Born Ruth Alston Weston on 30th January 1928 in Portsmouth, Virginia, she attended I. C. Norcom High School, a historically black high school. Brown's father was a dockhand who directed the local church choir, but the young Ruth showed more of an interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. In 1945, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with a trumpeter, Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra, but was fired after she brought drinks to the band for free, and was left stranded in Washington, D.C.
Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a Washington nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager. Willis Conover, a Voice of America disc jockey, caught her act and recommended her to Atlantic Records bosses, Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned though, because of a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital stay. In 1948, however, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington from New York City to hear her sing in the club. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegün convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues. His productions for her, however, retained her pop style, with clean, fresh arrangements and the singing spot on the beat with little of the usual blues singer's embroidery.
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 Ruth Brown, establishing her as an important figure in R&B. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was on Billboard's List of number-one R&B hits (United States) for eleven weeks. The huge hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm", and within a few months Ruth Brown 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). She also became known as "Little Miss Rhythm" and "the girl with the teardrop in her voice". In all, she was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks from 1949 to 1955, with sixteen top-ten blues records including five number ones, and became Atlantic's most popular artist, earning Atlantic records the proper name of "The House that Ruth Built".
During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view to become a housewife and mother, and only returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comic acting gigs, including roles in the sitcom Hello, Larry and the John Waters film Hairspray as local DJ Motormouth Maybelle, as well as Broadway appearances in Amen Corner and Black and Blue, which earned her a Tony Award for her performance and a Grammy award for her album Blues on Broadway, featuring hits from the show.
Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was inducted as a Pioneer Award recipient in its first year, 1989. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as "The Queen Mother of the Blues".
She has become an iconic symbol to many black women for later generations, where she is also a favourite artist and inspiration for later blues artists such as Bonnie Raitt. Brown recorded and sang along with fellow rhythm and blues performer Charles Brown, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and toured with Raitt on Raitt's tour in the late 1990s, "Road Tested". Her 1995 autobiography, Miss Rhythm, won the Gleason Award for music journalism.
Brown died in a Las Vegas-area hospital on 17th November 2006, from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in October 2006. A memorial concert for her was held on 22nd January 2007 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
5 -10 -15 Hours
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby baby baby, I've got to have you for my own,
If you ever need me baby, call me on the telephone.
Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love,
Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love,
Give me fifteen hours while that shiny moon's above.
I wanna love ya love ya love ya, love ya love ya all the time,
I wanna love ya love ya baby, if I live to ninety nine!
Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love,
Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love,
Give me fifteen hours while that shiny moon's above.
I wanna hold ya hold ya hold ya, hold ya till the broad daylight,
I wanna hold ya hold ya hold ya, hold ya till the broad daylight,
I wanna thrill ya thrill ya thrill ya till the sun is shinin' bright.
So give me five, ten, fifteen hours there with you,
So give me five, ten, fifteen hours there with you,
Give me fifteen hours and I'll prove my love is true.
The lyrics of Ruth Brown's "5-10-15 Hours" discuss the singer's intense desire for someone she loves. She emphasizes this desire through repetition of the phrases "Baby baby baby, I've got to have you for my own" and "Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love." The singer is clearly willing to do whatever it takes to be with this person, expressing a willingness to love them all the time and hold them until daylight.
The repetition of the phrase "give me five, ten, fifteen hours" creates a sense of urgency and desperation, suggesting that the singer is willing to devote herself fully and passionately to this relationship. The references to the moon and sunlight emphasize the passage of time and the fact that the singer wants to spend as much of it with this person as possible.
Overall, the lyrics of "5-10-15 Hours" express the intensity and urgency of the singer's love for someone. She is willing to do whatever it takes to be with this person, and her devotion and desire are constantly on display.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby baby baby, I've got to have you for my own,
I cannot resist my desire for you and I need to make you mine.
If you ever need me baby, call me on the telephone.
I'm always available for you, just let me know and I'll be there.
Just give me five, ten, fifteen hours of your love,
I just need a short amount of time with you to feel your love.
Give me fifteen hours while that shiny moon's above.
I want to spend a whole night with you, under the beautiful moonlight.
I wanna love ya love ya love ya, love ya love ya all the time,
My love for you is eternal and I want to love you forever.
I wanna love ya love ya baby, if I live to ninety nine!
I want to love you until the end of my days.
I wanna hold ya hold ya hold ya, hold ya till the broad daylight,
I want to hold you all night long, until the sun comes up.
I wanna thrill ya thrill ya thrill ya till the sun is shinin' bright.
I want to excite you and make you happy until the morning sun.
So give me five, ten, fifteen hours there with you,
Just a little bit of time with you will satisfy my longing for your love.
Give me fifteen hours and I'll prove my love is true.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove my love to you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUDOLPH TOOMBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Linda Langdon
I remember her from the voice also, always thought she should have gone through and won. One of the most amazing voices i have ever heard. Would definitely buy her album if she has made one.
sayuri92angel
I had the privilege to listen to her live, although she was with a cold, she sounded like an angel! Thank you Ruth for your gift from God that you share with us!
Laura Swain
Omg, I just saw her busking outside of Vauxhall station, and holy moley is she talented!! She blew my actual socks off 🤯
Olubumi Mawusi
Shes still singing on the streets of London? I'm in the U.S. Cant wait to go see her perform somewhere live. So I Guess if shes not signed to anyone it will be a while.
adam hale
It really is criminal how under viewed and underrated/under appreciated this woman is. Unbelievable talent reduced to singing on the streets...AFTER appearing on national television,disgusting
TheRedgoldenchild
Its because of her name probably! She should have changed it! We already have one Ruth Brown RIP!
Marco Torres
Thanks for having her at your show. She deserves more exposure. Such a talented lady.
Rodrigo Dejuli
Ela tem uma voz inigualável mas sempre entra antes no tempo da música. Amo a Ruth desde o The Voice.
Jeff Jeffery
I've seen her a few times at Vauxhall station and today she performed in a street concert in nearby Richbourne Terrace. What a voice! She was magnificent.
Ariel Eden
Ruth your voice is so amazing! Always give me head chills love you Always ❤️