In prison he traded cigarettes for a guitar and learned how to play. After serving his time he worked as a bricklayer, truck driver, and sparring partner at boxing gyms. He started to perform at parties but was not allowed to play anywhere that served liquor due to his parole officer. Brown released many albums starting with We the People by The Soul Searchers in 1972. His latest album Beautiful Life was released in 2014. Brown was featured on the HBO documentary Sonic Highways with the Foo Fighters in 2014. Chuck Brown passed away on May 16, 2012 at 75 years old from multiple organ failure.