Charles Hilton Brown -

Charles Hilton Brown is an American soul singer who briefly sang with the Four Kents before issuing two singles on Durium in 1971/72. In 1974, he collaborated with the South African band Assagai for the album Owed to Myself, released on Ampex Records.

Background

Charles Hilton Brown entered music as an American serviceman stationed at Camp Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. Brown sang with the Four Kents, a vocal R&B group formed in Italy during 1966 by American NATO soldiers. The group included singers Brown, Charlie Cannon, George Chandler, Jimmy Chambers, and Stanley Evans, and also worked under the Four Kents and the Submarines billing.

The Four Kents gigged the Italian beat circuit through club dates at the Piper in Rome and Viareggio. Brown left the group before his solo Durium singles, which paired “Mocotò” with “Mama Rosa” in 1971 and “Tender Folly” with “E’ Notte Già” in 1972. Brown met Assagai in London while on tour, and the contact led to the 1974 Ampex album Owed to Myself.

Owed to Myself

Charles Hilton Brown released his singular album, Owed to Myself, on October 9, 1974, on Ampex.

The album blends soul vocal material with Afro-rock rhythm patterns, performed by Brown with Assagai credited for arrangements. Brown sings with bassist David Ganpot, drummer and percussionist Gabriel George, conga player Ayinde Folarin, guitarist Keith Ganpot, keyboardist Peter Nelson, chorus duo Duo Macumbo, trumpeter-trombonist Roy Edwards, and saxophonists Frederick Mathias and Kirk Redding. The album contains four Anthony Rutherford titles, one B. Anderson title, and three covers credited on the release to Otis Redding and Jerry Butler, Leon Huff, and Bill Withers.

Owed to Myself splits into raw vocal covers, clipped originals, and conga-led instrumental vamps. “Try a Little Tenderness” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” place Brown’s raspy lead over familiar slow-burn material without heavy rearrangement. “Tell Me Once Again” simmers through a smoother vocal line and keeps the response pattern close to the lead. “I’m Comin’ Home” rolls through a circling vamp with a side-to-side accent pattern. “Maddox” and “G.R.F.” dig into instrumental repetition, with “G.R.F.” tightening the harder, DJ-facing end of the record. “Arguments” flares through brass-punctuated Afro-accented figures and gives the closing stretch its sharpest attack.

A1. “Try a Little Tenderness” (6:00) – Otis Redding, Jerry Butler
A2. “I’m Coming Home” (4:43) – Anthony Rutherford
A3. “Tell Me Once Again” (4:57) – B. Anderson
A4. “Maddox” (4:35) – Anthony Rutherford

B1. “Love Train” (3:50) – Leon Huff
B2. “G.R.F.” (5:20) – Anthony Rutherford
B3. “Ain’t No Sunshine” (5:00) – Bill Withers
B4. “Arguments” (4:10) – Anthony Rutherford

Brown recorded Owed to Myself in 1974 during his stay in Italy. Charles Hilton Brown produced, arranged, and mixed the album.

Owed to Myself appeared in a gatefold sleeve designed by Gianni Ronero and Luciano Tallarini, with original-cover restyling by Disco Grafica SRL Milano. The cover shows a halftone portrait of Brown with a black afro silhouette and blue-yellow color across the face.

Discography: