THE BROWNS-LONELY LITTLE ROBIN.wmv

James Edward, older sister Maxine, and younger sister Bonnie Brown sang individually in Pine Bluff, Arkansas until 1954, when Maxine and Jim Ed signed a record contract as a singing duo. They earned national recognition and a guest spot on Ernest Tubb's radio show for their humorous song "Looking Back To See", which hit the top ten and stayed on the charts through the summer of 1954.[1]

They were joined in 1955 by then-recent high school graduate, 18-year-old Bonnie, and began performing on Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana. By the end of 1955, the trio was appearing on KWTO-AM in Springfield, Missouri, and had another top ten hit with "Here Today And Gone Tomorrow", which got a boost by their appearances on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee, which Maxine Brown called "our real breakthrough."[2] Jim Ed and Maxine had first appeared on the show as a duo in 1955. Producer Si Siman signed them with RCA Victor in 1956, and soon they had two major hits, "I Take The Chance" (a cover of a Louvin Brothers composition that showed the Browns' close harmony) and "I Heard The Bluebirds Sing". When Jim Ed was drafted in 1957, the group continued to record while he was on leave, and sister Norma filled in for him on tours,[3] as did Billy Walker.[4]

In 1959, The Browns scored their biggest hit when their folk-pop single "The Three Bells" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop and country charts. The song also peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues listing. Based on a song called "Les trois cloches", it was originally a hit in France for Édith Piaf. The recording sold over one million copies, and was nominated for both Record of the Year and the Best Group or Vocal Performance in the Grammy award categories in 1959.

The Browns appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and followed up with "Scarlet Ribbons" and "The Old Lamplighter", recordings that also did well on both the pop and country charts. With an international following, they toured Europe extensively and saw further moderate success on the country music charts. In 1963, they joined the Grand Ole Opry; in 1967, the trio disbanded as the popularity of folk music faded.

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

Category:

Music

Tags:

• MUSIC
• COUNTRY
• THE
• BROWNS

[wandafoster]

Thanks for posting...my mom (86) just remembered this song...after watching robins from the deck...she used to sing it to us as children

[oldtexasmusic]

@wandafoster Interesting!!! Happy bird watching and singing------and listening.

[wandafoster]

@oldtexasmusic now this is stuck in my head.....love this song..thanks again!

[oldtexasmusic]

@wandafoster You are very welcome,.

[ButterCup5354]

beautiful oldies ty for shareing them. 

[oldtexasmusic]

@ButterCup5354 You are welcome.

[oldtexasmusic]

@eboy828 I do not have the song. Sorry.

[oldtexasmusic]

@eboy828 I would if I had it. Thanks for the comment.

[eboy828]

really sad but sweet song, wish you would post the other side too, Margo (the ninth of May) so beautiful.

[oldtexasmusic]

@FAUSTORICCARDO Happy listening, Riccardo.