Ruth Brown

Ruth Alston Brown (née Weston, January 12, 1928 – 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". For these contributions, Atlantic became known as "the house that Ruth built" (alluding to the popular nickname for the old Yankee Stadium). Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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; these efforts led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Her performances in the Broadway musical "Black and Blue" earned Brown a Tony Award, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award. Brown was a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. In 2017, Brown was inducted into National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. She is also the aunt to legendary hip hop MC Rakim.
Early life.
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Brown was the eldest of seven siblings. She attended I. C. Norcom High School, which was then legally segregated. Brown's father was a dockhand. He also directed the local church choir at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, but the young Ruth showed more interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs, rebelling against her father. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington.
In 1945, aged 17, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with the trumpeter Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra.
Early career.
Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at the Crystal Caverns, a nightclub in Washington, D.C., 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 Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned because of a car crash, which resulted in a nine-month stay in the hospital. She signed with Atlantic Records from her hospital bed.
In 1948, Ertegun and Abramson drove from New York City to Washington, D.C., to hear Brown sing. Her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, but Ertegun convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues.
In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long," which became 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, she became the acknowledged queen of R&B.
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), "Mambo Baby" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960), some of which were credited to Ruth Brown and the Rhythm Makers. Between 1949 and 1955, her records stayed on the R&B chart for a total of 149 weeks; she would go on to score 21 Top 10 hits altogether, including five that landed at number one. Brown ranked No. 1 on The "Billboard" 1954 Disk Jockey Poll for Favorite R&B Artists.
Brown played many racially segregated dances in the southern states, where she toured extensively and was immensely popular. She claimed that a writer had once summed up her popularity by saying, "In the South, Ruth Brown is better known than Coca-Cola."
Brown performed at the famed tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 20, 1954. She performed along with The Flairs, Count Basie and his Orchestra, Lamp Lighters, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, Christine Kittrell, and Perez Prado and his Orchestra. 
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 U.S. pop chart. 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. 
She had further hits with "I Don't Know" in 1959 and "Don't Deceive Me" in 1960, which were more successful on the R&B chart than on the pop chart. During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view and lived as a housewife and mother. 
Later career.
She returned to music in 1975 at the urging of the comedian Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comedic acting jobs. This launched her career in TV, film, and stage. She had a recurring role during the second season of the sitcom "Hello, Larry" as the neighbor, Leona Wilson. She starred as Motormouth Maybelle Stubbs, a friendly and strong-willed record promoter and mother of Seaweed and L'il Inez, in the John Waters cult classic film "Hairspray". On Broadway, she starred in productions of "Amen Corner" and "Black and Blue". The latter earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1989. The New York Times theater critic Frank Rich wrote, "Ruth Brown, the rhythm-and-blues chanteuse, applies sarcastic varnish and two-a-day burlesque timing to the ribald Andy Razaf lyrics of 'If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' on It.'"
Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1988. She was one of the first recipients of the Pioneer Award in 1989. In 1989, she released an album, "Blues and Broadway," which won a Grammy for best jazz vocal performance, female. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Brown recorded and sang with the rhythm-and-blues singer Charles Brown. She also toured with Bonnie Raitt in the late 1990s. Her 1995 autobiography, "Miss Rhythm", won the Gleason Award for music journalism. She also appeared on Bonnie Raitt's 1995 live DVD "Road Tested", singing "Never Make Your Move Too Soon". She was nominated for another Grammy in the Traditional Blues category for her 1997 album, "R + B = Ruth Brown". In the 2000 television miniseries "Little Richard", she was portrayed by singer Tressa Thomas.
She hosted the radio program "Blues Stage", carried by more than 200 NPR affiliates, for six years, starting in 1989.
Brown was still touring at the age of 78. She had completed preproduction work on the Danny Glover film, "Honeydripper", which she did not live to finish. Still, her recording of "Things About Comin' My Way" was released posthumously on the soundtrack CD. Her last interview was in August 2006.
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. 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.
Accolades.
She also received the following honors:
Discography.
As guest vocalist.
With Benny Carter

In the continent of Westeros, Warden of the North Ned Stark becomes Hand of the King to King Robert Baratheon. When Ned's son Bran stumbles upon Robert's wife, Cersei, having sex with her twin brother Jaime, they attempt to kill Bran but only succeeds in crippling him. Ned and his daughters, Sansa and Arya, move to King’s Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, and discovers that Robert Baratheon's heir Joffrey and his siblings were in fact incestuously fathered by Jaime. When King Robert dies, Ned does not recognize Joffrey as the rightful heir and is executed. Meanwhile, Ned's bastard son, Jon Snow, joins the Night's Watch, an ancient brotherhood sworn to defend Westeros through maintaining the Wall in the North, which separates the Seven Kingdoms from hostile tribes known as Wildlings and mythological humanoid creatures known as White Walkers. In the continent of Essos, the exiled Viserys Targaryen, son of King Aerys II who was deposed by King Robert, marries off his sister Daenerys to the Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in exchange for an army to return to and take over Westeros. Eventually Drogo kills Viserys, then dies himself. After Drogo's death, Daenerys hatches three dragon eggs and reveals that she is unable to be burnt.
Season 2 (2012).
Ned's oldest son, Robb, declares war on the Lannisters and holds Jamie prisoner. When Robb's mother, Catelyn, is told her daughters may be alive, she sends Jamie with Brienne of Tarth to King's Landing to trade for Sansa and Arya. In King's Landing, Sansa is frequently abused by Joffrey while Tyrion and Cersei prepare for Stannis' attack on the capitol. Having escaped King's Landing, Arya is now trapped in Harrenhal and is Tywin's cup bearer. Ned's ward, Theon, betrays Robb, and takes Winterfell as his own, forcing Bran and Rickon to flee north. Stannis and Renly both claim the throne, and with the help of Melisandre, Stannis secretly kills his younger brother. He then attacks King's Landing, but fails to take the city. Beyond the Wall, Jon gains the trust of the Wildlings and learns of their plan to attack Castle Black while Sam and the others encounter White Walkers. In Essos, Daenerys and her khalassar find refuge in Qarth. One of the city's leaders steals her dragons, forcing Daenerys to reclaim them, and prompting her to leave the city.
Season 3 (2013).
After Robb breaks his vow to marry one of Walder Frey's daughters, Frey arranges the massacre of Robb, his mother, his wife, and all his bannermen, during a wedding feast. After Robb's death, Roose Bolton is appointed the new Warden of the North by Tywin, who is now Hand of the King. Theon is tortured by Roose's bastard son, Ramsay Snow. Further north, Jon Snow climbs the Wall with a Wildling party and ends up on its south side, but then betrays them. In the capital, King Joffrey has decided to marry Margaery of House Tyrell, setting Sansa aside. Tywin, however, arranges Sansa's marriage with his son, Tyrion. Jaime reaches King's Landing, having had his dominant hand cut off. In Essos, Daenerys acquires "The Unsullied", an army of eunuch slave soldiers. She also joins forces with the "Second Sons", a company of mercenaries, and becomes the Queen of Meereen.
Season 4 (2014).
In King's Landing, Lady Olenna secretly poisons King Joffrey at his wedding with her granddaughter Margaery, but Tyrion is falsely accused of the murder by his family, and is found guilty. However, Jaime and Varys conspire to smuggle Tyrion to Essos. Tyrion kills his father Tywin before leaving. Petyr Baelish smuggles Sansa into the Vale, ruled by her aunt and his lover, the widowed Lysa Arryn. Baelish marries Lysa but later kills her. After attempting to reunite with her family, Arya takes a ship bound for Braavos, in Essos. Having returned to the Night's Watch, Jon Snow defends Castle Black against an army of Wildlings, who are superior in strength. The Watch is rescued by the arrival of Stannis Baratheon and his forces. A crippled Bran with newfound powers travels north beyond the Wall with a few companions. Beneath a weirwood tree, he finds the Three-eyed Raven, an old man with the ability to perceive future and past. In Essos, Daenerys takes control of Meereen and abolishes slavery. When she discovers that her trusted advisor, Ser Jorah Mormont, had spied on her for Robert Baratheon, she exiles him.
Season 5 (2015).
In King's Landing, Margaery marries the new King Tommen Baratheon, Joffrey's younger brother. The Sparrows, a group of religious fanatics, impose their views upon the city, imprisoning Margaery, her brother Loras, and Cersei for committing various sins. Jaime travels to Dorne to take back Myrcella Baratheon. However, Oberyn Martell's lover, Ellaria and his bastard daughters kill Myrcella as revenge for Oberyn's death. In Winterfell, the new seat of House Bolton, Baelish arranges Sansa's marriage with the now-legitimized son of Roose Bolton, the sadist Ramsay. Stannis's unsuccessful march on Winterfell, which leads to his death, allows Sansa the opportunity to escape with Theon. At the Wall, as the newly elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jon Snow forms an alliance with the Wildlings to save them from the White Walkers and their army of reanimated corpses. However, Jon is stabbed to death by some brothers who see him as a traitor. Arya arrives in Braavos, where she finds Jaqen H'ghar whom she had previously helped escape, and begins training with the Faceless Men, a guild of assassins. In Essos, Tyrion becomes an advisor to Daenerys. Ser Jorah saves the life of Daenerys against a revolt of slavers, who flees Meereen on Drogon's back.
Season 6 (2016).
At the Wall, Melisandre resurrects Jon. Jon reunites with Sansa and leaves the Night's Watch. Aided by the Wildlings, loyalists and the Knights of the Vale, they defeat the Boltons and Jon is proclaimed the King in the North. Beyond the Wall, Bran trains with the Three-eyed Raven but they come under attack by the White Walkers. The Three-eyed Raven is killed and succeeded by Bran, who escapes with the help of Hodor, who dies in the process. Bran realizes Jon is in fact the son of his deceased aunt Lyanna Stark and Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. In Braavos, Arya continues her training with the Faceless Men, but eventually leaves them and returns to Westeros to take revenge on Walder Frey. In King's Landing, Cersei demolishes the Great Sept with wildfire. Many die, including the High Sparrow, Margaery, and Loras. Tommen kills himself after witnessing the events, and Cersei is crowned Queen. In the Iron Islands, Euron Greyjoy usurps leadership by killing his brother and Theon's father, Balon. Daenerys gets captured by the Dothraki but gains their devotion by burning their leaders alive. She forgives Ser Jorah. She returns to Meereen, in time to save the city from a naval siege by slavers, then sails for Westeros, joined by Theon and his sister Yara. Ellaria seizes control of Dorne, and joins Olenna Tyrell in an alliance with Daenerys.
Season 7 (2017).
Daenerys arrives in Westeros and takes over Dragonstone. She plans to overthrow Cersei, but Jon arrives to instead save Westeros from the White Walkers. The two fall in love and together they venture beyond the Wall to prove the threat of the White Walkers. The Night King - leader of the White Walkers - kills and reanimates Daenerys' dragon Viserion during the mission. Jon and Daenerys then attempt to persuade Cersei to join their cause by showing the existence of a wight they had captured, but she has her own plans to increase control over the continent. At Winterfell, Sansa is reunited with her siblings, Arya and Bran. When Lord Protector of the Vale Petyr Baelish begins to turn the Stark children against one another, they manage to have him executed. In a vision, Bran sees that his aunt, Lyanna, was, in fact, married to Prince Rhaegar, and that Jon's real name is Aegon Targaryen, making him the true heir to the Iron Throne. After his sister Yara is kidnapped by his uncle Euron, Theon sets out to save her. The Night King demolishes a section of The Wall with the help of the reanimated Viserion, allowing the White Walkers and Army of the Dead to pass into the Seven Kingdoms.
Season 8 (2019).
Jon and Daenerys learn the Army of the Dead has breached the Wall. Theon rescues Yara, then returns to Winterfell. Sam reveals to Jon that he is actually Aegon Targaryen. Jaime arrives at Winterfell, revealing Cersei won't help defeat the Army of the Dead. Jon reveals his Targaryen lineage to Daenerys, who wants it kept a secret. After a battle, Arya kills the Night King, destroying the Army of the Dead. With the Army of the Dead defeated, Daenerys turns her attention towards the Iron Throne. Euron's navy kills Rhaegal and captures Missandei, who is later executed by Cersei, enraging Daenerys, who, after her army takes King's Landing, destroys much of the city indiscriminately. Cersei and Jaime are killed. Tyrion denounces Daenerys and is imprisoned for treason to await execution. Jon, unable to stop Daenerys, is forced to kill her. Bran Stark is proclaimed king, allowing the North to secede as an independent kingdom. Bran appoints Tyrion as his Hand. Sansa is crowned Queen in the North, and Arya sails to find new lands. Jon is sentenced to the Night's Watch, and leads the Wildlings back north of the Wall.