Gloria Brown was born in
Gert Town,
New Orleans,
Louisiana. and sang in church choirs, and with visiting groups such as the
Clara Ward Singers, as well as in a school production of
Show Boat. She also sang
gospel music on
WMRY radio shows, and after substituting for an absent performer and being discovered by local musician
Alvin "Red" Tyler, began performing
rhythm and blues songs in local clubs. Taking the
stage name Tami Lynn, she was heard by Allen Toussaint and
Harold Battiste, signed for
AFO Records, and toured with other company artists, before singing in
New York City as an opening act for
John Coltrane,
Miles Davis and
Ella Fitzgerald.
Jerry Wexler heard Lynn sing at a convention in 1965. Wexler had her
record the
Bert Berns penned and
produced song, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You", for
Atco Records, but the song was not released at the time, although it was released in the UK on Atlantic (AT.4071). In 1971, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" was released as a
single, with "The Boy Next Door" as the
B-side, on
Mojo and
Atlantic, where it became a hit in the UK among devotees of
Northern soul. The tune hit number 4 in the
UK Singles Chart in 1971. Lynn occasionally worked as a
backup singer. She sang on many of
Dr. John's albums, and the musician put her in contact with
the Rolling Stones with whom she sang on
Exile on Main St.. She died in Florida on June 26, 2020. ==Discography==