Walter Brown (August 17, 1917 – June 1956) was an American blues shouter who sang with Jay McShann's band in the 1940s and co-wrote their biggest hit, "Confessin' the Blues".
Brown was born in Dallas, Texas. He joined McShann's orchestra, which also included the saxophonist Charlie Parker, in 1941. Yet, only two years later Brown’s addiction to alcohol, narcotics and amphetamines resulted in a break with McShann . Brown sang on some of the band's most successful recordings, including "Confessin' the Blues" and "Hootie Blues", before leaving to be replaced by Jimmy Witherspoon.
In 1947 Brown recorded some sides with the Tiny Grimes Sextet, which resulted in their version of the hit "Open the Door Richard". The record was considered too risqué and was banned from most radio playlists, and the label withdrew it from sale soon after. That same year Brown was back in the recording studio accompanied by the Jay McShann Quartet -- with Seeward Evans on tenor sax, bassist Percy Gabriel, and legendary Kansas City drummer Jesse Price -- waxing four sides for the Mercury label in Houston, TX,
The plot thickens as Brown's next recording date -- Halloween 1949 -- found him backed by Jay McShann's Kaycee Stompers. This is great R&B-inflected jazz, full of Walter Brown's own brand of musical mustard and vinegar. McShann stuck with Brown right through to the end of this singer's rocky recording career. The pianist anchored a quintet on Brown's last date for Capitol on November 1, 1949. Brown's subsequent solo singing career was unsuccessful, although he recorded for the King, Signature and Mercury labels, His last two recordings were made in Houston sometime during the year
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1951 and issued on the Peacock label. There are plenty of anecdotes about this singer's turbulent life after he stopped making records, including getting busted in New Orleans with a sizeable load of reefer in his station wagon, and later running his own nightclub in Lawton, OK.
Walter Brown passed away June, 1956, Lawton, Oklahoma, just weeks short of his 40th birthday, a victim of alcohol, heroin, and Benzedrine.
(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)