THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC
OF THE LEGIONDARY ICON PIONEER

Piney Brown is proud of his musical career, he has witnessed firsthand the evolution of black popular music from the earliest jump blues through funky soul. There are no other performer, still active, who can claim this. Although never having a major hit record, Brown's career thrived from the 1940's through the 1970's. This was no doubt due to his widespread reputation as both a dynamic performer and gifted vocalist. His uncanny ability to sing not only blues, but also jazz, soul and even country and western, has allowed him to keep the pace with the latest musical trends. Although he has been less visible in recent years due to carrying for a dying soulmate, his wife, Piney is ready now to reclaim his place as one of the true legends of Rhythm & Blues.

Piney has recorded for Apollo, King, Par, Atlas, Duke, Sittin" In With, Sound Stage 7, Mad and Jubilee among others. As a songwriter, he has written for James Brown, Roscoe Gordon, and Little Milton to name a few. He helped the Ohio Players when they were the (UNTOUCHABLES) and Slave was the ( YOUNGMISTICS) start their careers. His career has spanned even decades and ten presidents, an incredible feat.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama on January 20th, 1922, Piney's first group "The Blue Jay Singers" was formed with his two sister and performed in church. By his late teens, he headed out for Baltimore and after five months ended up in Kansas City, Missouri where he "Just hung out on the corner, sitting in with various bands, and doing little things". When he returned to Balitmore, Piney started performing at local nightclubs, often on the same bill with Redd Fox. Over the next few years he started performing up and down the coast between New York City and Virginia eventually branchign out as far west as Chicago.

In 1948, Piney cut several sides with Apollo Records in New York with another session in the early 1950's. From there Piney moved to the Sittin" In With label where he met his life long saxophonist friend Ed Wiley who is also a performing artist. Together, they recorded three singles for the label. In 1952 he had two singles on Par records. In 1953 he recorded " You Bring Out The Wolf In Me" for Jubilee and "Walk-A-Block and Fall" b/w "Whispering Blue" for King Records.

During this time he was regularly nominated as 'top blues artist' in The Pittsburgh Courier's famous Music Polls. For much of the 1950"s Piney toured extensively from Taxes to Chicago and all points between. Piney returned to Birmingham in the early 1960's to help care for his ailing mother. During this time toured the Mississippi, Lousiana, Arkansas tri-state area. Eventually he came to the attention of John Richourg of Sound Stage 7 records where her cut two singles for the lable. It was during this time that he co-wrote "The Popcorn" with James Brown who was using the same booking agency, Universal Attractions. Piney Also performed on packages with Ted Taylor. Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley.

Brown continued to perform on a regular basis throughout the 1970's and setteled down in the Dayton, Ohio area where he still resides. Though the disco era made it increasingly difficult for R&B artists to find gigs, Piney continued to earn a living from his music.

In 2002, Fred Bohn, a local Pittsburgh R&B affcianado, hooked Piney up with Bonedog Records. A CD was recorded using Piney Brown written songs and a couple of his favorite R&B standards. The project is titled "My Task" and is on record store shelves now.