Cleo Patra Brown
Encyclopedia
Cleo Brown, later Cleo Patra Brown (December 8, 1909 – April 15, 1995) was an American
blues
and jazz
vocalist and pianist
.
, Mississippi
, and sang in church as a child. In 1919 her family moved to Chicago
and she began studying piano; in the 1920s she began taking gigs in clubs and broadcast on radio.
From the 1930s to the 1950s she toured the United States regularly, recording for Decca Records
(among other labels) along the way and recording many humorous, ironic titles such as "Breakin' in a Pair of Shoes", "Mama Don't Want No Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil" and "The Stuff Is Here and it's Mellow". Her stride piano
playing was often compared to Fats Waller
.
In the 1940s Brown began to shy from singing bawdy blues songs because of deepening religious beliefs, and in 1953 she retired and became a nurse.
She was rediscovered in the 1980s after being tracked down by Marian McPartland
; she returned to record again and performed on National Public Radio.
She died on April 15, 1995 in Denver
, Colorado
, aged 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vocalist and pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Life
Brown was born in MeridianMeridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and sang in church as a child. In 1919 her family moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and she began studying piano; in the 1920s she began taking gigs in clubs and broadcast on radio.
From the 1930s to the 1950s she toured the United States regularly, recording for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
(among other labels) along the way and recording many humorous, ironic titles such as "Breakin' in a Pair of Shoes", "Mama Don't Want No Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil" and "The Stuff Is Here and it's Mellow". Her stride piano
Stride piano
Harlem Stride Piano, Stride Piano, or just Stride, is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast, mainly in the New York, during 1920s and 1930s. The left hand may play a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, seventh or tenth interval on the first and...
playing was often compared to Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
.
In the 1940s Brown began to shy from singing bawdy blues songs because of deepening religious beliefs, and in 1953 she retired and became a nurse.
She was rediscovered in the 1980s after being tracked down by Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
; she returned to record again and performed on National Public Radio.
She died on April 15, 1995 in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, aged 85.