Country singer Jim Ed Brown dies at 81

Smooth-voiced singer Jim Ed Brown, a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1963 and a 2015 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, died Thursday at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin. He was 81. In September Mr. Brown revealed that he had been undergoing treatment for lung cancer. In early 2015, he announced that he was in remission, but on June 3, his daughter Kim posted on Facebook that her father's cancer had returned — although not in his lungs — and that he had resumed chemotherapy. One day later, when Mr. Brown's condition appeared unlikely to improve, his dear friend and country legend "Whispering" Bill Anderson visited Mr. Brown in his hospital room to present him with a Country Music Hall of Fame medallion, five months ahead of this fall's official induction ceremony. "It was sad, but in a beautiful way, because we were making him happy," Anderson said. Mr. Brown was surprised earlier this year with the news that he would receive country music's highest honor. On Thursday night, news of Mr. Brown's death spread as country star Alan Jackson opened the sold-out nightly LP Field concerts for the 2015 CMA Music Festival. Jackson played a bit of Mr. Brown's signature hit "Pop a Top" and said, "We're gonna miss you, Jim Ed Brown. God bless you," before leaving stage. James Edward Brown was born on April 1, 1934, in Sparkman, Ark.; later, the family of seven would move to Pine Bluff, Ark. Growing up, he would listen to Opry stars such as Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe, and sing with his older sister Maxine and younger sister Bonnie. In 1954 Mr. Brown and Maxine, who had been singing on the radio and performing regionally as a duo, signed a deal with Fabor Records. Their debut single, the lighthearted "Looking Back to See," peaked at No. 8 in June of that year. The young singers became regulars on The Louisiana Hayride and Ozark Jubilee. In 1955 their teenage sister Bonnie joined the group; a year later, The Browns' recording of "I Take the Chance" for their label RCA Victor hit No. 2 on the country charts. One of their best-known songs was "I Heard the Bluebirds Sing," a song that was released in 1957, the same year that Mr. Brown was drafted into military service. He continued to record with his sisters while on leave, and when the group toured, sister Norma would take his place. After two years, Mr. Brown left the military and rejoined the family band. They would release their smash hit "The Three Bells" in August 1959. It spent 10 weeks atop the country chart, four weeks atop the pop charts and even cracked the Hot R&B Sides Top 10. The Browns' timeless version of this song would go on to sell more than 1 million records. Subsequent recordings "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)" and "The Old Lamplighter" were also crossover hits; however, the former would be the group's final Top 10 country single. In 1965 Mr. Brown began to make solo records for RCA Victor, where he'd remain for the next 16 years. In 1967 he'd release what would become his signature song: the Nat Stuckey-penned "Pop a Top," which spent 20 weeks on the charts. He'd go on to release several other successful singles, including "Morning" (No. 4, 1970) and "Southern Loving" (No. 6, 1973)...more