Ten Best Junior Brown Songs

By

Updated on 03/17/17

Junior Brown, with his unique guit-steel (electric guitar/steel guitar combination), has never quite fit into the mainstream country scene. But those that love traditional country singing and great playing love him. With the recent passing of Red Simpson, it's a good time to spotlight an artist that's kept the spirit of Simpson's trucking song torch alight (he wonderfully covered Simpson's "Highway Patrol"),

Brown is a fantastic singer, with a flexibly low register. He's also expressive and can bring out the humor in songs like "Joe The Singing Janitor" and "Phantom of the Opry." Each of these songs also showcase his songwriting skills.

If you haven't yet explored Brown, now's as good a time as any.

01

of 10

Highway Patrol

If you want to race, get on a racetrack is what the highway patrolman in this old Red Simpson song advises. Junior Brown does a perfect cover of the old song. Unlike gangsta rappers, many country artists write tributes to law enforcement.

02

of 10

My Baby Don't Dance To Nothing But Ernest Tubb

Junior Brown has a voice similar to Ernest Tubb, which is likely why he wrote and recorded a song that mentions his name. The lyric also expresses a deep love for the man known as The Texas Troubadour. A woman that only dances to Ernest Tubb is likely a really good woman.

03

of 10

Broke Down South Of Dallas

Complaining about being a trucker broken down out on the road is Brown's way of adding his voice to the trucking song tradition.

04

of 10

Joe The Singing Janitor

Before there was American Idol, where amateurs made their way to TV singing contests, there were guys -- like the man in this song -- that secretly dreamed of being a star and expressed this desire by singing at work. Oh, and he's a dang good janitor, too.

05

of 10

Gotta Get Up Every Morning

"I gotta get up every morning to say goodnight to you," the character in this song complains. His gal is a real late night, party animal. Brown sings it with sincere love. It's as if he accepts her party ways, yet still loves the woman.

06

of 10

I Hung It Up

Some guys are more than willing to give up their wandering ways when they meet the right woman. This rocking guitar song is one man's story. "I hung it up when I got hung up with you."

07

of 10

They Don't Choose To Live That Way

Brown is quick to be funny in song, but this track shows his serious side. He's singing about the less fortunate, and it's a tender, touching song.

08

of 10

Party Lights

When you get pulled over by the police after a long night of partying, those lights on the squad car aren't exactly party lights, as this funny song explains.

09

of 10

Hillbilly Hula Gal

With "Hillbilly Hula Gal," Brown mixes country music with Hawaiian sounds, in the most delightful way. A lot of Hawaiian music is guitar music, so it should come as no surprise Brown found this strong connection between island music and the sounds he loves most.

10

of 10

The Phantom of the Opry

What would happen if a lover of traditional country music lived in the basement of the Grand Ol Opry, waiting and wondering if great music would ever come back? This is what Brown wonders with this song. It also puts a kind of redneck spin on an old, old, musical tale.

Best Junior Brown

Surveying the best Junior Brown songs is a quick way to have a good laugh and also appreciate some of the man's best work.