R.I.P. Bonnie Brown Of The Browns

Bonnie Brown

Bonnie Brown, a 2015 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame as part of sweet-voiced sibling trio The Browns, died Saturday afternoon in Little Rock, Ark., due to complications from lung cancer.

She was 77, according to The Tennessean.

Bonnie Jean Brown was born July 31, 1938 and came from a musical family: older siblings Jim Ed and Maxine Brown performed together.

As a trio, The Brown's first charting single, "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" peaked at No. 7 in 1955, and in 1956, their recording of "I Take the Chance" hit No. 2 on the country charts.

During the 1950s, the Browns were cast members on “The Louisiana Hayride” and “Ozark Jubilee,” and, for a time, toured with a young future icon named Elvis Presley.

The group’s most enduring recording, “The Three Bells,” was released in 1959.


The single, which was produced by Chet Atkins, spent 10 weeks atop the country chart, four weeks on the pop charts, and even crossed over to the Hot R&B Sides chart, peaking at No. 10. Five decades after its release, “The Three Bells” experienced a minor resurgence when it was featured in two episodes of the final season of HBO drama “The Sopranos.”

The trio continued to find crossover success with songs including “The Old Lamplighter and “Scarlet Ribbons.” In 1963, the Browns were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.

After more than a decade as a trio, the Browns stopped recording together in 1967.