Ollie E. Brown

Ollie E. Brown (sometimes credited as simply Ollie Brown^[1]) (born April 20, 1953) is an American drummer, percussionist, record producer, and high-school basketball coach. A prolific session musician, Brown has performed on over a hundred albums in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.^[2] Brown was also half of the American dance-pop duo Ollie & Jerry, which had a Top 10 hit with "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" in 1984.^[3]

Early years

Brown was born in Detroit, Michigan April 20, 1953.^[2] By 1976 he had already performed as a drummer or percussionist on a dozens of albums, including I Can Stand a Little Rain by Joe Cocker, 1990 and A Song for You by The Temptations, It's My Pleasure by Billy Preston, and Black and Blue by The Rolling Stones. In the 1970s Brown also performed on albums by Diana Ross, Van Morrison, Leo Sayer, and Sly and the Family Stone.^[2]

Along with Preston and pianist Ian Stewart, Brown was also part of The Rolling Stones' touring band in the mid 1970s.^[1] He also was an early member of Stevie Wonder's band Wonderlove.

Raydio and Ollie & Jerry

In the late 1970s Brown performed on Raydio's self-titled debut album.^[2] This led to a partnership with Raydio bassist Jerry Knight, who was also a prolific session musician.^[4] Together, the two formed the duo Ollie & Jerry, and recorded the song "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" for the 1984 breakdancing-themed film Breakin'. The song was successful, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.^[3]

Ollie & Jerry also performed on the soundtrack for the 1984 Breakin' sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Their single "Electric Boogaloo" was the lead track from the soundtrack, but was less successful than its predecessor, reaching only number 45 on the R&B chart, and not charting at all on the Billboard Top 40.^[3][4]

The Breakin' 2 soundtrack album itself, however, did chart, reaching number 25 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, and number 52 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.^[5]

Brown wrote and performed the song "They're So Incredible" for the soundtrack to the film Revenge of the Nerds. "They're So Incredible" is performed by the nerds in the film with different lyrics.

Later work

During and after his work with Ollie & Jerry, Brown continued his prolific behind-the-scenes work, producing or performing on dozens of albums between 1980 and 2000. Highlights include the number-one album Bad by Michael Jackson, and the Ray Parker, Jr. single "Ghostbusters", which Brown produced. In the 1980s, Brown also produced or performed on albums by Blondie, The Jacksons, La Toya Jackson ('If You Feel the Funk'), DeBarge and Quincy Jones.^[2]

Brown currently works in the real estate industry.^[6]

References