Country singer Jim Ed Brown’s funeral took place at the Ryman Auditorium on Monday. He was remembered by his friends and fellow musicians as a friendly, kind and helpful man. Brown died on Thursday after being diagnosed with lung cancer last year. The service for Brown featured several musical performances. The Oak Ridge Boys sang an a cappella rendition of Life’s Railway to Heaven, while Crystal Gayle performed her hit When I Dream, recalling that Brown enjoyed performing the song during some of his concerts. During his performance of Amazing Grace, Craig Morgan turned his back to the audience so he could wipe away tears. Lady Antebellum sang Never Alone, and the group’s Hillary Scott also sang Sweet Beulah Land with her parents, Lang Scott and Linda Davis. On a stage set with flowers, photos and a red stage jacket with black embroidery that was often worn by Brown, fellow Opry member Jeannie Seely read remembrances from Brown’s daughter, Kim. Brenda Lee, who hosted the press conference in March announcing the election of Brown and his sisters, Bonnie and Maxine, to the Country Music Hall of Fame, called him “a tall and elegantly soft-spoken Southern gentleman.” Lee toured with the Browns early in her career and called them her “road family” who watched “over me like a big sister.” Brown’s recording career spanned more than 55 years and included such hits as 1959’s The Three Bells and 1967’s solo smash Pop a Top. In January, Brown released IN STYLE AGAIN, his first album for 35 years.
