Rayner Brown was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and since 1926 resided in southern California.
He was a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in organ and a Master of Music degree in composition.
For 55 years Rayner Brown was a church organist. He served as the principle organist for the Wilshire Presbyterian Church from 1941 to 1977.
As a member of the American Guild of Organists, he served as Dean of the Los Angeles Chapter from 1961 to 1963 and, subsequently, as a State Chairman.
Rayner Brown wrote over 200 compositions, which are performed throughout the U.S.A. and in Europe.
He was the recipient of numerous commissions, Ford Foundation grants, and, for fifteen years, the annual ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards for outstanding contributions to American music.
Rayner Brown was Professor Emeritus of Biola University, where he had taught for thirty years.
Since retirement in 1977 as a teacher and as a performer, he was able to devote much of his time to composition.
He died in Los Angeles, California.