Ruth Brown

For other people named Ruth Brown, see Ruth Brown (disambiguation).
Ruth Brown

Brown performing at the 2005
Bull Durham Blues Festival
Background information
Birth name Ruth Alston Weston
Born (1928-01-12)January 12, 1928[1]
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Died November 17, 2006(2006-11-17) (aged 78)
Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
Genres Pop, R&B, jazz, soul, gospel, funk
Occupation(s) Actress, singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active 1949–2006
Labels Atlantic, Philips, Fantasy

Ruth Brown (January 12, 1928[2][3][4] – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes known as the "Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean".[5] For these contributions, Atlantic became known as "The house that Ruth built" (alluding to the popular nickname for Old Yankee Stadium).[6][7]

Following a resurgence that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in the 1980s, Brown used her influence to press for musicians' rights regarding royalties and contracts, which led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.[8] Her performances in the Broadway musical Black and Blue earned Brown a Tony Award, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award.

Early life

Born Ruth Alston Weston in Portsmouth, Virginia, she was the eldest of seven siblings.[9] She attended I. C. Norcom High School, which was then legally segregated. Brown's father was a dockhand who directed the local church choir, but the young Ruth showed more interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington.[10]

In 1945, aged 17, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with trumpeter Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra.[5]

Career

Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a Washington, D.C. nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager. Willis Conover, the future Voice of America disc jockey, caught her act with Duke Ellington and recommended her to Atlantic Records bosses Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned because of a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital stay. She signed with Atlantic Records on her hospital bed.[11]

In 1948, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington, D.C., from New York City to hear Brown sing. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegün convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues.[12]

In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long," which ended up becoming a hit. This was followed by "Teardrops from My Eyes" in 1950. Written by Rudy Toombs, it was the first upbeat major hit for Brown. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was Billboard's R&B number one for 11 weeks. The hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm" and within a few months Brown became the acknowledged queen of R&B.[13]

She followed up this hit with "I'll Wait for You" (1951), "I Know" (1951), "5-10-15 Hours" (1953), "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953), "Oh What a Dream" (1954),[12] "Mambo Baby" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960), some of which were credited to Ruth Brown and the Rhythm Makers. In all, between 1949 and 1955, she stayed on the R&B chart for a total 149 weeks, with sixteen Top 10 records including five number ones. Brown played many dances that were deeply segregated in the Southern States, where she toured extensively and was immensely popular. Brown herself claimed that a writer had once summed up her popularity by saying: "In the South Ruth Brown is better known than Coca Cola."

Her first pop hit came with "Lucky Lips", a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded in 1957. The single reached number 6 on the R&B chart, and number 25 on the US pop chart.[14] The 1958 follow up was "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'", written by Bobby Darin and Mann Curtis. It reached number 7 on the R&B chart and number 24 on the pop chart.[15]

She was to have further hits with "I Don't Know" in 1959 and "Don't Deceive Me" in 1960, although these were more successful on the R&B chart than on the pop chart.

Later life

During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view to become a housewife and mother. She returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comedic acting gigs. These included a role in the sitcom Hello, Larry, and the John Waters film, Hairspray, as well as Broadway appearances in Amen Corner and Black and Blue. The latter earned her a Tony Award as "Best Actress in a Musical", and a Grammy Award as Best Female Jazz Artist for her album, Blues on Broadway, featuring hits from the show.

Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was inducted as a Pioneer Award recipient in its first year, 1989, and inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Brown recorded and sang along with fellow rhythm and blues performer Charles Brown, and toured with Bonnie Raitt in the late 1990s. Her 1995 autobiography, Miss Rhythm,[16] won the Gleason Award for music journalism. She also appeared on Bonnie Raitt's 1995 live DVD Road Tested singing the song "Never Make Your Move Too Soon."[17] She was nominated for another Grammy in the Traditional Blues category for her 1997 album, R+B=Ruth Brown.

She hosted the radio program BluesStage, carried by over 200 NPR affiliates, for six years starting in 1989.[18]

Brown was still touring at the age of 78.[11] She had completed pre-production work on the Danny Glover film, Honeydripper, which she did not live to finish, but her recording of "Things About Comin' My Way" was released posthumously on the soundtrack CD. Her last interview was in August 2006.[19]

Death

Brown died in a Las Vegas-area hospital on November 17, 2006, from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in the previous month. She was 78 years old.[20] A memorial concert for her was held on January 22, 2007 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.

Brown is buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park, Chesapeake City, Virginia.[21]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US R&B US Pop
1949 "So Long" 4 —
1950 "Teardrops from My Eyes" 1 — Rockin' with Ruth
1951 "I'll Wait for You" 3 —
"I Know" 7 —
1952 "5-10-15 Hours" 1 —
"Daddy Daddy" 3 — Ruth Brown
1953 "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" 1 23
"Wild, Wild Young Men" 3 —
"Mend Your Ways" 7 — Ruth Brown & Her Rhythmakers - Sweet Baby of Mine
1954 "Oh What a Dream" (with The Drifters) 1 — Ruth Brown
"Mambo Baby" 1 —
1955 "As Long As I'm Moving" 4 — Rockin' with Ruth
"Bye Bye Young Men" 13 —
"I Can See Everybody's Baby" 7 —
"It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)" 4 — The Best of Ruth Brown
"Love Has Joined Us Together" 8 —
1956 "I Want to Do More" 3 — Sweet Baby of Mine
"Sweet Baby of Mine" 10 —
1957 "Lucky Lips" 6 25 The Best of Ruth Brown
1958 "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'" 7 24 Rockin' with Ruth
"Why Me" 17 — Miss Rhythm
1959 "I Don't Know" 5 64
"Jack'O Diamonds" 23 96
1960 "Don't Deceive Me" 10 62 Rockin' with Ruth
"Taking Care of Business/Honey Boy" — —
1962 "Shake a Hand" — 97
"Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)" — 99

References

  1. ↑ Obituary, nytimes.com, November 18, 2006; accessed January 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ Dates of birth and death, death-records.mooseroots.com; accessed January 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ Profile with dates of birth and death, biography.com; accessed January 29, 2016
  4. ↑ Obituary, washingtonpost.com; accessed January 29, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 96. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  6. ↑ Dahl, Bill. "Ruth Brown: music biography, credits and discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  7. ↑ Bob Gulla (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul. ABC-CLIO. p. 76. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  8. ↑ Heatley, Michael (2007). The Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock. London, UK: Star Fire. ISBN 978-1-84451-996-5.
  9. ↑ Bernstein, Adam (November 18, 2006). "Ruth Brown, 78; R&B Singer Championed Musicians' Rights". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  10. ↑ Bogdanov, et al. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues p. 79. Backbeat Books; ISBN 0-87930-736-6
  11. 1 2 "Suzi Quatro's Pioneers of Rock: Ruth Brown". BBC Radio 2. February 9, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  12. 1 2 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 3 - The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
  13. ↑ Jim Dawson & Steve Propes (1992). What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record. Boston & London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-12939-0.
  14. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 54.
  15. ↑ Rockin' with Ruth by Ruth Brown. Popular Music, Vol. 5, Continuity and Change (1985), pp. 225-234.
  16. ↑ "Miss Rhythm" by Ruth Brown and Andrew Yule, 1996
  17. ↑ Ruhlmann, William (1995-11-07). "Road Tested – Bonnie Raitt : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  18. ↑ "Felix Hernandez". Wbgo.org. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  19. ↑ Randy Rice (August 29, 2006). "Interview: Miss Ruth Brown: Better Late, Than Never". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  20. ↑ Notice of death of Ruth Brown, broadwayworld.com; accessed June 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Ruth Brown (1928-2006) profile". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.

External links


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