Jimmy Brown

Who was Jimmy Brown?

Jimmy Earle Brown was an American trumpeter, saxophonist and singer, who was the first husband of R&B singer Ruth Brown. He was also known as Jumpin' Jimmy Brown from his performing style of jumping from the stage into the audience with his trumpet. In his early career he played trumpet with Paul Williams and his Hucklebuckers. He played in the house band at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in the 1950s and also recorded for Atlantic Records when Ruth Brown's career started. Later he worked with Etta James, Nat King Cole, was music director for Debbie Reynolds and played lead trumpet with the Count Basie Orchestra. He moved to Minnesota in the 1960s performing in the Twin Cities, and later led a band called Rio Pardo in Duluth and northern Minnesota in the 1970s and 1980s. He continued performing in Duluth until moving to the Twin Cities in 1994, and performed occasionally until his death.

He died in Maple Grove in December 2006, from an infection, at the age of 80.