Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926-May 29, 2005) was a singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, and civil rights activist. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named for his father who was a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at age fifteen. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, and Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) but did not obtain a degree. ...show more

Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926-May 29, 2005) was a singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, and civil rights activist. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, he was named for his father who was a successful attorney and real estate broker. His singing debut was on the radio show Secret City at age fifteen. Brown attended Englewood High School in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, and Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) but did not obtain a degree.

He served a stint in the U.S. Army, officially segregated until 1948, where his views on "race relations" were considered "subversive." In his youth, he was even a member of the Communist Party, USA, which ultimately also decided Oscar was "too subversive"; he was suspected to be a Black Nationalist. Some of Brown's musical plays involved Chicago street gang members. These plays affected hundreds of young lives in a positive way.

[citation needed] He founded The Oscar Brown, Jr. H.I.P. Legacy Foundation to carry on his work. But his first attempt at mounting a major musical stage show in New York City was "Kicks & Co.," c. ...show less