Tag: Marty Brown

How Marty Brown Wrote “Whatever Makes You Smile”

Whatever Makes You Smile

One of the many benefits we have gained from the resurgence of country singer Marty Brown has been his outstanding song “Whatever Makes You Smile.” It is one of those songs that continues to sound better each time we hear it.

In this video with his wife Shellie Brown, Brown explains how he came to write the song, first coming up with the groove and the opening lines, and then “it was off to the races.” He wrote the song in about thirty minutes. Shellie also explains how Marty wrote it both for her and for his ailing mom. Check out the video, which also includes a live performance of the song.

And that is the Story Behind the Song.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown: “My Love Will Follow You”
  • Marty Brown Profiled on Episode of “Kentucky Life”
  • Marty Brown’s Video for “Gonna Make It Fly”
  • New Single from Marty Brown: “I’m Gonna Make It Fly”
  • How a Checkout Line Inspired Marty Brown’s “Love Comes Easy”
  • Marty Brown Takes a Ride on the “Love Swing”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Marty Brown Sings “The Little Drummer Boy”

    The LIttle Drummer Boy

    Country singer Marty Brown recently performed a live version of the Christmas classic “The Little Drummer Boy.” Accompanied by harmonica and fiddle, Brown shows his great singing voice especially when he takes the song into the higher register. Check it out.

    A previous Chimesfreedom post recounted the history of the song and TV special of “The Little Drummer Boy.”

    If you want more holiday music from Marty Brown, check out this home recording of “Blue Christmas.” The video is completed by Brown doing his Elvis Presley imitation starting at around the 50-second mark. Check it out below (and for more on Elvis’s connection to “Blue Christmas” check out this story).

    What is your favorite version of “The Little Drummer Boy”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Blue Christmas & the Elvis TV Special
  • “The Little Drummer Boy” on TV and in Song
  • Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”
  • Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)
  • Longing for the Freedom of My Chains: Dobie Gray’s “Loving Arms”
  • Mahalia Jackson: “Silent Night”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    New Single from Marty Brown: “I’m Gonna Make It Fly”

    Country singer and America’s Got Talent alum Marty Brown has been busy with a number of projects. He and his wife Shellie were recently Grand Marshalls at the Bowling Green Kentucky Jaycees Christmas Parade. He is also preparing for a television taping on December 20 at the Goodnight Auditorium in Franklin, Kentucky (See his Facebook page for more details). And he just released a new single, “I’m Gonna Make It Fly.”

    Regarding the upbeat new song, you may hear an excerpt of the song below. The song begins with a kid preparing his wagon to fly, followed by a story about young lovers. What they all have in common is that they all wanna “make it fly.” The end of the song features a twist ending. You will have to track down the full single for the full story.

    “I’m Gonna Make It Fly” is available through iTunes.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown: “My Love Will Follow You”
  • Marty Brown Profiled on Episode of “Kentucky Life”
  • Marty Brown’s Video for “Gonna Make It Fly”
  • How Marty Brown Wrote “Whatever Makes You Smile”
  • Marty Brown Takes a Ride on the “Love Swing”
  • Marty Brown in Middletown, NY (Concert Review)

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    How a Checkout Line Inspired Marty Brown’s “Love Comes Easy”

    Back in the early 1990s, country singer-songwriter Marty Brown stood in line at Wyndall’s Foodland on U.S. 60 East in Owensboro, Kentucky. In front of Brown, a guy stood watching the cashier scan his groceries. The man watched each price on the cash register until the cashier told him his total. The man responded, “Here, honey. It comes easy, but it goes away hard.”

    When Marty Brown heard the man’s comment, he not only recognized a good line but he also knew they would make good lyrics for a song. Brown later explained to the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer that he never knew who the man was, but he took the words as inspiration for his song, “Love Comes Easy,” which appeared on Here’s to the Honky Tonks (1996).

    Love comes easy,
    But it goes down hard;
    Just when you think you’ve got the right hand,
    You’re holding all the wrong cards.

    And that’s the Story Behind the Song.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • How Marty Brown Wrote “Whatever Makes You Smile”
  • Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”
  • Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)
  • “There’s No End to Grief, That’s How We Know There’s No End to Love”: The Story of U2’s “One Tree Hill”
  • George Strait Sings a Marty Brown Song: “To the Moon” (Song of the Day)
  • Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Authentic Folk Music From Barbara Brown

    barbarabrown
    When Chimesfreedom first started writing about Kentucky’s Marty Brown, long before he appeared on America’s Got Talent, we praised the authentic country sound of his music. We also have noted that his musical talent runs in the family. A few new videos on YouTube now illustrate that the source of some of his talent comes from his mother, Barbara Brown.

    Check out Barbara Brown sitting on the porch singing the traditional folk ballad, “Baby on the Doorstep,” a song recorded by Frank Luther in 1928 and that otherwise is not on YouTube. Marty Brown accompanies her on what I think is his father’s guitar. [2019 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available.]

    In another video, Barbara and Marty Brown duet on “Blue Kentucky Girl.” There’s some genuine great music here. I would buy her album.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”
  • Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)
  • George Strait Sings a Marty Brown Song: “To the Moon” (Song of the Day)
  • Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”
  • Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Opens Exhibit on Marty Brown
  • Tune In For a Live Marty Brown Concert Online

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)