Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist, known for his extensive work with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald. He was also a founding member of the group that would later develop into the Modern Jazz Quartet.
For other people with the same name, see Raymond Brown (disambiguation).Early life[edit]
Ray Brown was born on October 13, 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and took piano lessons as a child.[1] After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but his father was unable to afford one.[1][2] With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took up the upright bass instead.[1]
A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was Jimmy Blanton, the bassist in the Duke Ellington band.[3] Brown's high school music teacher believed that he was a diligent student, as he took the bass home with him on weekends.[2] Brown, however, was already using the school bass in gigs; when this was discovered, the bass had to be returned and Brown's father bought him one.[2] Brown graduated high school in 1944.[2]
Awards and honors[edit]
In 1995, Brown was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.[17] In 2001, Brown was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class[18] and in 2003, he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.[19]
He was awarded his first Grammy for his composition "Gravy Waltz", a tune which would later be used as the theme song for The Steve Allen Show.[20]