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.
But I Was Cool
Oscar Brown Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whatever happens "don't blow your cool"
You've got to have nerves of steel
Never show folks what you honestly feel
I've lived my whole life this way
For example, take yesterday.
I breezed home happy
Her note read "so long sappy,
I have ran away."
I threw myself down across our empty bed.
And this is what I said
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool.
So I one-for-the-road it
At an all night bar
Wound up so loaded
I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me
And when I read his sentence there I said
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool.
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
And killed my hound dog dead
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool.
As they carried me away
I was overhead to say
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Play it cool
C-o-o-o-o-o-l.
The song "But I Was Cool" by Oscar Brown Jr. is a satirical take on the idea of keeping one's cool in difficult situations. The song is narrated by a character who has always adhered to the golden rule of not blowing his cool, regardless of what life throws at him. The character tells the story of a woman leaving him and him reacting by screaming and hooting, but still maintaining that he was cool. He then proceeds to make increasingly reckless and violent decisions, such as drinking and driving, shooting a gun, and killing his dog. Throughout each event, he continues to justify his actions by saying that he was cool.
The song can be interpreted as a critique of toxic masculinity and the idea that keeping one's emotions hidden is a sign of strength. The character in the song keeps insisting that he was cool, even as his behavior becomes increasingly erratic and dangerous. The song also touches on themes of power, control, and the consequences of one's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I've always lived by this golden rule,
I have always led my life following the principle of not losing my calm under any circumstances.
Whatever happens 'don't blow your cool'
Regardless of what happens, one should not lose their calm and composure.
You've got to have nerves of steel
One needs to be very strong from within to maintain their cool even in difficult situations.
Never show folks what you honestly feel
One should avoid showing their true emotions and feelings to others.
I've lived my whole life this way
I have led my entire life following this principle.
For example, take yesterday.
For instance, consider my experience from yesterday.
I breezed home happy
I returned home relaxed and content.
Brining her my pay
I had brought my salary as well.
Her note read 'so long sappy,
I found a letter from her which said she was leaving me.
I have ran away.'
She had already left when I arrived.
I threw myself down across our empty bed.
I fell onto our empty bed in despair.
And this is what I said
This is what I exclaimed next.
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
I begin to scream and make loud noises.
But I Was Cool.
Despite the situation, I still maintained my composure and didn't lose my cool.
So I one-for-the-road it
As a result, I went to a bar for a drink and a final farewell.
At an all night bar
It was an all-night bar.
Wound up so loaded
I ended up getting very drunk.
I tore up my car
I crashed my car while driving drunk.
The judge threw the book at me
The judge was very strict with me while giving his verdict.
And when I read his sentence there I said
As I read his strict sentence, I exclaimed the following.
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
I once again begin to scream and make loud noises.
But I Was Cool.
However, despite the strictness of the judgment, I still remained calm and didn't lose my cool.
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
Later, I said that I had only my wife to thank for my plight.
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
In my anger, I found my wife and shot my gun at her from close range.
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
By some miracle, the bullet missed her head.
And killed my hound dog dead
The bullet, however, ended up killing my dog instead.
(Shrieks, screams, hoots)
At this point, I begin to scream and make loud noises again.
But I Was Cool.
Nevertheless, even in this extreme situation, I managed to maintain my cool.
As they carried me away
Finally, as I was being taken away, I did the following.
I was overhead to say
I said the following as I was being taken away.
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Remain calm, keep your composure, and don't lose your cool.
Play it cool
Continue to maintain your cool in all situations.
C-o-o-o-o-o-l.
Cool as in maintaining your composure in difficult situations.
Writer(s): Oscar Brown Jr.
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Milena Simić
I've always lived by this golden rule
Whatever happens "don't blow your cool"
You've got to have nerves of steel
Never show folks what you honestly feel
I've lived my whole life this way
For example, take yesterday
I breezed home happy
Brining her my pay
Her note read "so long sappy
I have ran away."
I threw myself down across our empty bed
And this is what I said
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
So I one-for-the-road it
At an all night bar
Wound up so loaded
I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me
And when I read his sentence there I said
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
And killed my hound dog dead
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
As they carried me away
I was overhead to say
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Play it cool
C-o-o-o-o-o-l
Ely Yousra
I've always lived by this golden rule,
Whatever happens "don't blow your cool"
You've got to have nerves of steel
Never show folks what you honestly feel
I've lived my whole life this way
For example, take yesterday.
I breezed home happy
Brining her my pay
Her note read "so long sappy,
I have ran away."
I threw myself down across our empty bed.
And this is what I said
But I Was Cool.
So I one-for-the-road it
At an all night bar
Wound up so loaded
I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me
And when I read his sentence there I said
But I Was Cool.
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
And killed my hound dog dead
But I Was Cool.
As they carried me away
I was overhead to say
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Play it cool
C-o-o-o-o-o-l.
pvthitch
My Dad turned me onto this album when it first came out. I was about 9 or 10. Still in my top 10. It is just amazing.
SirGuy
My dad, who passed away in September, had this on vinyl. I got it on CD. I will always remember this tune.
SirGuy
My dad had this album. I later bought the DVD. The entire alblum is phenomenal!
Milena Simić
I've always lived by this golden rule
Whatever happens "don't blow your cool"
You've got to have nerves of steel
Never show folks what you honestly feel
I've lived my whole life this way
For example, take yesterday
I breezed home happy
Brining her my pay
Her note read "so long sappy
I have ran away."
I threw myself down across our empty bed
And this is what I said
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
So I one-for-the-road it
At an all night bar
Wound up so loaded
I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me
And when I read his sentence there I said
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
And killed my hound dog dead
(shrieks, screams, hoots)
But I Was Cool
As they carried me away
I was overhead to say
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Play it cool
C-o-o-o-o-o-l
Millie Sunflower
Thank you so much for this, friend :)
Einbert Alstein
I want this on vinyl. An original will probably cost a fortune. Repress will also be fine.
Ely Yousra
I've always lived by this golden rule,
Whatever happens "don't blow your cool"
You've got to have nerves of steel
Never show folks what you honestly feel
I've lived my whole life this way
For example, take yesterday.
I breezed home happy
Brining her my pay
Her note read "so long sappy,
I have ran away."
I threw myself down across our empty bed.
And this is what I said
But I Was Cool.
So I one-for-the-road it
At an all night bar
Wound up so loaded
I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me
And when I read his sentence there I said
But I Was Cool.
So I said she's the only one I have to thank
So I found her and pulled my gun and fired point blank
The shot whistled straight passed that woman's head
And killed my hound dog dead
But I Was Cool.
As they carried me away
I was overhead to say
Be cool, stay cool, keep cool
Play it cool
C-o-o-o-o-o-l.
Merion Burns
I saw Mr. Brown years ago down in the Village (N.Y.). He was amazing. Love this album!
Joe Black
lucky you !! It must have been quite something !
Asabi Fatosin
Always loved it!🎶🎤