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.
Brother Where Are You
Oscar Brown Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hope was in his eyes
As he searched the faces of the people he'd meet
For one he could recognize
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way
Brother, where are you?
(Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him)
The eyes of the people who passed him by
Were cold and as hard as stone
The poor boy whimpered and began to cry
Because he was all alone
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way, yeah
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way
(Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him)
Now there are many who swear it's true
That brothers all we are
Yet it seems there are very few
Who will answer a brother's call
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way, yeah
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way
Now there are many who will swear it's true
That brothers all we are
Yet it seems there are so few
Who will answer a brother's call
Brother, where are you?
They said you came this way, yeah
Brother, where are you?
They told me you came this way
Looking for a soul brother all around him
(They said you came this way)
Looking for a soul brother all around him
(Said you came this way)
Looking for a soul brother all around him
(I know you came this way)
Looking for a soul brother all around him
(Oh, you came this way, I know you came this way)
Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him
Looking for a soul brother all around him
The song "Brother Where Are You?" by Oscar Brown Jr. is a powerful commentary on the search for brotherhood and comradeship in a society where individualism and isolation are the norm. The song tells the story of a young boy walking down a city street, looking for someone to connect with, but receiving only cold glances and turning to tears. He pleads with the passing faces, calling out for his brother and asking where he is. The repeated refrain of "Looking for a soul brother all around him" emphasizes the boy's yearning for community and closeness that he cannot find.
The song is a call to action, asking listeners to consider the importance of brotherhood and the ways in which we can all work to create a more supportive and loving society. It acknowledges that there are those who believe in the idea of brotherhood, but challenges listeners to be the ones to put those beliefs into practice by responding to the call of those seeking connection.
In conclusion, "Brother Where Are You?" is a beautiful and poignant reminder of the power of connection and the importance of being there for others. It encourages us all to look around and reach out to those who might be in need of a soul brother or sister.
Line by Line Meaning
A small boy walked down a city street
A young child walked down the street of a busy city
And hope was in his eyes
The child had a feeling of optimism and positivity
As he searched the faces of the people he'd meet
The child looked at the faces of those he passed by
For one he could recognize
The child was looking for someone he knew
Brother, where are you?
The child is calling out for his brother
They said you came this way
Someone told the child that his brother had been here
(Looking for a soul brother all around him
The child is searching for someone who shares his same values and experiences
The eyes of the people who passed him by
The child noticed the eyes of those who walked past him
Were cold and as hard as stone
The child felt that those people were unsympathetic to his situation
The poor boy whimpered and began to cry
The child started to cry because he felt alone and helpless
Because he was all alone
The child didn't have anyone to turn to for help
Now there are many who swear it's true
Many people believe that everyone is connected as brothers
That brothers all we are
People believe that everyone is part of a larger human family
Yet it seems there are very few
Despite this belief, there are not many who act on it
Who will answer a brother's call
There are not many who will help someone who calls out for help
They told me you came this way
Someone told the child that his brother had been through here
Looking for a soul brother all around him
The child continues to search for someone who shares his same values and experiences
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: NORMAN CURTIS, OSCAR BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind