Cecil Brower | |
|---|---|
 At KECK-AM in Odessa, Texas in 1947 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cecil Lee Brower |
| Also known as | Cousin Cecil |
| Born | November 28, 1914 Bellevue, Texas |
| Died | November 21, 1965 (aged 50) New York City |
| Genres | Western swing, country and Western, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | band leader, session musician |
| Instrument(s) | fiddle, viola |
| Years active | 1931–1965 |
| Labels | Cumberland, Mercury |
| Formerly of | The Southern Melody Boys Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies The Light Crust Doughboys The Kilocycle Cowboys Jimmy Dean |
Cecil Lee Brower (November 28, 1914 – November 21, 1965) was a classically trained American jazz violinist who became an architect of Western swing in the 1930s. Perhaps the greatest swing fiddler, he could improvise as well as double shuffle and created his own style which became the benchmark for his contemporaries.
Brower played in many Western bands, including his own, and was a renowned Nashville session musician. He performed with some of the biggest names in country music until his death at age 50 while a member of Jimmy Dean's band. Brower is a member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame.