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(Excerpt from the article mentioned above)
Bluegrass pioneer dies at age 80
By ANDREW McGINN
News-Sun Staff Writer
Frank Brown, the Grand Ole Opry member nicknamed Hylo because of
his vocal range, died Friday morning. (January 17, 2003)
He was 80.
Brown, a former Springfield resident who made Mechanicsburg his
home in recent years, died just after 4 a.m. in Mercy Medical Center,
said his daughter, Sheila Brown. Hylo Brown had been in declining
health because of cancer, she said.
Bill Purk, the Northridge school guidance counselor who leads
the Muleskinner Band, called Brown a bluegrass pioneer.
“When he was hitting this, it was still unplowed ground,” said Purk,
who befriended Brown in Mechanicsburg about four years ago. “There
were times he'd be on a major label and he'd be holding another
job down.”
In an interview with the News-Sun last March, Brown said working
as a bluegrass picker used to be “hard sleddin’.”
Brown launched his career from Springfield when he moved with his parents from Johnson County, Ky., at age 18.
He earned his memorable nickname after he wowed a DJ with his range
on “The Prisoner's Song,” a 1920s hillbilly hit.
For full text of obituary article, click here.
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