Jewel Brown

Jewel Brown (August 30, 1937 – June 25, 2024) was an American jazz and blues singer. She performed alongside artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong.^[1] Brown was inducted into the Blues Smithsonian Hall of Fame in 2007.^[2]

Jewel Brown
Brown c. 2004
Background information
Born	(1937-08-30)August 30, 1937 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2024(2024-06-25) (aged 86)
Genres	Jazz, blues
Occupation	Singer
Years active	Late 1940s–2024

In 2013, Brown was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)' category.^[3]

Early life and education

Brown was born in Houston and her family lived in Third Ward, Houston, where she attended Blackshear Elementary School.^[4]

Early singing career

Brown began singing at the Manhattan Club in Galveston. She sang alongside Elmore Nixon and Henry Hayes, and also performed at Club Ebony. She won a talent show at age 9 at the Masonic Temple, which was located in Fourth Ward, Houston.^[1]

As a teenager, Brown continued performing in clubs around Houston and Galveston. She went on to join Louis Armstrong's band in the 1960s.^[5]

Death

On June 26, 2024, Brown's publicist announced her death from colon cancer at the age of 86.^[6][7][8]

Discography

As leader

• Show Time (Fantasy, 1988)
• Milton Hopkins & Jewel Brown (Dialtone, 2012)^[9]
• Rollercoaster Boogie (Dynaflow, 2014)

As guest

With Louis Armstrong

• Best Live Concert 1: Jazz in Paris (Verve)

Videos

• With Louis Armstrong: Louis Armstrong – Live in Australia (DVD) (Euroarts)