s and writing songs. When Mahalia Jackson recorded one of his songs, he began to focus on a career in music. His first major contribution to a recorded work was a collaboration with Max Roach, We Insist!, which was an early record celebrating the black freedom movement in the United States. Columbia Records signed Brown as a solo artist, who was by now in his mid-thirties and married with five children.
In 1960, Brown released his first LP, Sin & Soul, recorded from June 20 to October 23, 1960. Printed on the cover of the album were personal reviews by well-known celebrities and jazz musicians of the time, including Steve Allen, Lorraine Hansberry, Nat Hentoff, Dorothy Killgallen, Max Roach and Nina Simone (Simone would later cover his "Work Song" and Steve Allen would later hire him for his Jazz Scene USA television program). The album is regarded as a "true classic" for openly tackling the experiences of African-Americans with songs such as "Bid 'Em In" and "Afro Blue".
Sin & Soul is also significant because Brown took several popular jazz instrumentals and combined them with self-penned lyrics on songs like "Dat Dere", "Afro Blue" and "Work Song". This began a trend that would continue with several other major jazz vocalists. Jon Hendricks, for example, three years later composed lyrics for the Mongo Santamaría song "Yeh Yeh" (later a hit for Georgie Fame). Bob Dorough similarly composed lyrics for Mel Tormé's version of "Comin' Home Baby!" and musicians Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson would also go on to compose lyrics for Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (the music composed by Joe Zawinul, Adderley's pianist) for Marlena Shaw. Several of the tracks from Sin & Soul were embraced by the 1960s Mod movement, such as "Humdrum Blues", "Work Song" and "Watermelon Man".
Sin & Soul was followed by Between Heaven and Hell (1962). The success of Sin & Soul meant that much more money was spent on production and Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns were bought in to handle the arrangements.
However, Brown was soon to fall down the pecking order at Columbia following a rearrangement of the management at the company. His third album was notable for the lack of any self-composed songs, and Columbia was having a hard time packaging Brown as an artist. They were unsure whether he was suited to middle-of-the-road/easy listening nightclubs or alternatively should be presented as a jazz artist.
He was given much more creative freedom for his fourth album, Tells It Like It Is (1963) and he was back to his creative best, composing songs such as "The Snake", which became a Northern Soul classic when it was covered by Al Wilson, and has featured on several adverts. Despite this return to form, and having been told by the new head of Columbia that he was high on the company's priorities, his contract at Columbia was not renewed.
He attempted to mount a major musical stage show in New York City called Kicks & Co. in 1961. Host Dave Garroway turned over an entire broadcast of the Today show to Brown to perform numbers from the show and try to raise the necessary funds to launch it on the stage. Kicks & Co. is set on an all-African-American college campus in the American South during the early days of attempted desegregation. The character Mr. Kicks is an emissary of Satan, sent to try to derail these efforts in which the play's protagonist, Ernest Black, has become involved.
This was the first of several theatrical endeavors by Brown, and like all of them, the public was not won over sufficiently to allow financial success, despite acclaim by some critics. His longest-running relative success, thanks to the participation of Muhammad Ali, was Big-Time Buck White. Another notable musical show, Joy, saw two incarnations (in 1966 and 1969) and again addressed social issues. Appearing with Brown were his wife, Jean Pace, and the Brazilian singer/accordionist Sivuca. RCA released the original cast recording around 1970; it is long out of print.
In 1962, he worked on the Westinghouse syndicated television program, Jazz Scene USA, produced by Steve Allen. Brown was he show's presenter and it featured a new musical guest each week.
Brown's son, Oscar "BoBo" Brown III, was an instrumental musician who tragically died in a car crash. His daughter, Maggie Brown, is a singer, songwriter, actress, educator and mom of three. Along with Africa Brown, these three out of seven children carry out his legacy in singing and acting. His other four childre are, David "Napoleon" Brown, Jone Brown, Donna Brown Kane, a mom of two, a grandmom of three and an educator, and Iantha Brown
He founded The Oscar Brown, Jr. H.I.P. Legacy Foundation to carry on his humanitarian work.
Brown died in Chicago, from complications of osteomyelitis in May 2005, aged 78.
Brown's lyrics and original compositions have been performed by a variety of other artists. "Somebody Buy Me a Drink", a track from Sin & Soul, was covered by David Johansen and the Harry Smiths on their eponymous first album. Pianist Wynton Kelly recorded "Strongman" with his trio in the late 1950s. Nina Simone popularized Brown's lyrics to "Work Song" and "Afro Blue," as well as his song "Bid 'Em In." Brown's "Afro Blue" lyrics have since been performed by numerous contemporary jazz vocalists, including Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Lizz Wright. Vocalist Karrin Allyson has cited Brown as a particular inspiration, and has performed his compositions on several of her albums. Brown was scheduled to contribute new lyrics to Allyson's 2006 album, Footprints, but died before the project was complete; Allyson instead recorded Brown's songs "A Tree and Me" and "But I Was Cool" as a tribute. Brown's work has also been the focus of full-length tribute albums by lesser-known jazz artists, including cabaret singer Linda Kosut and Brown's own daughter, Maggie Brown.
Bid 'em In
Oscar Brown Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in!
That sun is hot and plenty bright.
Let's get down to business and get home tonight.
Bid 'em in!
Auctioning slaves is a real high art.
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in!
Now here's a real good buy only about 15.
Her great grandmammy was a Dahomey queen.
Just look at her face, she sure ain't homely.
Like Sheba in the Bible, she's black but comely.
Bid 'em in!
Gonna start her at three. Can I hear three?
Step up gents. Take a good look see.
Cause I know you'll want her once you've seen her.
She's young and ripe. Make a darn good breeder.
Bid 'em in!
She's good in the fields. She can sew and cook.
Strip her down Roy, let the gentlemen look.
She's full up front and ample behind.
Examine her teeth if you've got a mind.
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in!
Here's a bid of three from a man who's thrifty.
Three twenty five! Can I hear three fifty?
Your money ain't earning you much in the banks.
Turn her around Roy, let 'em look at her flanks.
Bid 'em in!
Three fifty's bid. I'm looking for four.
At four hundred dollars she's a bargain sure.
Four is the bid. Four fifty. Five!
Five hundred dollars. Now look alive!
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in!
Don't mind them tears, that's one of her tricks.
Five fifty's bid and who'll say six?
She's healthy and strong and well equipped.
Make a fine lady's maid when she's properly whipped.
Bid 'em in!
Six! Six fifty! Don't be slow.
Seven is the bid. Gonna let her go.
At seven she's going!
Going!
Gone!
Pull her down Roy, bring the next one on.
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in! Bid 'em in!
The song "Bid Em In" by Oscar Brown Jr. is an uncomfortable but insightful commentary on the horrors of slavery and the inhumane practice of selling humans at auctions. Brown Jr. uses the language of an auctioneer to describe the sale of a young female slave. He starts by inviting bidders to join in and declares that the sun is hot, and they need to get the business done and go home.
He then announces that auctioning slaves is a real art and calls for Roy to bring out the young girl, who the auctioneer claims would make a 'good breeder'. The girl is then presented as a desirable commodity, and the auctioneer highlights that she is young, physically attractive, and has good teeth. It is a disturbing and dehumanizing portrayal of slavery, reducing the individuals to mere objects for sale. Brown Jr. uses a sarcastic and ironic tone to emphasize the absurdity of the practice of selling human beings.
While the language and content of "Bid Em In" may make some people feel uncomfortable, it is still an essential piece of art that shows the prevalence of slavery in American history. The song is a poignant reminder of the brutality and inhumanity of the act of selling humans and the dehumanization of the individuals who were forced to endure it.
Line by Line Meaning
Bid 'em in!
Let the auction begin!
Get 'em in! That sun is hot and plenty bright.
Let's get these slaves sold quickly so we can get out of the hot sun and back home.
Auctioning slaves is a real high art.
Selling slaves is a skillful practice.
Bring that young gal, Roy. She's good for a start.
Bring the young girl up for sale, she's a good way to start the auction.
Now here's a real good buy only about 15.
This young girl is a good deal, she's only about 15 years old.
Her great grandmammy was a Dahomey queen.
Her great grandmother was a queen from Dahomey, a country in Africa.
Just look at her face, she sure ain't homely.
Look at her face, she's not unattractive.
Like Sheba in the Bible, she's black but comely.
She's black like the Queen of Sheba in the Bible, but also attractive.
Gonna start her at three. Can I hear three?
We'll start the bidding for her at three dollars.
Step up gents. Take a good look see.
Come forward gentlemen and take a good look at her.
Cause I know you'll want her once you've seen her.
I know you'll want to bid on her once you've seen her.
She's young and ripe. Make a darn good breeder.
She's young and healthy, she'll be great for breeding more slaves.
She's good in the fields. She can sew and cook.
She's a good worker in the fields and can also sew and cook.
Strip her down Roy, let the gentlemen look.
Undress her so that the men can inspect her.
She's full up front and ample behind.
She has large breasts and a big butt.
Examine her teeth if you've got a mind.
If you want to, you can look at her teeth too.
Here's a bid of three from a man who's thrifty.
A man who likes to save money has bid three dollars for her.
Three twenty five! Can I hear three fifty?
Someone has bid three dollars and twenty five cents, can I hear three dollars and fifty cents?
Your money ain't earning you much in the banks.
Your money isn't making much interest in the banks, you might as well spend it on this slave.
Turn her around Roy, let 'em look at her flanks.
Turn her around so the bidders can see all sides of her.
Three fifty's bid. I'm looking for four.
Someone has bid three dollars and fifty cents, but I'm looking for four dollars.
At four hundred dollars she's a bargain sure.
She's a real bargain at four hundred dollars.
Five hundred dollars. Now look alive!
Someone has bid five hundred dollars! Pay attention!
Don't mind them tears, that's one of her tricks.
Don't pay attention to her tears, it's just a trick to make you feel bad for her.
She's healthy and strong and well equipped.
She's healthy, strong, and capable of doing lots of work.
Make a fine lady's maid when she's properly whipped.
Once she's properly whipped, she'll make a good maid for a lady.
Six! Six fifty! Don't be slow.
Someone has bid six dollars! Six dollars and fifty cents! Don't hesitate to bid higher!
Seven is the bid. Gonna let her go.
Seven dollars is the highest bid. We're going to sell her now.
Going! Gone! Pull her down Roy, bring the next one on.
Sold! Bring her down and get the next slave up for auction.
Bid 'em in! Get 'em in! Bid 'em in!
Let's bring more slaves up for auction and start selling them!
Writer(s): Oscar Brown Jr.
Contributed by Declan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thickblkpa
Great poem...It sent shivers up my spine...Oscar Brown JR was an amazing man...I must learn more about his other works.
@cranberryandvodka
man...i'm too proud to be blk...thank you my ancesters for standing up and saying that we are people too and for going through all of that bullshit...bless each and everyone of yall
@100divalove
Damn... this is deep
@iridescentrainbow
so powerful, makes my soul weep
@1.3.1anddone6
This is masterfully brutally cold! I phucking love it! The late great legendary Oscar Brown Jr. RIP.
@SuperSEE999
I was born in the 30s, in the mid South. was blessed to have gone to School, and learned, enough to make sure my kids had a good education, they did too.... As mr. Brown says in the work song, we still have a long way to go. Thank GOD we have come a long way scince auction off our people I know when i look in the mirror i resepent, the STRENGHT of my anscestors, because I am here...
@marskeins
I remember watching this on BET. So powerful!!
@glithmasterpro
makes me cry every time
@energypower1
cuts like a knife the raw uncut true art
@GebreMenfesKidus
Real sh!t! "Lord have mercy." +++