The musical duo's focus was creating harmony with Joe Gilbert singing tenor and Eddie Brown singing baritone. Their style incorporated gospel, folk tunes, and blues with a little jazz flavor. Their songs contained a minimum of background instrumentals, since the "main objective was to focus on Joe & Eddie's singing..." The duo was known for their rapid-fire delivery and vocal improvisations, as heard in the songs "Green Grass" and "Children Go".
Career
Both born in 1941 and raised in the South, Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown had much in common before they even met. Gilbert was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana while Brown grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. Around the same time, the two boys migrated to Berkeley, California, with their respective families, and met in the mid-1950s at Willard Middle School in the a cappella choir. Their first performance together was in the Berkeley High SchoolTalent Show, where they sang a duet and won first place. With the help of their high-school choir professor, Dr. Earle Blakeslee, the two boys formed a partnership and strove to go professional. Their first gigs were at college fraternity and sorority parties, where they performed a variety of numbers. Blakeslee advised them to audition for the Don Sherwood Show, which originated in San Francisco. They earned their spot, and were asked back to the show several times. Through their television appearances, Joe and Eddie were introduced to Gene Norman, president of GNP Crescendo Records, and then co-owner of the Crescendo and Interlude nightclubs, who assisted in launching their career. It was through Norman that Joe and Eddie recorded their first single and, by 1962, their first album, Exciting Folk Duo: Joe & Eddie. After the release of their first album, Joe and Eddie appeared on more television shows, including The Tonight Show, The Lively Ones, Hootenanny, and The Jackie Gleason Show. During this time, they recorded their second album, There's a Meetin' Here Tonite, and adapted that song as their signature tune. They performed this song in the film, Hootenanny Hoot. They began touring and for four years continued to record more albums with GNP/Crescendo Records. Along with recording their harmonies, the two took turns in recording solos. Bill Munday accompanied them on his guitar, while in other songs, the Les Baxter Chorus sang back up.
End of the duo
On August 6, 1966, Gilbert was killed in an automobile accident while driving home after a performance in the Cosmos Club in Seal Beach, California. He was survived by a wife, Judy, and two sons. Eddie Brown continued to record as a solo act. As of 2007, Brown was continuing to work as a record producer and music arranger, most recently with the musical group Gravity 180.
