Jim Ed was born on April 1, 1934, in
Sparkman, Arkansas, to Floyd and Birdie Brown. His parents owned a farm and his father also worked at a sawmill. As small children, Jim and his sisters,
Maxine and
Bonnie, moved with their parents to
Pine Bluff, Arkansas. As young adults, the three siblings sang together and individually. This changed in 1954 when Jim Ed and Maxine signed a recording contract as a duo. They earned national recognition and a guest spot on
Ernest Tubb's radio show for their humorous song "Looking Back To See", which hit the top ten and stayed on the charts through the summer of 1954.
The Browns Jim Ed and Maxine were joined in 1955 by 18-year-old Bonnie, and The Browns began performing on
Louisiana Hayride in
Shreveport, Louisiana. By the end of 1955, the trio were appearing on
KWTO-AM in
Springfield, Missouri, and had another top ten hit with "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow", which got a boost by their national appearances on ABC-TV's
Ozark Jubilee. They signed with
RCA Victor in 1956, and soon had two major hits, "
I Take the Chance" and "I Heard the Bluebirds Sing". When Jim Ed was drafted in 1957, the group continued to record while he was on leave, and sister Norma filled in for him on tours.
Grand Ole Opry An active and popular member of the
Grand Ole Opry since 1963, Jim Ed Brown would remain so until his death. He would occasionally reunite there with
Helen Cornelius to perform their hit duets together.
Country Music Hall of Fame In March 2015, it was announced that the Browns would be inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame later in the year. With his health declining, Brown was inducted in June. ==Illness and death==