Legendary country singer Jim Ed Brown announced through a video on his Facebook page recently he would be taking a four-month break from touring to undergo treatment for his recent diagnosis of lung cancer. Brown, who turned 80 in April, has been an active country music recording star for 60 years.
He first achieved fame in the late 1950s as a member of the trio known as The Browns, singing alongside his two sisters Maxine and Bonnie. The trio’s biggest hit “The Three Bells” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop and Country Charts and had some success during the next seven years with remakes of hits such as “The Old Lamplighter” and “Blue Christmas”. They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1963.
In 1965 Brown signed as a solo artist with RCA, and his first solo top ten hit “Pop a Top” was released in 1967. He had a few other hits as a solo artist during this time with the biggest hit being the crossover song “Morning” which reached #4 on the country charts and #47 on the pop charts.
Beginning in 1976, Brown found his largest success as a recording artist when he teamed up with Helen Cornelius for a number of duets, starting with “I Don’t Want To Have To Marry You” which reached the #1 spot on the country charts that year, and in 1979 “Lying in Love With You." Both songs remain among their most-requested when they appear on stage together at the Grand Ole Opry, where he remains an active and popular performer, and in appearances at various locations throughout the year.
The following message was posted by Brown September 30 on his Facebook page along with the video that follows:
"Some of you may have heard various rumors since I have had to cancel a few shows over the past few weekends. To clarify and put those rumors to bed, I wanted to just come out and explain what is going on. Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. At that time, I was in shock and scared as I didn’t know what that really meant. After testing, the doctors have asked me to take the next 4 months off from touring and to focus on chemotherapy and radiation treatments to shrink the cancer cells. I will keep you all updated on the progress. I am forever grateful for the love, support, and prayers during this time."
All of us at Roughstock wish Jim Ed Brown a full and speedy recovery.
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