Brown's early hits include 'We Need Some Money' and ' Bustin' Loose'. At the time of his death he was still performing music and was well known in the Washington, D.C., area.

Music career īrown with his signature blonde Gibson ES-175īrown's musical career began in the 1960s playing guitar with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. He also started to perform at parties throughout the area however, he could not play at venues that served liquor, because his probation officer would not allow it. and worked as a truck driver, a bricklayer, and a sparring partner at multiple boxing gyms. When Brown completed his sentence, he moved back to Washington, D.C.

In prison, he traded cigarettes for a guitar, which was how his love for the instrument began. Brown stated that his actions were in self-defense. At first, the case was tried as aggravated assault however, it was moved up to murder once the victim died. In the 1950s, Brown was convicted of murder and served eight years in Lorton Correctional Complex. He did not graduate high school after quitting school he decided to perform odd jobs to make money, including shining shoes. When Brown was six years old, he moved to Washington, D.C., and at 15 he started living on the streets. Brown's father, however, was not present in his life, and Brown lived in poverty. Brown's mother, Lyla Brown, was a housekeeper, and his father, Albert Louis Moody, was a United States Marine. Brown was born on Augin Gaston, North Carolina.

We were young souls on the junkyard