Driftin Blues: Best of
This mellow-toned singer and pianist came to prominence in the mid-'40s as part of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. Moore's brother Oscar was a member of Nat "King" Cole's trio, a group that greatly influenced the direction of the Blazers. With Moore's fluid guitar and Brown's mellifluous voice, the Blazers pioneered the refined, jazz-influenced West Coast school of blues. Nineteen forty-five's "Driftin Blues" brought the trio national attention, but after recording a handful of tunes under his own name (with the Blazers still behind him), Brown broke away for good and rolled up a series of R&B; hits for Aladdin, ending with the 1956 classic "Merry Christmas, Baby." With a deft piano touch and a rich, sultry vocal approach, Brown brought blues to the lounge.--Marc Greilsamer