The Brown & Armstrong Family String Band
Influential Old-time Music Artists
Calip Armstrong Circa 1936
Inducted by LaShell Moore, Arts in McNairy Vice President and Diversity Chair
June 10, 2023
Rockabilly Highway Mural III, by muralist Brian Tull (class of 2013), completed an outstanding trilogy of world class public art installations in downtown Selmer. The first two images were seen by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide—perhaps even millions—and the 2023 addition rounded out an important narrative about who we, the residents of McNairy County, are as a people. RHM III tells a fuller story of the music we have made and valued, as one community. And it is a music that changed the world.
At the turn of the century the Browns and Armstrongs, interconnected families from the Pebble Hill Community of southern McNairy County, produced some of the area’s most notable musicians. John Brown (guitar) and his two sons Earl (banjo) and Archie “Doc” Brown (guitar), formed one of the most popular string bands in the region. County historian, and old-time buck dance champion, E.D. Richard, recalled the Brown and Armstrong families playing to great acclaim at mixed race house parties and public events through the first half of the twentieth century. Richard was particularly impressed by Earl Brown’s unique banjo style.
The matriarch of the Brown family, Fanny Armstrong Brown, had a talented brother by the name of Calip Armstrong who joined in, and was also regarded as one of the best banjoist from southeast McNairy County. Earl Brown undoubtedly learned many of his banjo skills from his uncle Calip.
The string band tradition of McNairy and surroundings counties was deeply influenced by these musicians. The Browns’ popularity was a direct result of the high quality musicianship they displayed and the familiarity of local audiences with their repertoire. Many of the tunes that survive in the modern bluegrass and old-time traditions were shaped by African American banjo and fiddle styles dating to the early 1800s. Families like the Browns and Armstrongs preserved important techniques and tunes that stylistically impacted their white contemporaries. Those influences can be heard in the music of legendary, Hall of Fame musicians such as Elvis Black (class of 2014 ) and Waldo Davis (class of 2016), among others.
And it goes without saying that without African American influence there would be no Rockabilly. No Elvis, no Carl Perkins or Jerry Lee Lewis. No Rock ’n’ Roll. No serious historian or musicologist would argue otherwise.
Rockabilly Highway Mural III pays homage to the depths of African American music heritage in McNairy County, and two families who were at the heart of that tradition. Several descendants of the Brown and Armstrong families still reside in McNairy and Alcorn County Mississippi and we are pleased to recognize Calip Armstrong, John Brown, Earl Brown and Archie Brown with honorary induction into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
June 10, 2023
Rockabilly Highway Mural III, by muralist Brian Tull (class of 2013), completed an outstanding trilogy of world class public art installations in downtown Selmer. The first two images were seen by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide—perhaps even millions—and the 2023 addition rounded out an important narrative about who we, the residents of McNairy County, are as a people. RHM III tells a fuller story of the music we have made and valued, as one community. And it is a music that changed the world.
At the turn of the century the Browns and Armstrongs, interconnected families from the Pebble Hill Community of southern McNairy County, produced some of the area’s most notable musicians. John Brown (guitar) and his two sons Earl (banjo) and Archie “Doc” Brown (guitar), formed one of the most popular string bands in the region. County historian, and old-time buck dance champion, E.D. Richard, recalled the Brown and Armstrong families playing to great acclaim at mixed race house parties and public events through the first half of the twentieth century. Richard was particularly impressed by Earl Brown’s unique banjo style.
The matriarch of the Brown family, Fanny Armstrong Brown, had a talented brother by the name of Calip Armstrong who joined in, and was also regarded as one of the best banjoist from southeast McNairy County. Earl Brown undoubtedly learned many of his banjo skills from his uncle Calip.
The string band tradition of McNairy and surroundings counties was deeply influenced by these musicians. The Browns’ popularity was a direct result of the high quality musicianship they displayed and the familiarity of local audiences with their repertoire. Many of the tunes that survive in the modern bluegrass and old-time traditions were shaped by African American banjo and fiddle styles dating to the early 1800s. Families like the Browns and Armstrongs preserved important techniques and tunes that stylistically impacted their white contemporaries. Those influences can be heard in the music of legendary, Hall of Fame musicians such as Elvis Black (class of 2014 ) and Waldo Davis (class of 2016), among others.
And it goes without saying that without African American influence there would be no Rockabilly. No Elvis, no Carl Perkins or Jerry Lee Lewis. No Rock ’n’ Roll. No serious historian or musicologist would argue otherwise.
Rockabilly Highway Mural III pays homage to the depths of African American music heritage in McNairy County, and two families who were at the heart of that tradition. Several descendants of the Brown and Armstrong families still reside in McNairy and Alcorn County Mississippi and we are pleased to recognize Calip Armstrong, John Brown, Earl Brown and Archie Brown with honorary induction into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
Dr. Shawn Pitts
Musician, Arts Advocate and Preservationist
Inducted by Jack Martin (Board Representative) and Russell Ingle (cofounder McNairy Music Hall of Fame)
September 10, 2022
Shawn Pitts is a native of McNairy County, a musician, a community arts advocate, an avocational folklorist and a historic and cultural preservationist.
He began playing organized music at the age of ten, and has played drums in various bands and ensembles ever since, covering a wide range of musical styles from jazz, to rock, blues, classical, country and rockabilly. In high school, he was a student of Hall of Fame band director, Frank Congiardo Jr., and was recognized with the John Philip Sousa Award for outstanding musicianship and leadership in Congiardo’s band program. Shawn is also handy at a piano and with a number of stringed instruments, playing often with friends and family, or for his own enjoyment.
In 2001, Shawn cofounded Arts in McNairy, the first countywide nonprofit arts agency. As the organization’s original Music Chair, he brought a variety of musical genres to local stages for public performances; organized and played for the McNairy County Community Band; and acted as orchestra coordinator and percussionist for numerous musical theatre productions.
In his role as Arts in McNairy’s Traditional Arts Chair, Shawn has made a profound impact on the county’s musical culture. Beginning in 2006, he began documenting the region’s rich musical history, resulting in the rediscovery and digital preservation of the Stanton Littlejohn archive. For this work, he was awarded by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. To date, he has produced three media releases associated with the Littlejohn material: a short film titled Homegrown: Music in McNairy; a local “best of” CD titled, The Littlejohn Sessions Vol. I; and the international release of Discovering Carl Perkins: Eastview, Tennessee 1952-53, a critically acclaimed LP/CD set by Bear Family Records.
Shawn has also been active speaking and writing about the region’s music with essays appearing in prestigious journals such as Southern Cultures from University of North Carolina Press and the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin. Popular online and print periodical such as The Bitter Southerner, Salvation South, Y’all Magazine and The Daily Yonder, among others, have published his music writing. He has presented on local music culture for many conferences and panels including events for The Tennessee Folklore Society, Jackson Madison County Library Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, West Tennessee Historical Society, Tennessee Association of Museums, Freed Hardeman University and many others.
In 2015 Shawn played a pivotal role in acquiring and preserving a collection of seven Tennessee music boxes, a rare and endangered folk instrument native to the counties of southwest and south middle Tennessee. His research has added four previously unknown instruments to the collection and provided documentation for several others. The Ellis Truett Jr. collection, now owned by Arts in McNairy, is one of the largest and most significant assemblages of Tennessee music boxes in the world. Additionally, the Arts in McNairy Cultural Collection, curated and managed by Shawn’s Traditional Arts Committee, houses hundreds of photos, videos, documents and recordings preserving a lasting record of many aspects of McNairy County musical history.
Shawn, along with County Mayor Jai Templeton, was the driving force behind the acquisition and preservation of the Latta Visitors and Cultural Center in downtown Selmer. He spent five years coordinating local and state efforts to restore the property, while thoroughly documenting the history of the building as a cultural space. The Latta, as it is now affectionately known, opened as a hub for arts programming, cultural tourism, and economic development in 2012. Shortly thereafter, Shawn became cofounder of the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame and Trail of Music Legends, and he has acted as primary organizer and producer of the annual induction ceremony and tribute concert for more than a decade. In cooperation with the Arts in McNairy Visual Arts Committee, he commissioned artist, Brian Tull, to complete the iconic Rockabilly Highway Murals which pay homage to many of the facets of local music history Shawn has worked to preserve.
Shawn's wife, Joanna, is a gifted vocalist, actor, director, visual and textile artist. The couple raised their daughters Emily Pitts Donahoe and Allie Pitts Miller in this community, and both are deeply creative and musical in their own right. As a family, the Pittses have etched a deep mark in McNairy County's cultural history with their advocacy for local arts and music.
September 10, 2022
Shawn Pitts is a native of McNairy County, a musician, a community arts advocate, an avocational folklorist and a historic and cultural preservationist.
He began playing organized music at the age of ten, and has played drums in various bands and ensembles ever since, covering a wide range of musical styles from jazz, to rock, blues, classical, country and rockabilly. In high school, he was a student of Hall of Fame band director, Frank Congiardo Jr., and was recognized with the John Philip Sousa Award for outstanding musicianship and leadership in Congiardo’s band program. Shawn is also handy at a piano and with a number of stringed instruments, playing often with friends and family, or for his own enjoyment.
In 2001, Shawn cofounded Arts in McNairy, the first countywide nonprofit arts agency. As the organization’s original Music Chair, he brought a variety of musical genres to local stages for public performances; organized and played for the McNairy County Community Band; and acted as orchestra coordinator and percussionist for numerous musical theatre productions.
In his role as Arts in McNairy’s Traditional Arts Chair, Shawn has made a profound impact on the county’s musical culture. Beginning in 2006, he began documenting the region’s rich musical history, resulting in the rediscovery and digital preservation of the Stanton Littlejohn archive. For this work, he was awarded by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. To date, he has produced three media releases associated with the Littlejohn material: a short film titled Homegrown: Music in McNairy; a local “best of” CD titled, The Littlejohn Sessions Vol. I; and the international release of Discovering Carl Perkins: Eastview, Tennessee 1952-53, a critically acclaimed LP/CD set by Bear Family Records.
Shawn has also been active speaking and writing about the region’s music with essays appearing in prestigious journals such as Southern Cultures from University of North Carolina Press and the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin. Popular online and print periodical such as The Bitter Southerner, Salvation South, Y’all Magazine and The Daily Yonder, among others, have published his music writing. He has presented on local music culture for many conferences and panels including events for The Tennessee Folklore Society, Jackson Madison County Library Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, West Tennessee Historical Society, Tennessee Association of Museums, Freed Hardeman University and many others.
In 2015 Shawn played a pivotal role in acquiring and preserving a collection of seven Tennessee music boxes, a rare and endangered folk instrument native to the counties of southwest and south middle Tennessee. His research has added four previously unknown instruments to the collection and provided documentation for several others. The Ellis Truett Jr. collection, now owned by Arts in McNairy, is one of the largest and most significant assemblages of Tennessee music boxes in the world. Additionally, the Arts in McNairy Cultural Collection, curated and managed by Shawn’s Traditional Arts Committee, houses hundreds of photos, videos, documents and recordings preserving a lasting record of many aspects of McNairy County musical history.
Shawn, along with County Mayor Jai Templeton, was the driving force behind the acquisition and preservation of the Latta Visitors and Cultural Center in downtown Selmer. He spent five years coordinating local and state efforts to restore the property, while thoroughly documenting the history of the building as a cultural space. The Latta, as it is now affectionately known, opened as a hub for arts programming, cultural tourism, and economic development in 2012. Shortly thereafter, Shawn became cofounder of the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame and Trail of Music Legends, and he has acted as primary organizer and producer of the annual induction ceremony and tribute concert for more than a decade. In cooperation with the Arts in McNairy Visual Arts Committee, he commissioned artist, Brian Tull, to complete the iconic Rockabilly Highway Murals which pay homage to many of the facets of local music history Shawn has worked to preserve.
Shawn's wife, Joanna, is a gifted vocalist, actor, director, visual and textile artist. The couple raised their daughters Emily Pitts Donahoe and Allie Pitts Miller in this community, and both are deeply creative and musical in their own right. As a family, the Pittses have etched a deep mark in McNairy County's cultural history with their advocacy for local arts and music.
