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This CD celebrates the 50th anniversary of the chart-topping pop/country/R&B single The Three Bells. Thirty-six timeless recordings from country music's greatest close-harmony trio. More than just another hits collection, it includes personal favorites that Maxine Brown chose from the Browns' 13-year recording career. Features the trio's enduring crossover classics and early country hits like The Three Bells, Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair), The Old Lamplighter and Send Me The Pillow You Dream On. Superb fidelity from the original Fabor and RCA Victor session masters. Extensive liner notes with contributions from Maxine, Jim Ed and Bonnie Brown.

Fifty years ago record buyers and radio programmers worldwide discovered a three-minute saga about the birth, marriage and death of the fictional Jimmy Brown. The unexpected success of
The Three Bells suddenly catapulted a struggling country trio from Arkansas into pop stardom. The Browns - Jim Ed, Maxine and Bonnie - followed that success with a string of crossover hits that secured their place in popular music history. Their international following included the Beatles, who once cited them as among their favorite American singers.

A half-century later, the soft, gentle harmonies of the Browns remain fresh and timeless. To celebrate the anniversary of trio's breakthrough with The Three Bells, Bear Family asked Maxine Brown to select the tracks that rank among her personal favorites. All the big hits are here. Many others should have been hits, but weren't. This set also includes fan favorites from the trio's earliest years, along with two enduring Jim Ed and Maxine duets: Looking Back To See and I Heard The Bluebirds Sing.

Four songs from the Browns' February 1967 sessions await rediscovery. Efficiently produced by Felton Jarvis, they capture the trio at an artistic peak. But by then Jim Ed's solo career was taking off, and everyone sensed the end was near. That October a tearful Bonnie Brown formally announced the Browns' retirement to a stunned Grand Ole Opry audience. Since then other country acts tried to reproduce the Browns' signature sound. Some made admirable attempts, but not one came close to capturing the Browns' special magic.

Working with Maxine, Jim Ed and Bonnie Brown, Dave Samuelson wrote new notes for this release, highlighting the professional and personal struggles that lay behind those sweet, matchless harmonies. In a side note, Dave Samuelson uncovers the intriguing wartime genesis of The Three Bells.

Track Listing