Brown, Ruth

Born RuthAlston Weston, January 12, 1928, in Portsmouth, VA; died of a heart attack and a stroke, November 17, 2006, in Henderson, NV. Singer and actress. Ruth Brown’s singing career began with her voice marking the transition from blues to rhythm and blues (R&B). Many singles she released not only helped fledgling Atlantic Records become a major player in the industry but also topped the R&B charts, and a few were crossover hits in the 1950s. Brown’s career almost ended in the 1960s, but with help from comedian Redd Foxx she was able to establish an acting career that led to a Tony award and a Grammy award. John Waters, director of the 1988 film Hairspray, told Entertainment Weekly, “Ruth Brown was a ballsy lady and an incredible singer who surprised everybody by being a great actress and a first-rate repo man for rhythm and blues singers everywhere.”

Brown was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1928. Her earliest memory of singing was when she sang in a church at four years of age. She continued to sing in the choir but longed to sing secular music. When she was older, Brown won the amateur competition at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York.

As a teenager, Brown would tell her parents she was going to choir rehearsal, but would sneak off to sing for the military at USO shows. She would dress like singer Billie Holiday, including wearing a gar-denia in her hair, which was Holiday’s trademark. At 17, Brown ran away to join trumpeter Jimmy Brown’s band. She also married him and used his last name on stage. Later she learned her marriage was not legal as Brown was already married to someone else. She, however, chose to keep the last name.

Brown was unwelcome at her family home, but she found work in Detroit with bandleader Lucky Millinder. She worked with his band for one month. He fired her for serving drinks to the musicians. Brown was stranded in Washington, D.C., but accepted work at the Crystal Caverns club, which was owned by Blanche Calloway, sister of famed Cab Calloway. Voice of America Radio disc jockey Willis Conover heard Brown and helped her get a contract at Atlantic Records.

Brown was on her way to New York to begin recording when she was involved in a car accident that left her hospitalized for close to a year. Her legs were injured so badly she would feel pain for the remainder of her life. Even though she only had a verbal agreement to join Atlantic, the founders, Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, paid for her hospital stay. When Brown was well enough to travel, she headed to New York and recorded her first single, “So Long,” on crutches.

Brown’s first single was a hit. She wanted to sing more ballads, but Abramson and Ertegun thought her voice was better suited for up-tempo songs. During the recording of her next single, “Teardrops From My Eyes,” her voice cracked into a squeal. Abramson liked what he heard, calling it a tear. She wrote in her autobiography, Miss Rhythm, quoted in the London Times, “If I was getting ready to go and record and I had a bad throat, they’d say ‘Good!’” When the song was released, it reached number one on the R&B chart.

Brown’s sound was new. Most songs on the R&B charts were blues records, but Brown’s singles would soon change that. She and other new performers, including Etta James, recorded up-tempo songs and the transition from the blues and jazz was complete. Brown also sang records that helped usher in rock’n’roll and those were a hit with white audiences. Throughout Brown’s career, her singles were major hits on the R&B charts. She had limited success with mainstream charts. However, when her songs were covered by white singers such as Patti Page and Frankie Laine, they were instant hits with white music listeners.

Undeterred, Brown would become one of the highest paid female black singers in the 1950s. She released singles, “I’ll Wait For You,” “5-10-15 Hours,” and the hugely popular “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean.” When the 1960s rolled in, R&B experienced a shift and Brown’s style was no longer in fashion. She would soon leave Atlantic and faded from the music scene.

As a single mother, Brown struggled to make ends meet. She found work as a teacher’s aide, school bus driver, and as a domestic. Atlantic Records, which had been dubbed The House that Ruth Built, claimed she owed them $30,000 in studio fees. Brown and many other black performers found themselves in dire straits while the record companies made millions off of their royalties.

Brown would receive help from comedian Redd Foxx. He paid for her to move to Los Angeles and gave her a role in his musical, Selma. Brown began singing again, but also landed a role on the television show Hello, Larry.

Brown began her stage career, joining the revue Black and Blue in Paris and later she joined the revue on Broadway. Brown won a Tony award for her performance. Although her life was on an upswing, Brown continued working toward receiving royalties owed to her. She and her lawyer, Howard Begle, enlisted the help of Rev. Jesse Jackson and others to help her and the other R&B and jazz singers and musicians. Atlantic Records finally conceded and she received $20,000 and her debt to the company was forgiven. Atlantic also contributed $1.5 million to start the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping ailing and needy entertainers from the previous decades.

In addition to her work on stage, Brown also released an album, Blues on Broadway that earned her a Grammy award in 1990. She later won new fans when she portrayed Motormouth Maybelle in the film, Hairspray, released in 1988. Brown also hosted the radio programs “Harlem Hit Parade,” and “BluesStage.” Brown’s influence on various singers and musicians across many genres garnered her an induction into the Rock’N’Roll Hall of Fame.

Brown continued to perform in clubs and concerts until she became seriously ill. She suffered a heart attack and a stroke following surgery in October of 2006. She never regained consciousness and died on November 17, 2006, in Henderson, Nevada. She was 78. Singer Bonnie Raitt told the Los Angeles Times, “What always hit me about Ruth was her sass and the force of her spirit. Even though she had a girlish quality, behind it there was no kidding around . She would sell the song, and the force of her personality was so strong.” She is survived by two sons and three grandchildren. Sources: Chicago Tribune, November 18, 2006, sec. 1A, p. 10; Entertainment Weekly, December 1, 2006, p. 25; Los Angeles Times, November 18, 2006, p. B13; New York Times, November 18, 2006, p. B10; Times (London), November 20, 2006, p. 62; Washington Post, November 18, 2006, p. B5.

—Ashyia N. Henderson