On this day (December 11) in 1944, Tony Brown was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a musician, he played with Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, and was in Rodney Crowell’s backing band with Vince Gill. After becoming a producer, he took chances on artists who would go on to have legendary careers. Today, the list of artists whose albums he has produced includes Steve Earle, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Crowell, and Gill, among others.
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According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Brown’s life in music began early. He started singing with his father’s gospel group as a child. Then, he discovered country music via Ray Charles’ classic album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music while learning to play piano as a teen.
Brown’s professional musical career began when he was 19. That year, he joined the A-list gospel group the Stamps Quartet. He was the group’s pianist for six years before moving on. Later, he joined the Mighty Oaks Band, backing the Oak Ridge Boys. Next, he became the pianist for Voice, a gospel group that exclusively gathered to play at Elvis Presley’s house for the superstar’s entertainment. This led to Brown joining Presley’s road band, replacing Glen Hardin.
Two years later, he took Hardin’s place in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band. “That was the biggest boost to my career. It got me into country music and got me associated with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash, which I think is basically where my credibility in country music stems from,” Brown said. His time with the band ignited a passion within him to bring something new to country music.
Tony Brown Takes Chances, Makes Classic Records
In the early 1980s, Tony Brown moved to Nashville and became a producer at RCA Records. There, he helped his former Cherry Bombs bandmate, Vince Gill, land a recording contract. However, he had already left RCA to become MCA’s vice president of A&R before Gill cut his first album.
While there, he signed and worked with the likes of Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett. At the same time, he oversaw recording sessions for hitmakers like Patty Loveless and Marty Stuart.
Brown went on to produce important albums for multiple artists. For instance, he worked on Vince Gill’s breakthrough album, When I Call Your Name. The two worked together on multiple albums over the next few years, winning seven Grammy Awards.
His work with George Strait was even more successful. Their work together began with the 1992 soundtrack Pure Country. They worked together on twenty more albums, producing 22 chart-topping singles.
In short, Tony Brown was the hand behind dozens of award-winning hit albums from some of country music’s biggest stars. He also worked alongside left-of-center singer/songwriters.
Albums Produced by Brown
To illustrate how prevalent Tony Brown has been in the country music world over the last few decades, here are just a few of the albums he produced.
- Wynonna–Wynonna Judd
- Carrying Your Love with Me–George Strait
- Rumor Has It–Reba McEntire
- Copperhead Road–Steve Earle
- Detour–Cyndi Lauper
- Diamonds & Dirt–Rodney Crowell
- I Still Believe in You–Vince Gill
Featured Image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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