Jim Ed Brown born in 1934, the native of Sparkman, Arkansas was one of five children - two boys and three girls - of a struggling lumberman and his wife. Some of his earliest memories are of close, "family" times, when all the members of the household would gather on Saturday nights to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on a battery-powered radio. Jim Ed and his older sister, Maxine, were fascinated by what they heard and soon began harmonizing together. A few years later, Jim Ed and Maxine began to perform occasionally on local radio shows.

By Jim Ed's second year in college, he and Maxine were regular members of the "Barnyard Frolic" on KLRA in Little Rock, and together they penned what was to become their first hit record, "Looking Back To See."

Released on a small label in early 1954, "Looking Back To See" provided the necessary momentum to bring the pair to national attention. They became members of The Louisana Hayride and went on to join Red Foley as featured regulars on his Ozark Jubilee in 1955.

Later that year, younger sister Bonnie joined her siblings, and as "The Browns" they scored an immediate top-10 hit with "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow." The group signed with RCA Victor in 1956, and two number-one releases followed in quick succession, "I Take The Chance" and "I Heard The Bluebird Sing." 
Released in 1959, "The Three Bells" sold over a million copies and created a sensation as the first number-one country song ever to cross over to number-one on the pop and rhythm-and-blues charts as well. After a two-year break, The Browns were not only back, they were more in demand than ever. Other classic hits, including "The Old Lamplighter" and "Scarlet Ribbons," soon followed, and in 1962, the trio joined the Grand Ole Opry.