OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?

Subject: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 12:39 AM

The Earl Scruggs message board had the following posted by a fellow who said that his aunt has been Hylo's nurse for the last few years.
I searched to see if there was an on obit anywhere, but came up empty.   

HYLO BROWN PASSED AWAY ON FRIDAY. THE BALLADEER ENTERTAINED PEOPLE FOR YEARS. HE PLAYED WITH LESTER AND EARL FOR AWHILE BEFORE BECOMING A SOLO ACT. EARL PLAYED WITH HIM AT THE NEWPORT FESTIVAL BACK IN 1959 WHEN THE PROMOTERS FORGOT TO INVITE LESTER. IM SURE MOST OF YOU WHO COME TO THIS WEBSITE HAVE BOUGHT THE LATEST EARL SCRUGGS CD. WHICH IS SOME OF THE PERFORMANCES FROM THE NEWPORT FESTIVAL.

HYLO IS SET TO BE BURIED IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: NobleSavage
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 03:20 AM

I remember Hylo Brown. He gave a perfomance at the Scioto County Local Elementary School (grades 1-8), in southeastern Ohio around 1964 or so.

He sang country-style songs--the one I remember was about some ol' boy who was hunting without a liscense. The words I remember were something like "when the game warden comes, I'll be a busy man."

Of course, the idea, to my 8-year old mind, that you could just go around and sing songs was extremely fascinating. I'd been playing the ukelele for two years by then and the chickens really *dug* it.

I saw the way everybody reacted to this and began to wonder. . .

Hail and farewell Hylo Brown

NS

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 12:07 PM

He got his name from his wide singing range....High to low.

The organizers of Newport didn't forget to hire Lester. He refused to go.

Hilo was a regular on The Flatt and Scruggs TV show and was also sponsored by Martha White Mills (goodness gracious sakes alive Martha White!)

Hilo was like Jim Eanes and Jimmie Skinner in that he was an important Bluegrasser who didn't always record with Bluegrass back up. He thought of himself as a 'folk singer'.

Thanks Steve.

Rick

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 12:39 PM

The reason that I have the question mark after deceased is I still can't find an actual obit. I'm sure that the person who posted on the Scruggs message board knows what he's talking about, but i stil haven't found an official obit.

Rick, why did Lester refuse to go?

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 05:15 PM

Steve, you might want to look through these most recent obits for "Frank Brown" at one of the major obit archives online: click here. I didn't get anything for "Hylo" but I understand his name was Frank, so maybe one of them is him. There are 50 of them.:-)

kat

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 05:25 PM

Thanks Kat,

I came up empty handed again.

Steve

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 05:58 PM

Dick Spottswood of WAMU.org played a tribute to Hylo on Sunday...you can listen online until NEXT Sunday at http://wamu.org/dickspottswood/index.html

lots of other neat things in the 2 hour show.

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 06:00 PM

here is the playlist for the show

http://wamu.org/dickspottswood/030119.html

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 06:34 PM

Jeez I HOPE ya didn't kill him before his time Steve! I did that a couple of times on the air, most notably Edith Fowke....who HEARD me kill her!! (I mean't Doctor helen Creighton)

Rick

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: GUEST,van lingle
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 06:36 PM

Yeah Rick, don't leave us dangling. What was up with Lester and the '59 Newport festival?

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 06:39 PM

Steve, I've read this a number of times, but of course it wasn't from the horse's mouth (or mouths). Several white Southern musicians were not happy with the politics or the racial mixing of Newport. One who complained that he was lied to was Rev. Buell Kazee, the great banjoist and I "believe" that Lester refused for political reasons. I may be completely wrong about that. As I replied to a flamer a while ago...NONE of this is looked up, it's just off the top of my head.

Rick

Subject: RE: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 06:57 PM

just in case there is any doubt, Dick Spotswood played a tribute because Hylo had indeed died..(at age 81, I think)

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 07:06 PM

Any idea where it was he died? We could probably pull an obit from a local paper if we knew. I checked Springfield, OH paper just in case as it said that's where services were to be held, but I came up empty-handed, too.

Steve, I hope this doesn't effect my geek status badly.**BG**

kat

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 07:22 PM

here is a search of Google groups which has several notices of Hylo's death

no mention of where....

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 22 Jan 03 - 08:35 AM

Kat, your research actually enhances your status.

Thanks Rick, I often forget how different the times were.

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Banjer
Date: 12 Feb 03 - 06:25 AM

Just found this in a country music newsgroup. Since I check the groups almost daily it is a fairly new posting. It does acknowledge the date of the funeral as being 21 January 03, but gives further info as to place, etc.

Frank 'Hylo' Brown, 80, guitarist Dies
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MECHANICSBURG, Ohio - Frank "Hylo" Brown, a bluegrass guitarist who
played with Flatt and Scruggs as well as Bill Monroe, has died. He was80.

Mr. Brown died Friday after battling cancer. His funeral was held
Tuesday(1/21/03) in Springfield.

A native of Paintsville, Mr. Brown first played with Flatt and Scruggs before forming his own group, the Timberliners.

Mr. Brown acquired the nickname "Hylo" for his ability to sing in both tenor and bass voices.

Over the years, Mr. Brown recorded 34 albums and wrote Lost to a
Stranger.

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 12 Feb 03 - 07:40 AM

Thanks Banjer

Subject: RE: OBIT: Hylo Brown, deceased?
From: GUEST,Suzy
Date: 30 Aug 03 - 11:32 AM

I just came across this string and saw the question about why Lester Flatt refused to attend the Newport Folk Festival...   I don't remember where I heard this, but I do distictly remember hearing that the promoters sent a letter requesting the band play the festival, but the envelope was addressed to Earl Scruggs. Lester felt slighted by this and refused to go, period.