Hylo Brown
Traditional Bluegrass
Hylo Brown was a Kentucky-born guitarist and lead singer whose unusually wide vocal range — the source of his nickname — made him one of the few traditional bluegrass artists to hold a major-label contract through the late 1950s, fronting his own Timberliners and anchoring Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs's touring operation.
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- Born Frank Brown Jr. on April 20, 1922 in River, Johnson County, Kentucky; the family later moved to Springfield, Ohio.
- Earned the nickname "Hylo" for a voice that ranged easily from high to low.
- Wrote "Lost to a Stranger" as a demo intended for Kitty Wells; Capitol A&R chief Ken Nelson heard it and instead signed Brown himself, an unusual move for a traditional bluegrass singer.
- Recorded 46 sides for Capitol between 1954 and 1960 — including "Lost to a Stranger," his first hit — later collected on Bear Family's 2-CD Hylo Brown & The Timberliners 1954–1960.
- Renamed his band the Buckskin Boys as the Timberliners: Brown on guitar, Red Rector (mandolin), Jim Smoak (banjo), Clarence "Tater" Tate (fiddle), and Joe "Flap Jack" Phillips (bass) — one of the finest bluegrass lineups of the late 1950s.
- Joined Flatt & Scruggs as featured vocalist in 1957; when Martha White Mills needed a second touring unit to expand its television show, Flatt and Scruggs tapped Brown to front it.
- Signed with Starday in 1961, recording Bluegrass Balladeer (1962) and Hylo Brown Meets the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (1963), among others; a young Norman Blake played Dobro in his post-Timberliners band, and later sides followed for Rural Rhythm.
- Retired from the road in 1991 and died of cancer on January 17, 2003; inducted that year into the SPBGMA Preservation Hall of Greats.
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20 Gospel Favorites1988 · Rural Rhythm RC 187
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Hylo Brown and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys1969 · Rural Rhythm RRHB 194
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Hylo Brown Sings Folk Songs of Rural America1967 · Rural Rhythm RRHB 176
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Legends and Tall Tales1967 · Rural Rhythm RRHB 183
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Rural Rhythm presents Hylo Brown1967 · Rural Rhythm RRHB 168
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Sings Country Gospel Songs1967 · Rural Rhythm RRHB 187
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Sing Me a Bluegrass Song1963 · Starday SLP 249
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Single (Just Any Old Love / I’ve Waited as Long as I Can)1960 · Capitol 4380
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Hylo Brown1959 · Capitol T 1168
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Single (The Only One / The Prisoner’s Song)1956 · Capitol F 3554
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Hylo BrownPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Dan MilhonPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Charlie RossPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Dick BricklesPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Jack CaseyPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Ross BranhamPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Roy RossPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Clarence “Tater” TatePlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Flap Jack PhillipsPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Grady MartinPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Jim SmoakPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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John MaultsbyPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Laura AdkinsPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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William “Red” RectorPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Dale BrotheringtonPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Gerald Evans Jr.Played on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Sid CampbellPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Tommy JacksonPlayed on recordings with Hylo Brown
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Dale PotterPlayed on recording with Hylo Brown
