Bonnie Brown (musician)
| Bonnie Brown | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bonnie Jean Brown |
| Also known as | Bonnie Brown Ring |
| Born |
July 31, 1938 Sparkman, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died |
July 16, 2016 (aged 77) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1955–1967 |
| Labels | RCA Victor |
| Associated acts | Jim Ed Brown, Maxine Brown |
Bonnie Brown (born Bonnie Jean Brown; July 31, 1938 – July 16, 2016) was an American country music singer and member of the Browns, a trio popular in the 1950s.[1]
Biography
Bonnie Jean Brown was born on July 31, 1938 in Sparkman, Arkansas to Floyd Iron Brown and Birdie Lee Tuberville Brown.[2] Her parents owned a farm, and her father also worked at a saw mill. While still a child, the family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In 1955, at age 18, she joined her older siblings Maxine and Jim Ed Brown, who were already performing as a duo, to form the musical trio the Browns.[3] Signed by RCA Victor in 1956, the trio scored their biggest hit when their folk-pop single "The Three Bells" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop and country charts. The single held the No. 1 spot on the pop charts for 4 weeks, and on the country charts for ten.[3]
After she married Dr. Gene Ring in 1960, she was known as Bonnie Brown Ring.[2]
In 1965, the Browns joined the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and disbanded in 1967 after Bonnie had decided to retire from the music business.[4][2]
Unlike her siblings, Bonnie did not pursue a solo music career after the Browns dissolved, though the trio did reunite twice: in the 1980s, and in 2006 for a TV special Country Pop Legends.[5]
In 2015, the trio was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[3] Bonnie's brother, Jim Ed Brown, died of cancer on June 11, 2015.
Death
On September 28, 2015, Bonnie Brown announced that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma right lung cancer.[6] Brown died of the illness on July 16, 2016, fifteen days before her 78th birthday.[7] She was survived by her sister Maxine Brown; and by daughter Kelly Ring, former co-anchor of the evening news at WTVT-TV in Tampa, Florida.[8]
References
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Country Music (Second ed.). p. 55. ISBN 978-0195395631. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Bonnie Brown Ring". Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Freeman, Jon (July 16, 2016). "Country Music Hall of Fame Member Bonnie Brown Dead at 77". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ↑ Brennan, Sandra & Manheim, James. "The Browns Biography". Country Music Television, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ↑ The Associated Press (2016-07-17). "Bonnie Brown, Part of Sibling Country Trio, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
- ↑ "U.S. Country singer Bonnie Brown, hall of fame inductee, has cancer - Reuters". Tim Ghianni.
- ↑ "Country Music Hall of Famer Bonnie Brown dead at 77". Tennessean.com. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ↑ "Kelly Ring". KTVT-TV - Fox13News.com.