Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952, soul singer Randy Brown grew up with his older brother, also a singer and member of the Mad Lads, William C. Brown III. His career began with the Stax group The Newcomers, known for the 1971 hit "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" . Leaving in 1973, he recorded a solo single for Stax before signing with Mainstream Records, then Parachute Records, which released his debut album Welcome to My Room (1978), featuring two hits, "I Wanna Make Love to You" (#22 on the R&B charts) and "I'd Rather Hurt Myself (Than to Hurt You)" (#89). The latter made a name for itself in Brazil with "The Hand Glider Song", broadcast on the Pai Herói series. After a second album, Intimately, in 1979, Randy Brown scored a third and final success with "We Ought to Be Doin' It" (#16 in the R&B charts), from Midnight Desire (1980), released by Chocolate City Records. His suave soul on songs composed and produced by Homer Banks prefigured the contemporary R&B genre of the 1980s. Two more albums, Randy and Check It Out, were released in 1981, before a stint with The Temprees. Still active on the Memphis scene until 2019, Randy Brown died on March 3, 2025, at the age of 72.
