The singer, who had a number one hit with The Three Bells alongside his two sisters Bonnie and Maxie as The Browns in 1959, died from cancer at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee, on Thursday.
The three recorded for RCA Records from 1954 to 1967, and when his two sisters left the group in the mid-1960s to raise their families Jim Ed Brown forged a solo career including hits such as Pop-A-Top Again and Southern Living.
His last chart record as a solo artist was in 1979, but he also teamed up with Helen Cornelius for hits such as I Don’t Want To Have To Marry You and Don’t Bother To Knock.
They were voted the Country Music Association’s duo of the year in 1977.
Brown was also a well-known figure on country music television shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including a six-season run as co-host of Nashville on the Road and six years as the host of You Can Be A Star on the old Nashville Network cable channel from 1983.
He also sang regularly on the live radio show Grand Ole Opry.
Source: Sky News
