A well-rounded vocal artist in her own right, Maggie Brown doesn’t shy away from her familial ties to music.
A well-rounded vocal artist in her own right, Maggie Brown doesn’t shy away from her familial ties to music. Brown hails from Chicago, and attended Columbia College where she studied theater, music, and voice, and is the daughter of the legendary musician, poet, actor and playwright Oscar Brown Jr. "I do not have a problem with being mentioned with my father. I’m proud of what he’s instilled," Brown said with tears in her eyes. The Defender caught up with her before her performance at the African Festival of the Arts that was held Labor Day Weekend. Brown was one of several local talents to perform at the three-day cultural event where she sang with Roland Brown’s Merchant & Company Band. "I was glad because I haven’t been invited to perform at the Jazz Festival for quite a few years now. It was Roland Brown who invited me to the African Festival cause I had the opportunity to work with them," she told Defender For 19 years, the songstress has locally and nationally toured her one-woman show, "LEGACY: Our Wealth of Music," which doubles as a demonstration and lecture about the history and evolution of African American music. She covers a wide range of musical forms including spirituals, jazz, and hip hop. "Music is a poweful force. We need to use our music, which is our cultural expression, in a way that uplifts humanity, rather than something for material gain," Brown said. In 1999 she was fortunate to work with the late singer/composer Abbey Lincoln on her CD, “Wholly Earth” (Verve). Lincoln, an acclaimed jazz vocalist died Aug. 14 at age 80. Brown is more than a fan of Lincoln’s music and if she has anything to do with it, she soon will return the compliment to Lincoln. "I want to make a CD of Abbey Lincoln material. I’m actually trying to work with people here. To get it done. Get it promoted," Brown told the Defender. She also divulged that she would be singing at Lincoln’s funeral services on October 1 in New York. Brown is an advocate of music that can’t be heard on the radio. "There is a lot of great music out here. It is not popularized. You have to dig for it. It’s just not going to come to you on the radio…on the CD. You just have to look for it," the singer said. Before she performed her two-song set that included an all-inclusive sing-a-long of Earth Wind and Fire’s "Shining Star," Brown concluded that, "when you have the gift of music and song, you have a responsibility to teach young people. We have to encourage more respect for words…life, and culture. " Maggie Brown will pay tribute to her father and Lincoln at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on September 25. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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