Jump Blues, Jazz, R&B nd Blues singer Ruth Brown was born Ruth Watson on this day in 1928 in Portsmouth, VA. In the 1950s, Atlantic Records was often called The House That Ruth Built, and it wasn`t in reference to the Sultan of Swat or Yankee Stadium. Ruth Brown`s string of hits from 1949 through the 50s helped establish Atlantic`s dominance in the R&B field. Ruth was inspired early by Jazz singers Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. Brown`s first hit Teardrops in My Eyes sat atop the R&B charts for 11 weeks. She had a total of 12 Top Ten hits for Atlantic, the last, Don`t Deceive Me in 1960. During the 60s and into the 70s, Brown worked as a domestic and raised her 2 sons, with little to show for her earlier stardom. She began to re-build her musical career in the mid-70s and even took up acting. She co-starred with Mclean Stevenson in the short-lived sitcom Hello, Larry and appeared in the movie Hairspray. She won a Tony Award for her starring role in the Broadway play Black and Blues. Brown`s nine year battle with Atlantic Records to re-coup her share of royalties for her string of hits led to the formation of The Rythm and Blues Foundation, an organization that helps Blues and R&B artists get their deserved royalties. Ruth Brown is still a force in the Blues world and continues recording and performing. Check out Miss Rhythm and The Best Of Ruth Brown on Rhino.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:23:39 +0000
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