He is a songwriter born Lawrence Russell Brown in Newark, New Jersey who was lent a guitar when he was 15 which is when he learned to play and he did try and learn to read music was it was “too boring”.
He enlisted in the US Army in the 1960s and toured Europe in “The Distant Cousins” and after his return to the United States he became a duo with Raymond Bloodworth and they performed in Greenwich Village as part of the folk scene. His work was heard by the producer Bob Crewe and his career took off after that.
He has written and co-written over 700 songs over four decades and has seen international chart success with hits such as “Knock Three Times”, “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”, “Butterfly (I’ll Set You Free)”, “Sock It To Me Gently”.
He has collaborated with artists that include Tommy Page, Irvine Levine, Raymond Bloodworth and Lance Hayward. His music has been heard in many movies that include A Kind of Hush, Forrest Gump, Wallace& Gromit in the Wrong Trousers, Blind Date and An Officer and a Gentleman.
Johnny Mathis recordings
Gone, Gone, Gone (L. Russell Brown/Lance Hayward)
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Russell_Brown
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lawrence-russell-brown-mn0001422308/credits
- http://www.donnareed.org/html/templates/dr_profile.php?drf_person=lrbrown
- http://imdb.com/name/nm0114046/
- http://www.nfo.net/cal/tb6.html