Patricia “Pat” Brown (14 September 1949 – 5 September 2019) was an American soul and blues singer based out of Jackson, Mississippi who was well-known for her hit with Willie Clayton, "Equal Opportunity." Brown received her inspiration from artists like Aretha Franklin and Ann Pebbles. She recorded seven albums, four of which were on her own label, Tapna.
Patricia "Pat" Ann Rush one of nine children, was born to the late Jessie Rush and Gertruline Davidson Rush. She was born in what is still the family home at 623 21st Street, Meridian, Miss. As a child, her idols and babysitters were Al Wilson (Show & Tell), David and Jimmy Ruffin who pushed and inspired her to sing and work hard. Pat had a great voice and proved she could sing not only Gospel but Blues, Memphis Soul, dance music, pop standards, R&B and smooth contemporary soul.She attended public school in Meridian where she graduated T.J. Harris High in 1967 and T. J. Harris Junior College. She was majorette in the then renowned T.J. Harris Tiger Band. While at T.J. Harris Jr. College, she joined a group called the Dynamics which later became The Commodores. After graduation she enrolled in Mississippi Valley State University and received a B.S. in Physical Education. After finishing MVSU, Pat taught in
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the Meridian Public Schools where she met her husband, Mr. Josh Brown Jr. Pat and Josh married March, 16, 1973, and moved to Jackson, Miss. She started her recording career after moving to Jackson.
Brown issued her solo debut, Ladies' Night (Ace) in 1996, after serving a long apprenticeship as a back-up musician (piano) and a back-up singer to Willie Clayton, Barbara Lewis, Dinah Washington, Solomon Burke and others. With the help of Willie Clayton, she scored a modest chitlin' circuit hit with the duet "Equal Opportunity" from the same LP. which has become a southern soul anthem and her signature song which gained her a lot of attention due to her unique tone and vocal range.The song was co-written by master songwriter Bob Jones.
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A Woman's Thang, featuring the radio-friendly "This Girl Needs A Tune-Up," was issued in 1998 (Avanti). Burning Hot And Heavy appeared in 2000 (Tapna), and in 2002 Brown had another minor hit with "Honey Costs Money," from the CD New Tricks (Tapna). This was noted as her best album as it features the smash "Two Week Notice", a slow soul diamond with great lyrics.
In 2007 the Tapna album “For Your Information Only” contained Ronnie Lovejoy's hit "Live In Woman" and the slow rolling "If It's Good For You". Fans of mainstream pop R & B also enjoyed "Take Your Time". Within a year of the albums release, Pat had gone from being a minor chitlin' circuit recording act to a Southern Soul headliner with her own "Live In Woman" Tour. Pat Brown had a great voice and proved she could sing blues, Memphis soul, R & B dance music, pop standards and smooth contemporary soul. She has performed with the following artists, either as a a part of their show or as the opening act, such as: B.B. King, Percy Sledge, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Rush, Al Green, Johnny Taylor, Willie Clayton, her hero and mentor.
Pat was a founding member of the Central Mississippi Blues Society and hostess of Blue Monday held in Jackson. During her career, Pat has earned many awards including the 2017 Jackson Indie ICON Award and the 2019 Jackson Music Awards. She is featured on the Mississippi Blues Trail with a marker in downtown Meridian.
During late 2019 she was hospitalized in a Jackson, Mississippi-area hospital where she died on Thursday, September 5, 2019. Aged 69, (Edited mainly from The Meridian Star)