Leonard "Lowdown" Brown

Leonard Brown was born on May 15th, 1953. Leonard “Lowdown” Brown is an electric guitar-slinging blues legend in the Houston music scene. His virtuosic fingerwork and formidable voice seem effortless, evidence of his raw talent and over four decades of dedication to his craft. Born in 1953 into a family with five brothers and four sisters, Leonard grew up with music all around him. Like many Black families during the Great Migration, Leonard’s parents journeyed from their home in Arkansas to Gary, Indiana to raise their family and find more economic opportunity. Leonard and his siblings spent their formative years singing in traveling gospel choirs, which he credits as the foundation of his musical style. Around the age of six, Leonard’s father gave him his first guitar and he hasn’t stopped playing since. By his early twenties, Brown was playing in the Chicago music scene in gospel and quartet groups. He took inspiration from the artistry of B.B. King, R.L. Burnside, Chet Atkins and T-Bone Walker’s fingerpicking, tuning into his own sound through imitating theirs. Brown found his community through music in Houston. He became a mainstay of Houston’s music culture and was dubbed as the “Lowdown” by the organizers of Benson and Hedges Houston Blues Festival in 1988. Brown’s talent has led him to open for acts including Sister Sledge, ZZ Hill, Johnny Taylor and Bobby Bland. As he continues his journey, Leonard “Lowdown” Brown feels lucky to be in the Music Maker community.