Maxine Brown (soul singer)
| Maxine Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown performing in Colne, England 2005 Photo: Phil Wight | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maxine Ella Brown |
| Born |
August 18, 1939 Kingstree, South Carolina United States |
| Genres | Soul, R&B,[1] gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | ABC-Paramount, Wand Records, Avco Records, |
| Associated acts | Cissy Houston, Sweet Inspirations, Don Wise, Nomar Records, |
| Website | Maxine Brown Official Site |
Maxine Ella Brown (born August 18, 1939) is an American soul and R&B[1] singer.
Background and career
Maxine Brown began singing as a child, performing with two New York based gospel groups called the Angelairs and the Royaltones when she was a teenager.[2] In 1960, she signed with the small Nomar record label, who released the deep soul ballad "All in My Mind" (which was written by Maxine) late in the year.[3] The single became a hit, climbing to number two on the US R&B charts (number 19 pop), and it was quickly followed by "Funny",[4] which peaked at number three.
Brown was poised to become a star and she moved to the bigger ABC-Paramount in 1962, but left the label after an unsuccessful year and recording several non-chart singles for the label, and signed to the New York-based uptown soul label, Wand Records, a Scepter Records subsidiary, in 1963.[4]
Brown recorded a string of sizable hits for Wand over the next three years. Among these were the Carole King/Gerry Goffin songs "Oh No Not My Baby",[4] which reached number 24 on the pop charts in 1964, and "It's Gonna Be Alright", which peaked at #26 the following year. She also recorded duets with label-mate Chuck Jackson, including a reworked version of an Alvin Robinson hit, "Something You Got", which climbed to #10 on the R&B chart.[4] However, the company turned its focus to other bigger-selling acts, especially Dionne Warwick.[4]
All backing vocals for Maxine's records were performed by Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations (the same group that backed Elvis Presley), plus emerging writer-producers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Hoping to increase the line of hits for Maxine and her singing partner, Chuck Jackson, Ashford and Simpson took their song catalog to Scepter Records looking for a deal. When they were turned down, the couple approached Berry Gordy at Motown Records who immediately hired them. Songs that were penned for Maxine and Chuck became blockbuster hits for Ray Charles, such as "Let's Go Get Stoned" (co-written by Jo Armstead), as well as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".
In 1969 Maxine left Wand for Commonwealth United,[4] where she recorded two singles, the first "We'll Cry Together" reached #10 in the Billboard R&B chart and also made the lower reaches of the Hot 100. A spell with Avco Records followed, but her later recordings generally met with little commercial success. Despite her seeming lack of visibility, Brown is acknowledged as one of the finer R&B vocalist of her time, able to handle soul, jazz, and pop with equal aplomb.
Hit records
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1961 | "All in My Mind" | 19 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| "Funny" | 25 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| "After All We've Been Through" | 102 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | "I Got a Funny Kind of Feeling" | 104 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| "My Time for Cryin'" | 98 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1963 | "Ask Me" | 75 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| 1964 | "Coming Back to You" | 99 | * | ||||||||||||||||
| "Oh No Not My Baby" | 24 | * | |||||||||||||||||
| 1965 | "It's Gonna Be Alright" | 56 | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
| "Something You Got" (with Chuck Jackson) | 55 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| "One Step at a Time" | 55 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "Can't Let You Out of My Sight" (with Chuck Jackson) | 91 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "I Need You So" (with Chuck Jackson) | 98 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" | 63 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | "I'm Satisfied" (with Chuck Jackson) | 112 | — | ||||||||||||||||
| "I Don't Need Anything" | 129 | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1967 | "Hold On I'm Coming" (with Chuck Jackson) | 91 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| "Daddy's Home" (with Chuck Jackson) | 91 | 46 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1969 | "We'll Cry Together" | 73 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | "I Can't Get Along Without You" | — | 44 | ||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||||||
- Note
* no R&B charts published during these chart runs
Selected discography
- Maxine Brown - Released: 01.01.61
- The Fabulous Sound of Maxine Brown - Released: 01.01.62
- Maxine Brown, Irma Thomas & Ronnie Dickerson - Released: 01.01.64
- Spotlight on Maxine Brown - Released: 01.01.64
- Maxine Brown's Greatest Hits [LP] - Released: 01.01.67
- We'll Cry Together - Released: 01.01.69
- Blue Ribbon Country, Vol. 1 - Released: 01.01.75
- One in a Million - Released: 01.01.84
- Like Never Before - Released: 01.01.85
- Oh No Not My Baby: The Best of Maxine Brown - Released: 01.01.90
References
- 1 2 Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
- ↑ Interview with Maxine Brown by David Cole, In The Basement Issue 61, Spring 2011
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography: Maxine Brown". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Larkin C 'Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music' (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) ISBN 0-7535-0149-X p79
External links
- Maxine Brown Official Site
- Allmusic
- Maxine Brown discography at MusicBrainz