Country Music Hall of Fame Member Bonnie Brown Dead at 77

In an era where their tight and pristine family harmonies set them apart, The Browns were able to carve out a successful career in the mid-1950s – one that paved the way for any act that came down the pike before or after. The trio lost another of its’ three members today, as Bonnie Brown passed away from cancer-related complications at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock at the age of 77.

Incidentally, older siblings James Edward (Jim Ed) and Maxine were already performing together as a duo, hitting with the 1954 smash “Looking Back To See.” Bonnie joined them shortly after graduating high school in 1955, and it was their transformation into a three-part harmony powerhouse that things really began to take off. They soon inked a deal with RCA Victor, hitting with the classics “I Take The Chance” and “I Heard The Bluebirds Sing,” both of which became Billboard Top 10 hits on the Country charts.

As big as those records were, the true moment in the sun for the trio came in 1959 with the recording of “The Three Bells.” The song hit the top of Country charts, but also the Hot 100, as well. In addition, just about every major television show of the day raced to have The Browns on as special guests. The hits kept coming through the 1960s, such as “The Old Lamplighter” and the timeless “Scarlet Ribbons.”

The Grand Ole Opry invited The Browns to become members in 1963, and four years later, both Bonnie and Maxine decided to focus their attention on their families, thus ending the career of the trio. Jim Ed stayed with the Opry and became one of the biggest stars of the format in the 1960s and 1970s, thanks to hits such as “Southern Loving,” as well as a string of hits with Helen Cornelius.

Still, the sisters would occasionally join their brother on stage – particularly at the Opry. Bonnie would have two children with late husband Gene (Brownie) Ring, Including Kelly Bulleit – who became one of the top-rated newswomen in the Little Rock market, and is currently on the air in Tampa.

In 2015, it was announced that The Browns would be among three new inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Though Jim Ed passed away before the official ceremony last fall, both Bonnie and Maxine were in attendance – just a few weeks after Bonnie announced her own battle with lung cancer.

Bonnie Brown is survived by two daughters, Kelly (Ed) Bulleit, and Robin (Rob) Shaver, Kelly’s children, Clark, Kendall, and Raleigh, as well as Robin’s offspring, Skylar and Stone, and of course, by her sister, Maxine (Brown) Russell.