Bonnie Brown Bonnie Brown Ring, one- third of one of Country Music’s most enduring family groups as a member of The Browns, passed away earlier today (July 16 ) at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas following complications from lung cancer. She was 77 years old. Born July 31, 1938 in Sparkman, Arkansas, Brown became enamored wit h music at an early age thanks to the exposure she had to it from watching her older siblings, Maxine and James Edward. The two performed together, earning a hit in 1954 with “Looking Back To See.” Upon her graduation from high school, Bonnie joined her siblings, expanding their duet into a trio. They began performing together on The Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Shreveport, which led to appearances on ABC-TV’s Ozark Jubilee. Chet Atkins and RCA came calling soon after, and the Browns found themselves on the chart with hits such as “I Take The Chance” and “I Heard The Blue