| 18th November 2006 01:14 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
R&B pioneer Ruth Brown dies at age 78
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pioneering rhythm and blues singer Ruth Brown, known as "the girl with a tear in her voice" for emotion-laden singing, died on Friday at age 78 after a stroke and heart attack in Las Vegas, friends said.
Brown was the best selling black female artist of the early 1950s with songs including "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "So Long," "Teardrops From My Eyes," "Oh, What a Dream," and "Mambo Lips."
Her hits for Atlantic Records were so huge that record company became known as "The House that Ruth Built."
But her work with Atlantic Records ended in 1961 as her gutsy, belting style fell out of favor.
Her career faded in the 1960s and she was reduced to taking menial jobs, including that of a maid, until a revival of her work in 1970s. In later years she hosted her own National Public Radio show, "The Harlem Hit Parade," on the great black blues and R&B singers of the 1940s, 50s and 60s and won a Tony award for her work in the musical revue "Black and Blue."
When she left Atlantic, the company said she owed them $30,000. When her career revived, she led a battle for artists to receive royalties from record companies.
Besides being known as "The Girl with a Tear in her Voice," she was also called "The Original Queen of Rhythm & Blues," "Miss Rhythm & Blues," and "Miss Rhythm," a nickname given to her by Frankie Lane,
When she revived her career, she starred in Allen Toussaint's off-Broadway musical "Staggerlee" and appeared in John Waters' film "Hairspray" as Motormouth Maybelle.
She was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Singer Bonnie Raitt said, "Ruth was one of the most important and beloved figures in modern music. You can hear her influence in everyone from Little Richard to Etta (James), Aretha (Franklin), Janis (Joplin) and divas like Christina Aguilera today.
"She set the standard for sass, heartache and resilience in her life as well as her music, and fought tirelessly for royalty reform and recognition for the R&B pioneers who never got their due. She taught me more than anyone about survival, heart and class. She was my dear friend and I will miss her terribly."
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| 18th November 2006 01:33 PM |
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| mrhipfl |
how sad. I wrote a paper about her for my history of popular music class last year. RIP |
| 18th November 2006 02:19 PM |
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| Sir Stonesalot |
Ruth Brown was fantastic. What a powerhouse voice.
RIP. |
| 18th November 2006 11:38 PM |
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| Martha |
RIP |
| 20th November 2006 02:56 AM |
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| glencar |
I just saw her on some special last week. RIP Ruth... |
| 20th November 2006 07:38 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Online Guest Book for Ruth Brown on Legacy.com
To mark the passing of singer Ruth Brown, Legacy.com has created a Guest Book where friends, family members and admirers can offer their condolences.
The Guest Book for Ruth Brown, whose recordings of "Teardrops in My Eyes", "5-10-15 Hours" and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" shot her to rhythm-and-blues stardom in the 1950s, is available at
http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?ID=GB19945394
, and through the obituary sections of Legacy.com's 300 newspaper affiliates.
Legacy.com posted Guest Books for almost 1 million Americans last year, including well known figures such as Rosa Parks, whose Guest Book drew notes from more than 45, 000 admirers.
Others who have been honored through Legacy.com Guest Books include:Soul singer Wilson Pickett; Country legend Johnny Cash; President Ronald Reagan; Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett; Pope John Paul II; Civil War historian Shelby Foote; R&B legend Luther Vandross.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels]
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