Charity Brown is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 film actress, singer, and voice artist for television animation shorts. She is one of Eastwood Collegiate Institute

Eastwood Collegiate Institute

Eastwood Collegiate Institute is a public high school located at 760 Weber Street East in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956. The school teams are known as the "Rebels". Eastwood is known for its Provincially ranked soccer teams, as well as its Integrated Arts Program...

's notable alumni.

Biography

Charity Brown began singing with local bands while still in high school in Kitchener, Ontario in the late 60s. She performed and recorded under the name Phyllis Brown until 1973. Around 1970 she became the lead vocalist for Rain, a popular Kitchener-based rock band. Rain scored a Top-10 hit in Canada in 1971 with "Out of My Mind", written by Greg Hambleton and released on Axe Records. She left Rain in 1973 to focus on her solo career. Her Motown-flavoured brand of white soul was produced by Harry Hinde and was strong enough to secure her a contract with A&M Records

A&M Records

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

. It was at this time she changed her stage name to Charity Brown. Her two original studio albums with A&M produced four top ten hits in Canada, including the #5 hit "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)

Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)

"Take Me in Your Arms " is a song written by the premier Motown songwriting/production team of the 1960's Holland–Dozier–Holland: the song had its highest profile via a 1975 recording by the Doobie Brothers.-Motown versions:...

". "Take Me in Your Arms" was a Holland-Dozier-Holland

Holland-Dozier-Holland

Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...

 composition that had been an R&B hit for Kim Weston

Kim Weston

Kim Weston is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and "Take Me in Your Arms ".-Career:...

 in 1965 and the Isley Brothers in 1968. Charity Brown released her single in mid April, 1975 about a week before the Doobie Brothers released the same song in the US. The Doobie Brothers version peaked at #11 in the US but was overshadowed in Canada by Brown's release. The Doobie Brothers peaked at number 30 in Canada only after Brown's version began to leave the charts.

During the 1980s, Brown performed as a voice artist for Atkinson Film-Arts

Atkinson Film-Arts

Atkinson Film-Arts was an animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario, The company is best known for the first two Care Bears television specials, The Land Without Feelings and The Freeze Machine, and the four syndicated specials that inspired The Raccoons...

 TV specials and programmes including The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real is a children's novel written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished...

, Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and protagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany . The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales...

, Dennis the Menace

Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)

Dennis the Menace is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment , based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham....

and The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is an American animated television series based on Teddy Ruxpin, an animatronic teddy bear created by Ken Forsse and distributed by toy manufacturer Worlds of Wonder...

.

She also made a guest appearance on The Alan Thicke Show

The Alan Thicke Show

The Alan Thicke Show was a Canadian talk show hosted by Alan Thicke. It aired on CTV between 1980 and 1983. The show aired in different versions also re-titled as Prime Cuts and as Fast Company....

and appeared with a number of top Canadian female recording artists on the CBC Television special Anne Murray

Anne Murray

Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....

's Ladies Night in 1979.

After a twenty-year hiatus from music, she began perfoming again in southern Ontario, including a performance at the 2007 Kitchener Blues Festival. She released an album of material recorded in 1979 but never before released. She also released a sampler called Wings of Time, featuring two original tracks. A new full album was promised, but has not yet been released.

Awards

Charity Brown was nominated for the Most Promising Female Vocalist award at the 1975 Juno Awards, the top music award in Canada. She was nominated again in 1976, 1977 and 1978 for Best Female Vocalist.

Albums

With Rain:

• "Rain" (Axe Records, 1972) Peak chart position in Canada: # 49

Solo:

• "Rock Me" (A&M Records, 1975) # 52
• "Stay With Me" (A&M, 1976) # 76
• "The Best of Charity Brown" (A&M, 1977)
• "Lost Tapes of 79" (Sweet Home Records, 2006)

Singles

With Rain:

• "Out of My Mind" (London Records, 1971) Peak chart position in Canada: # 22
• "Stop Me from Believing" (Axe Records, 1972): # 71

Solo:

• "Jimmy Mack
  Jimmy Mack
  "Jimmy Mack" is a 1967 pop/soul single recorded by Martha and the Vandellas for Motown's Gordy imprint. Written and produced by Motown's main creative team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Jimmy Mack" was the final Top 10 hit for the Vandellas in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard...
  
  " (A&M Records, 1974) # 9
• "You Beat Me to the Punch
  You Beat Me to the Punch
  "You Beat Me to the Punch" is a soul single by Motown singer Mary Wells, released on the Motown label in 1962. It was co-written by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, who was responsible for the majority of hits released by Wells while she was a Motown artist, and another Miracles member, Ronnie...
  
  " (A&M, 1974) # 9
• "Take Me In Your Arms" (A&M, 1975) # 5
• "No Way To Treat A Lady" (A&M, 1975) # 54
• "Saving All My Love" (A&M, 1976) # 61
• "Anyway You Want" (A&M, 1976) # 6
• "Stay With Me" (A&M, 1976) # 61
• "Ain't No Hurt Love Can't Heal (A&M, 1977) # 72
• "Forecast" (A&M, 1977) # 53
• "All the Things You Told Me (A&M, 1977) # 39 Adult Contemporary

Band members of Rain

Phyllis Brown (Charity Brown), Charlie Hall, Chris Woroch, Ron Hiller, Bernie LaBarge

Bernie LaBarge

Bernie LaBarge is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter.-History:Bernie LaBarge began studying guitar at age 11, shortly after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964. Bernie has been playing professionally since 1967...

, Bill McLaughlin, Brian LeBlanc

External links

• Jam: Charity Brown, accessed 10 August 2006