L. Russell Brown L. Russell Brown Lawrence "Larry" Russell Brown (born June 29, 1940), known as L. Russell Brown, is an American lyricist and composer. He is most noted for his songs, co-written with Irwin Levine, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Knock Three Times"—international hits for the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. He also co-wrote "C'mon Marianne" for The Four Seasons, and The Partridge Family 1971 song, "I Woke Up In Love This Morning". Born in Newark, New Jersey, Brown began his songwriting career when he was sixteen with the R&B label Fury Records. Co-writing
Ribbon in the Sky Soul, Lloydie Crucial and Ivete Sangalo, as well as being sampled by Will Smith and featured in Diana Ross's Central Park Concert. The intro is also sampled in Jamal's "Keep it Real". Ribbon in the Sky "Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Tamla/Motown star and American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest hits album, "Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I", and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released. In February 1983, Wonder was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the