Shirley Brown

Shirley Brown, born January 6, 1947 in West Memphis, Arkansas, is an American R&B singer. Raised in Madison, Illinois, she began singing in church at age nine, developing a powerful and expressive voice. Albert King discovered her at 14 while performing in Brooklyn, Illinois, leading to a nine-year stint touring with him. In 1972, Shirley Brown released her first record, "I Ain't Gonna Tell" and "Love Built on a Strong Foundation", produced by Oliver Sain for the Abet label. By 1974, she signed with Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, where her hit single "Woman to Woman" reached Number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over 1 million copies by December 1974. Her debut album Woman to Woman followed, but Stax Records' financial struggles led to its closure soon after. Shirley Brown signed with Arista Records in 1977, releasing an eponymous album produced by Jim Stewart and Bettye Crutcher. Notable tracks included "Blessed Is the Woman", which reached number 14 on the R&B chart. She continued recording for various labels, including Fantasy, Stax, Sound Town, and Malaco Records since 1989. In the following decades, Shirley Brown remained a popular live performer, particularly in the southern United States, releasing albums like Diva of Soul (1995), Holding My Own (2000), and Unleashed (2009).

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