Hylo Brown

American bluegrass and country music singer, guitarist and bassist, born April 20, 1922 in River, Kentucky and died January 17, 2003 in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Hylo Brown acquired his nickname from Smokey Ward at WPFB in Middletown because of his wide vocal range, which he demonstrated by singing “The Prisoner’s Song” in two separate octaves. He was born in Johnson County, Kentucky, and came north to Springfield when his father got a job in a factory there. Hylo got a job working in Bradley Kincaid’s band at WWSO, a station Kincaid owned in Springfield. Apparently both deejay Tommy Sutton and Bradley Kincaid liked a song that Hylo had written, and as a result Hylo got a contract with Capitol Records. At his first session in 1954, he recorded “Lost To a Stranger,” a moderate hit and Hylo’s signature song. He joined the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling and later became a featured singer in the Flatt and Scruggs show, which eventually led to his own show for Martha White Mills with his band, the Timberliners. In addition to Capitol, he also recorded for Starday, Rural Rhythm, Jessup, Atteiram, Vetco, Newland, Rome, and K-Ark before retiring in 1980.

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