Ruth Brown

Thursday, January 7th, 2010 | Posted in: Blog Posts, Pop Culture History

Ruth Brown died at the ripe old age of 78, so you may not have heard of her. When artists have a successful and steady career, and die old, many times their work dies with them and younger generations never know what they’ve brought to the world. This is her birth month, so I’m gonna tell you a little about Ruth Brown.

She was a prominent Rhythm & Blues singer in the 50’s with Atlantic Records. She stayed on the R&B charts in the 50’s and had several number one hits, which made her the most popular artists on Atlantic Records. The label became known as “the house that Ruth built” due to her success. She was a contemporary and rival with Dinah Washington, an artist whom you’ve probably heard of because she died young. Dinah and Ruth were like the Beyonce and Rihanna of the 50’s.

Ruth sang a huge song called Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean, and Dinah retorted in her song T.V. is the Thing this Year with the phrase “Mama he treats your daughter so good.”  They were the two Blues and Rhythm & Blues darlings back then.

Ruth, retired back in the 60’s to raise her children, then re-emerged in the 70’s to continue a career  in Blues until her death in 2006. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the “The Queen Mother of the Blues”.

She acted in a Broadway Play called Black and Blue, which earned her a Tony Award, and she is the aunt of rapper Rakim. Here is one of her most famous performances.