Dale Ann Bradley -- see artist discography

Kippi Brannon "I'd Be With You" (Curb, 1997)
(Produced by Mark Bright)
This was actually a comeback album: Brannon was a teenage singer who had had even bigger success in the early '80s, but retired after releasing several popular singles for the MCA label. She tried restarting her career a few years later, but only came back to record an album a decade later... And here it is!

Louisa Branscomb "I'll Take Love (From The Pen Of Louisa Branscomb)" (Compass, 2011)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "A Song That Will Linger" (Rounder, 1988)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Blue Lightning" (Rounder, 1991)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Our Town" (Rounder, 1992)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Stay Awhile" (Rounder, 1995)

Kate Brislin & Katy Moffatt "Sleepless Nights" (Rounder, 1996)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips" (Rounder, 1997)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Songs Of The Carter Family" (Appleseed, 2000)
This Bay Area duo has long been a potent force in the old-timey revival scene, and here they capture the plaintive emotional longing of the Carter Family sound, although their take on things may be a bit softer and less desolate (or rowdy) than the Carters themselves. Still, this is pretty sweet and certainly loyal to the material. Nice stuff.

Lane Brody "Lane Brody" (EMI, 1985) (LP)

Lane Brody "Familiar Places" (Records Records, 2001)

Lane Brody "Pieces Of Life" (Scream, 2002)

Lisa Brokop "My Love" (Libre, 1991)

Lisa Brokop "Every Little Girl's Dream" (Capitol/Patriot, 1994)
(Produced by Jerry Crutchfield)
Despite having a couple of lively, uptempo singles -- "Take That" and "Give Me A Ring Sometime" -- this debut album tanked, with both songs falling well short of the Top 40. Maybe partly it was because Brokop was from Canada, but more likely it was because she was mired in the same sort of overripe, white soul sister vocal theatrics that Wynonna Judd and K.T. Oslin banked on in years gone by... The style doesn't do much for me, especially when she gets bogged down in thick, overwritten ballads... But Brokop has her fans, to be sure, even if she had to retreat to the Canadian market when she failed to make a dent down in the States. If you like Wynonna, you might wanna check this gal out.

Lisa Brokop "Lisa Brokop" (Capitol, 1996)

Lisa Brokop "When You Get To Be You" (Columbia, 1998)

Lisa Brokop "Undeniable" (Royalty, 2004)

Lisa Brokop "Hey, Do You Know Me?" (EMI, 2005)

Lisa Brokop "Beautiful Tragedy" (Ellbea, 2008)

Marti Brom & Her Jet-Tone Boys "Lassoed Live" (Goofin', 1995)

Marti Brom & Her Jet-Tone Boys "Mean" (Squarebird, 1996)

Marti Brom & Her Barnshakers "Snake Ranch" (Goofin', 2000)

Marti Brom & The Cornell Hurd Band "Feudin' And Fightin" (Behemoth, 2000)

Marti Brom "Live At Jovita's" (Behemoth, 2003)

Marti Brom "Wise To You" (Goofin', 2003)

Marti Brom "...Sings Heartache Numbers" (Goofin', 2005)

Marti Brom "Not For NothinÔ" (Riptide, 2010)

Karen Brooks "Walk On" (Warner, 1982) (LP)

Karen Brooks "Hearts On Fire" (Warner, 1984) (LP)

Karen Brooks "I Will Dance With You" (Warner, 1985) (LP)

Karen Brooks & Randy Sharp "That's Another Story" (Mercury, 1992)

Alison Brown "Simple Pleasures" (Vanguard, 1990)

Alison Brown "Twilight Motel" (Vanguard, 1992)

Alison Brown "Look Left" (Vanguard, 1994)

Alison Brown "Alison Brown Quartet" (Vanguard, 1996)

Alison Brown "Best Of The Vanguard Years" (Vanguard, 2002)

Alison Brown "Out Of The Blue" (Compass, 1998)

Alison Brown "Fair Weather" (Compass, 2000)
What a surprise! This is one of Brown's most straightforward bluegrass albums, with an all-star cast pitching in, among them Sam Bush, Tim O'Brien, Claire Lynch, and pretty much any member of the Grisman-affiliated "spacegrass" scene that you can think of (other than Grisman, that is...) This also features a swell duet with Nashville country star Vince Gill, one of those pleasant instances in which he, too, dips back into his traditional side. For truegrassers, this will be one of Brown's most rewarding albums.

Alison Brown "Replay" (Compass, 2002)
A loose-limbed live set that revisits some of Brown's old tunes...

Alison Brown "Stolen Moments" (Compass, 2005)
Bluegrass-based easy listening, with dips into lite jazz... It's not my cup of tea, but Ms. Brown's fans, as well as folks who like Bela Fleck, et. al., will probably enjoy this album... Lots of guest performers, ranging from 'grassers such as Sam Bush, Mike Marshall and Sally Van Meter to the Indigo Girls, Mary Chapin Carpenter and various members of the Celtic band, Solas, all linked together through Brown's lissome banjo work and light compositional touch.

Alison Brown "The Company You Keep" (Compass, 2009)
(Produced by Alison Brown & Garry West)
An all-instrumental album featuring banjo whiz (and Compass Records founder) Alison Brown... This disc is much in keeping with her last several albums, a mellow continuation of the jazz-grass tradition started by David Grisman and his generation of acoustic virtuosi. While sticking to a generally soft-pop orientation, Brown also pushes ahead musically, placing an emphasis on musicianship and exploration... Personally I prefer a strong, hummable melody, but each to their own. Along for the flight are pianist John R. Burr, fiddlers Joe Craven and Stuart Duncan, and guitarist John Doyle, of the Celt-acoustic band Solas -- some pretty fancy pickers for a pretty lighthearted acoustic outing.

Maggie Brown "Maggie Brown" (Riverwide, 2004)
A cool, catchy mix of roots-country and bluesy rock... There are obvious debts to early Bonnie Raitt, as well as a Sheryl Crow-meets-The Black Crowes guitar rock vibe, and a little hint of Norah Jones crooning on the soft side... These comparisons are inevitable but a little unfair, since Brown is also a fine, soulful singer in her own right, though more to the point, she crafts some mighty good songs, catchy stuff that sticks to your ribs. The doleful, country-drenched "Full Moon Over Dallas" echoes in my mind; folks who are into the whole adult-roots tip should like this self-released gem... a lot! (Available through MaggieBrown.net.)

Marti Brown "Ms. Marti Brown" (Atlantic, 1973) (LP)
"Let My Love Shine" was the single...

Maxine Brown "Sugar Cane Country" (Chart, 1969) (LP)
The lone solo album recorded by singer Maxine Brown after the breakup of her family band, The Browns... It's pretty good, too! A nice mix of folk-tinged countrypolitan and surprisingly robust, rootsier material. Definitely worth looking for... (Note: you might also want to check out her website and her autobiography, Looking Back to See: A Country Music Memoir... )

The Browns - see artist discography

Shannon Brown "Corn Fed" (Warner, 2006)
(Produced by John Rich)
The lone solo album from singer Shannon Brown, who released a couple of moderately successful singles in 1996 and '01, but kept getting dropped by her labels before they'd commit to a full album. So, did producer John Rich, of Big & Rich fame, provide the right sound for her? You be the judge.

Tracey Brown "Woman's Work" (EMI, 1998)
A solo album from singer Tracey Brown, one of the featured singers in the popular Canadian family band, The Family Brown, whose popularity peaked in the 1970s and '80s. She was also in the group Prescott-Brown, with her brother Barry Brown, and her husband Randall Prescott.

Tracey Brown "Alone" (2008)

Jann Browne "Tell Me Why" (Curb, 1990)
(Produced by Steve Fishell)
Formerly a singer with Asleep At The Wheel, hard country singer Jann Browne set off solo with this doozy of a disc, backed by some hotshot pickers along the lines of Albert Lee and James Burton (alumni of the Emmylou Harris Hot Band), and John Jorgenson as well. Browne racked up two Top 20 hits with this one, and though that was her official commercial peak, she's been making great music ever since. Recommended!

Jann Browne "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" (Curb, 1991)
(Produced by Steve Fishell)
Here's a hidden gem: a remarkably rootsy commercial offering from a gal with an appealing but imperfect voice. Alt-country hillbilly filly Rosie Flores is the closest comparison I could come up with, with a fleck of that old Emmylou warble in there as well... and hey, if you like Rosie, you oughta love this album! The title track is pretty darn fun, and the rest of the album holds up as well... Apparently, Browne started out as the "girl" singer in the Asleep At The Wheel band in the early '80s; she had a couple of songs hit the lower rungs of the charts, but none of them were from this album. At any rate, this one's worth searching for...!

Jann Browne "Count Me In" (Cross Three, 1995)

Jann Browne "Missed Me By A Mile" (Plan B, 2001)

Jann Browne "Buckin' Around: A Tribute To The Legendary Buck Owens" (Plan B, 2007)

Sherry Bryce & Mel Tillis "Living And Learning/Take My Hand" (MGM, 1971) (LP)

Sherry Bryce "Treat Me Like A Lady" (MGM, 1973) (LP)

Sherry Bryce & Mel Tillis "Let's Go All The Way Tonight" (MGM, 1974) (LP)

Sherry Bryce "This Song's For You" (MGM, 1975) (LP)

Becky Buller "Little Bird" (Bell Buckle, 2005)

Becky Buller & Valerie Smith "Here's A Little Song" (Bell Buckle, 2008)

Laura Bell (Bundy) "Longing For A Place Already Gone" (LAB Records, 2007)

Laura Bell Bundy "Achin' And Shakin' " (Mercury Nashville, 2010)

The Burch Sisters "New Fire" (Mercury, 1988)
The lone album by the Burch Sisters -- Cathy, Charlene and Cindy -- who hit the Top 30 with their single "Everytime You Go Outside I Hope It Rains," but faded from sight not long after that...

Wilma Burgess "Don't Touch Me" (Decca, 1966) (LP)

Wilma Burgess "...Sings Misty Blue" (Decca, 1967) (LP)

Wilma Burgess "Tear Time" (Decca, 1967) (LP)

Wilma Burgess "The Tender Lovin' Country Sound" (Decca, 1968) (LP)

Wilma Burgess "Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow" (Decca, 1969) (LP)

Wilma Burgess & Buddy Logan "Wake Me Into Love" (Shannon Records, 1974) (LP)

Wilma Burgess "Could I Have This Dance" (Columbia/51 West, 1982) (LP)

Pearl Butler - see artist discography

Brenda Byers "The Auctioneer" (Decca/MTA) (LP)

Brenda Byers "Thank You For Loving Me" (Decca/MTA) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Drusky)
A pop singer from the late-edition Arthur Godfrey galaxy who dabbled in country for an album or two. Pretty genteel and unremarkable, although not that far from the countrypolitan mainstream. Anyone out there know exactly when this disc came out? Early '70s somewhere...?

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Hick Music Index
Sisters Who Swung: Women In Jazz & Blues

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