Longtime Grand Ole Opry member Jim Ed Brown was remembered Monday for his faith and friendships at a music-filled memorial service in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
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Brown was known for his 1959 No. 1 hit “The Three Bells,” recorded with his sisters as part of the trio The Browns. He later had solo hits with “Pop-A-Top,” ”Morning” and “Southern Loving.”
At the memorial, singer Brenda Lee called Brown and his sisters “true pioneering legends.” She said they were her “road family” early in her career and looked out for her.
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Performers at the service included The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle and Lady Antebellum.
Brown was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this year and inducted in a special ceremony in his hospital room two weeks ago. He died Thursday after a battle with cancer.