There are three bands under the name The Browns.

1) The Browns were … Read Full Bio ↴There are three bands under the name The Browns.

1) The Browns were an American family singing group from Pine Bluff, Arkansas made up of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters, Maxine Brown and Bonnie Brown.

Country music singers, they sang individually at rural venues until 1954 when Maxine Brown, and younger brother Jim Ed, signed a record contract as a singing duo. Eighteen-year-old Bonnie joined the group in 1955, and the following year they were signed by Chet Atkins, RCA Victor Records producer in Nashville, Tennessee. The family trio recorded several songs that met with only modest success until 1959, when their 45 rpm folk single called "The Three Bells" was a no. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 pop music and country music charts. Based on a song called "Les trois cloches," the song was originally a hit in France for both the group Les Compagnons de la chanson and Édith Piaf.

The Browns followed up the success of "The Three Bells" with "Scarlet Ribbons" and "The Old Lamplighter," recordings that also did very well on both the pop and country music charts. With an international following, The Browns toured Europe extensively and recorded further moderate successes on the country music charts. In 1963, they became part of the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1965, Jim Ed Brown began working on a solo career, and in 1967 the trio formally disbanded. Jim Ed continued to record for RCA and had a number of country hits starting in 1965 while still with The Browns. In 1967, he released his first solo top 10 with "Pop A Top" which became his signature song. In 1970, he gained a crossover hit with "Morning" which went to number 4 on the country charts and number 47 on the pop charts. Other hits for Jim Ed included "Angel's Sunday"(1971), "Southern Loving"(1973), "Sometime Sunshine"(1974) and "It's That Time Of Night"(1974). In 1976, he released a string of major duet hits with Helen Cornelius starting with the #1 hit "I Don't Wanna Have To Marry You". Other hits for the duo included "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye"(1977), "Born Believer"(1977), "I'll Never Be Free"(1978), "If The World Ran Out Of Love Tonight"(1978), "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"(1979), "Lying In Love With You"(1979), "Fools"(1979), "Morning Comes Too Early"(1980), and "Don't Bother To Knock"(1981).

Jim Ed has also hosted the syndicated country shows Jim Ed Brown's Country Place, and Nashville On The Road. On The Nashville Network he hosted the talent show You Can Be A Star, and the travel show Going Our Way which featured his wife, Becky, where they went traveling to different places in an RV.

Maxine Brown briefly had a solo career during the late 1960's releasing an album and single for Chart Records titled "Sugar Cane Country".

In 2006, the Browns reunited to perform "The Old Lamplighter" and "The Three Bells" for the PBS special, Country Pop Legends.

2) A horror-themed punk band. Formed in 1998, they played consistently for a year and a half around Western Canada, opening for The New Bomb Turks, Nashville Pussy, AFI, and Good Riddance. In the spring of 1998 the band self-released their first album "Getting Jiggy with The Browns". At this time, the line up was much different; Charlie - Guitar & Vocals, Emmett - Guitar, Leroy - Bass, Freddy - Drums and Lucy - Keyboards.

During the summer of 1998 Lucy and Emmet left the band, Freddy moved to Guitar and a new drummer named ODB began performing live shows, a new keyboard player was not sought out. Also around this time Charlie gave up his guitar duties and focused solely on lead vocals.

In 1999 Meter Records (Canada) released "Greatest Hits Volume One." Shortly after the release The Motherfucking Browns played what they said was their "final" show (summer of 1999) much to the dismay of both Meter Records and the Western Canadian music scene.

In 2000 Middle Man Records (USA) released a split 7" record with The Motherfucking Browns and John Q. Public. The Motherfucking Browns contributed a song from their 1999 album; "Lady, Stay Dead!" alongside a cover of "Bullet" a cover by the influential horror-rock band The Misfits.

2003 saw the release of Tony Hawk's Underground, video game for all major gaming platforms. Alongside bands like Kiss and Social Distortion, The Motherfucking Browns contributed a censored version of their song: "American Werewolf in Calgary". Tony Hawk's Underground went on to win several awards as a groundbreaking video game in 2003.

With the success of Tony Hawk's Underground a new website for the band was announced as well as a new myspace site. Both sites confirmed The Motherfucking Browns were performing with a new line-up: Charlie - Vocals, Eddie - Guitar, James - Bass, Joe - Drums.

2004 saw the release of "And Now the Screaming Starts!" on Meter Records (Canada). After much publicity, and several live shows in the Mid West USA, Horror High Records released their single "The Scream on Halloween" on their "Prom Queen Massacre" compilation, featuring other horror-rock bands such as Blitzkid and Calabrese.

After nearly three years of no activity Meter Records reported that The Motherfucking Browns have returned with the original line up that played on "Greatest Hits Volume One" (except ODB who had since passed away, and replaced by Chow Yun). In the fall of 2007 The Motherfucking Browns played a triumphant "comeback" show in their hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Performing alongside fellow horror rockers Forbidden Dimension. In an interview with Beatroute Magazine a new album for 2008 was announced.

The band is known for their abrasive stage shows, wearing Balaclava ski masks on stage, and songs primarily about horror movies. Charlie Brown is also a contributing writer for horror website www.killerfilm.com

"The best band in the fucking world, you fuckers!"

3) The Browns, a gospel-influenced band, exude excitement on the stage and offer a life-changing experience to all who hear them. The Browns deliver the powerful message of the gospel through word and song that engage audiences of all ages.

The Browns have been touring across the United States since the group began its full-time ministry nine years ago. The heralded group began on the local and state level and has expanded and grown into a national touring group.

This year The Browns received the prestigious honor of Top 10 Mixed Group of the Year for the second year in a row. The Browns will be attending the Singing News Magazine fan awards at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, KY. “It started out with the Singing News magazine fans voting for the top ten,” Michaela said. “We had no idea we were up for this ward until we got an e-mail to tell us. We were up with some wonderful groups. This honor is very rewarding coming from the fans and knowing that we’ve touched their hearts or ministered to them in some way.” Previously The Browns had been awarded the Top Horizon Group of the Year for 3 consecutive years.

The group has finished their newest recording at the Sound Kitchen and Daywind Studios in Nashville, TN with Grammy award winning producer, Bubba Smith. ”A New Day” will be the Browns 10th national CD release. The newest single on the album has just climbed to #25 on the national radio charts. It is written by group member Jessica, and her fiance, Nick Trammell intitled “It’s A God Thing”.

My Pretty Quadroon
The Browns Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll never forget when I met sweet Cora, my pretty quadroon
I see her dear eyes shining yet as we vowed to be true neath the moon
Her form was exceedingly fair, she had cheeks like the wild rose in June
And the ringlets of dark glossy hair were the curls of my pretty quadroon.

So happy were we for a while, like two lovers we dwelt 'neath the bower
And the sweetness of Cora's bright smile seemed to ripen the blush of the flower
But happiness fades like the rose and before the next coming of June

The grim reaper knocked at my door took Cora my pretty quadroon.

Refrain:
Oh, my pretty quadroon, my flower that faded too soon!
My heart's like the strings on my banjo, all broke for my pretty quadroon.

Farewell to Kentucky's green hills, farewell to Kentucky's green glades
Farewell to the green clover fields where Cora and I often strayed

My sorrow will soon be forgot and my heart will find rest in the tomb
But my spirit will fly to the spot and watch over my pretty quadroon.

Overall Meaning

The Browns's song "My Pretty Quadroon" tells the story of a man reminiscing about his past love, a mixed-race woman named Cora. When he first met Cora, he describes her as exceedingly fair and beautiful with curls of dark glossy hair. They fell in love quickly and spent their time together happily under the bower. However, their happiness was short-lived as Cora died young, leaving the man heartbroken and grieving. He bids farewell to the places they used to go and remembers his love fondly. Despite his own anticipated death, he imagines his spirit hovering over Cora's resting place.

The lyrics of "My Pretty Quadroon" are a poignant reflection of the complicated racial history of America. The singer of the song is a white man who falls in love with a mixed-race woman, and their relationship is likely considered taboo and scandalous at the time. The song's title, "quadroon," is a term used to describe a person with one-quarter African ancestry, and this term was commonly used during the 19th century to classify mixed-race people. The lyrics paint a picture of a time when racial discrimination was rampant and biases were deeply ingrained.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll never forget when I met sweet Cora, my pretty quadroon
I remember the day I met Cora, a beautiful woman who was a quarter Black, and I thought she was sweet.

I see her dear eyes shining yet as we vowed to be true neath the moon
I can still see her bright eyes and remember how we promised to be loyal to each other under the moonlight.

Her form was exceedingly fair, she had cheeks like the wild rose in June
Cora was very beautiful, with a wonderful figure, and pink cheeks that reminded me of the blooming wild roses in June.

And the ringlets of dark glossy hair were the curls of my pretty quadroon.
Cora's dark, shiny hair was curly, and I thought it was very attractive.

So happy were we for a while, like two lovers we dwelt 'neath the bower
Cora and I were very happy together for a time, and we spent a lot of time together under the bower, feeling like romantic lovers.

And the sweetness of Cora's bright smile seemed to ripen the blush of the flower
Cora's sweet smile had the power to brighten up my day and make me feel like everything around me was blooming, just like when flowers are in full bloom.

But happiness fades like the rose and before the next coming of June
Unfortunately, happiness doesn't last forever, and before the next June rolled around, something bad happened.

The grim reaper knocked at my door took Cora my pretty quadroon.
Death took Cora away from me, and I was devastated.

Refrain: Oh, my pretty quadroon, my flower that faded too soon! My heart's like the strings on my banjo, all broke for my pretty quadroon.
This refrain is the singer's last farewell to Cora, mourning her loss and comparing his broken heart to his broken banjo strings.

Farewell to Kentucky's green hills, farewell to Kentucky's green glades
The singer is saying goodbye to the green hills and glades of Kentucky, where he lived with Cora before her passing.

Farewell to the green clover fields where Cora and I often strayed
The green fields where Cora and he used to wander together are also being left behind, and with them the memories of their time together.

My sorrow will soon be forgot and my heart will find rest in the tomb
The singer hopes that his grief will eventually fade, and that he'll find peace in death.

But my spirit will fly to the spot and watch over my pretty quadroon.
Even though he'll be gone, the singer says his spirit will watch over Cora's final resting place for eternity.

Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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