- Born
- Died
- Birth nameElla Maxine Brown
- Maxine Brown was born on April 27, 1931 in Louisiana, USA. She was married to Tommy H. Russell. She died on January 21, 2019 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
- SpouseTommy H. Russell(February 1, 1957 - 1964) (divorced, 3 children)
- Began singing with her younger brother, Jim Ed Brown, on the Barnyard Frolic, a live weekly radio show from Little Rock, Arkansas in 1952. The two recorded their first hit, "Looking Back To See" in 1954. It went to No. 8 on the charts. Soon after, their younger sister, Bonnie Brown, joined the act. By 1958, they were performing and recording simply as "The Browns." They joined The Louisiana Hayride in 1954. It was here that they met and befriended Elvis Presley, who was then seeking a job on that show. The Browns toured with Presley from 1954 to 1956, when they became members of the nationally broadcast TV series, The Ozark Jubilee.
- Older sister of Jim Ed Brown and Bonnie Brown.
- She was the last surviving member of the trio; her brother Jim Ed died in 2015 and Bonnie died in 2016.
- The Browns' first chart 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. They were best known for "The Three Bells," which was produced by Chet Atkins. "The Three Bells" spent ten weeks atop the country charts, four weeks on the pop charts, and even crossed over to the R&B chart, peaking at No. 10. They also had crossover success with "The Old Lamplighter" and "Scarlet Ribbons.".
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