Jewel Brown (August 30, 1937 – June 25, 2024) was an American jazz and blues singer. She performed alongside artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong.[1] Brown was inducted into the Blues Smithsonian Hall of Fame in 2007.[2]
Brown was born in Houston and her family lived in Third Ward, Houston, where she attended Blackshear Elementary School.[4]
Early singing career
Brown began singing at the Manhattan Club in Galveston. She sang alongside Elmore Nixon and Henry Hayes, and also performed at Club Ebony. She won a talent show at age 9 at the Masonic Temple, which was located in Fourth Ward, Houston.[1]
As a teenager, Brown continued performing in clubs around Houston and Galveston. She went on to join Louis Armstrong's band in the 1960s.[5]
Death
On June 26, 2024, Brown's publicist announced her death from colon cancer at the age of 86.[6][7][8]