Maxine Brown Biography
27 April 1932, Kingstree, South Carolina, USA. Having sung in two New York gospel groups, the Manhattans and the Royaltones, Brown made her recording debut on Nomar with "All In My Mind". A US Top 20 hit in 1961, this uptown soul ballad was followed by another hit single, "Funny". A period at ABC-Paramount then passed before Brown signed to Wand Records and proceeded to make a series of excellent singles. She is best recalled for the US Top 30 hit "Oh No Not My Baby" (1964), a beautifully written Gerry Goffin and Carole King song that was later covered by Manfred Mann, Rod Stewart and Aretha Franklin. Brown also recorded with Chuck Jackson - their version of "Something You Got" made the US R&B Top 10 - but her position at Wand was undermined by the company's preoccupation with Dionne Warwick. Releases on a new outlet, Commonwealth United, resulted in two R&B chart entries, including the acclaimed "We'll Cry Together" (1969). Maxine signed with Avco in 1971, but her work there failed to re-establish her former profile.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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