Mel Brown

1939 - 2009  (70 years)

• Name	Mel Brown
  Born	1939	Jackson, Hinds, Mississippi, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-51237
  Died	20 Mar 2009	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	Memory Gardens Cemetery, Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I51237	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

• Photos

  Mel Brown

  
  

• Notes

  Legendary blues guitarist Mel Brown died on March 20, 2009 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit at a local hospital on March 1 with a collapsed lung and sadly never made it home. Mel Brown devoted his life to playing with a style and grace that endeared him to audiences worldwide. Soft spoken and humble, he will be remembered as one of the most talented blues guitarists that ever came out of the Mississippi Delta. Brown was born in Jackson, Mississippi on October 7, 1939 and resided with his wife in various music centers like Los Angles, Nashville and Austin, Texas, before settling down in Kitchener in 1999. Besides working on television performing on the Steve Allen Show, the Bill Cosby Show and the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Brown recorded several albums on the World Pacific jazz label in the late 60s and early 70s. During the 1980s, Brown was a member of the house band at Antone's Night Club in Austin and he also toured with the Silent Partners. The Silent Partners recorded one album, which is available on Antones Records. Mel Brown and the Homewreckers cut their first LP in 1998 called "Live At Wally's" and in 2001, Brown and the Homewreckers released the critically acclaimed album, "Neck Bones and Caviar" which was awarded the W.C. Handy Award for the "Best Comeback Album of the Year" and was also nominated for a Juno Award for "Best Blues Album of the Year" in Canada. In addition to his legendary work with the Homewreckers, Brown released several albums with Snooky Pryor, including "Double Shot," "Snooky Pryor and the Mississippi Wrecking Crew" and most recently recorded with Snooky Pryor for the live LP called "Mojo Ramble." Brown has played and recorded with a long list of famed musicians including: B.B. King , T-Bone Walker , John Lee Hooker , Sonny Boy Williamson , Johnny Otis , Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , Etta James , Bobby Blue Band , Buddy Guy and many, many more. Although his health had been declining in recent years, he never stopped playing and his influence and his love for the music will live on for decades to come. MusicStake.com - Blues Guitarist Mel Brown Passes Away by Robert Benson 23 Mar 2009 _______________________ 2010 10th Anniversary Edition of the TD Kitchener Blues Festival Dedicated to the Memory of Mel Brown The 10th Anniversary 2010 TD Kitchener Blues Festival is in honour of the late, great Mel Brown who put Kitchener on the Blues map when he came to town in 1989 and stayed among us for 20 years. You can see Mel's legacy in the two generations of local musicians whose style and careers he has influenced. He played with all the greats including, BB King, Bobby Blue Bland, Albert Collins and T-Bone Walker, was the go-to guitar player on so many impressive blues sessions and put out several stellar albums under his own name as Mel Brown and the Homewreckers including Neck Bones & Caviar winning a W. C. Handy Award in 2001. Mel's contribution to our own blues community defies description. Suffice it to say that he is the reason that the Kitchener Blues Festival is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. Sadly Mel passed away in 2009 and this year's Festival is dedicated to his memory. Each year the Mel Brown award is given to a person who has made a significant contribution to the blues community either through their artistic excellence and dedication or their support of the music and artists that keep the blues alive and well. In this way, Mel's memory will be carried into the future. Waterloo Record Record 5 Aug 2010

  
  

• Sources

  [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), "Consummate Bluesman" is gone - 21 Mar 2009.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1939 - Jackson, Hinds, Mississippi, USA Died - 20 Mar 2009 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Memory Gardens Cemetery, Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth