Oscar Brown Jr. Video | Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi

Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926 – May 29, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor. He ran for office in the Illinois state legislature and U.S. Congress, unsuccessfully in each case. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named after his father Oscar Brown, Sr., who was a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at age 15. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) but did not obtain... MORE

Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926 – May 29, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor. He ran for office in the Illinois state legislature and U.S. Congress, unsuccessfully in each case. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named after his father Oscar Brown, Sr., who was a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at age 15. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) but did not obtain a degree. He also served a stint in the U.S. Army. Brown's father had intended for him to follow in his footsteps and become a practicing lawyer. While he did help his father at his practice, he ventured off into other careers, such as advertising and serving in the army in the mid-1950s. When Mahalia Jackson recorded one of his songs, he began to focus on a career in music. His first major contribution to a recorded work was a collaboration with Max Roach, We Insist! - Freedom Now, which was an early record celebrating the black freedom movement in the United States. Columbia Records signed Brown, LESS