About the Artist Gathering together elements of R&B, soul and pop, Brown takes his cue from the likes of Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and Jackie Wilson, his idols. But chances are he doesn't do it their way. "I never learned to read music; I just couldn't do it," he said. "I hear a particular melody in my head and just go with it." With the ubiquitous sunglasses, Brown often has been mistaken for Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, but his blindness isn't a stick - just a fact of life. "I played in nightclubs in East St. Louis. I worked with Ike and Tina (Turner); that was where all the musicians played in the early days." Throughout his musical career, Brown also has shared the stage with Little Richard, The Coasters, Lou Rawls, Etta James and Jackie Wilson.
