Lawrence Darrow Brown, AKA Dobie Gray was born to a family of
sharecroppers in Simonton, a small Texas town a few miles west of
Houston. Greatly influenced by his grandaddy, a Baptist minister,
Dobie's life revolved around the family, the church and music.
Gospel, Country, Tex-Mex, and R&B all found a comfortable
home in his repertoire. After moving from Texas to Calfornia in
in the early 60's, Dobie met Sonny Bono, then A&R manager
for Specialty Records. That encounter eventually led to his first
notable single, Look At Me. Although Look At Me remained on the charts a
healthy five weeks, his breakthrough came in 1965 with the release of
The In Crowd . Dobie died on December 6, 2011, of complications from
Cancer surgery in Nashville, Tennessee. On June 25, 2019 it was reported
that his material was destroyed in the 2008 fire at Universal.
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