Under the Hood: Roy Brown’s Birthday!

Roy Brown was born in New Orleans on this day in 1925. He grew up as a gospel singer, and tried to begin his music career by singing like his idols, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. At the time, however, black musicians were mostly relegated to the blues. So Roy Brown took his soulful sound and emulated blues shouters like Big Joe Turner.

Along with his band, The Mighty Men, Roy Brown put on a spectacular stage show. His style of music lost popularity for a while, but when a compilation of his hits was released in the late 1970s, there was a resurgence of interest. He toured and headlined festivals in the last few years of his life.

His first hit was a jump blues song that showcased his powerful voice. Here it is. Roy Brown and “Good Rockin’ Tonight.”