Born in Jackson, Mississippi on October 7, 1939, Mel Brown was a jazz and blues
guitarist best known for being a member of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland band for a decade.
He learned to play guitar while recovering from meningitis when he was a
teenager. Early in his career, he played with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Jimmy
Beasley before joining Johnny Otis’ orchestra for two years and accompanying
Etta James and Reuben Wilson. He signed a deal with Impulse! Records and
released his first solo album, Chicken Fat, in 1967, which was arranged by Herb
Ellis and Oliver Nelson. He followed that ...