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.
God Bless The Child
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Yes, the strong gets more
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you're gone, spending ends
They don't come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
He just worry 'bout nothin'
Cause he's got his own
Yes he's got his own
The song "God Bless The Child" by Ruth Brown tells the story of the struggles of life, the inequality in society and the freedom that comes with possessing personal wealth. The opening lines, "Them that's got shall have, them that's not shall lose, so the Bible said and it still is news," allude to the unfairness and divisiveness in society where those who have wealth continue to gain more and those who lack wealth continue to lose. The song describes how having personal wealth brings independence and freedom, as opposed to being dependent on others. The line "Mama may have, Papa may have, but God bless the child that's got his own" emphasizes the value of self-reliance and possession of personal wealth.
The lyrics also reveal the reality that money increases social status, as the song talks about how having money attracts friends who are eager to share in one's wealth. However, the song cautions that people with money should not become greedy and take advantage of others, as seen in the line "You can help yourself, but don't take too much." The song portrays the unfortunate circumstance where people with money are the only ones who receive help from their wealthy family members, leaving those without wealth to fend for themselves. The phrase "God bless the child that's got his own" is used throughout the song to emphasize that people who possess personal wealth are indeed fortunate, as it brings them a measure of independence, freedom, and blessings.
Line by Line Meaning
Them that's got shall have
Those who already have will receive more
Them that's not shall lose
Those who do not have will lose what little they do have
So the Bible said and it still is news
This principle has been recognized for a long time and is still relevant today
Mama may have, Papa may have
Even if a child's parents have wealth
But God bless the child that's got his own
The child who has their own wealth is truly blessed
That's got his own
That child has financial security
Yes, the strong gets more
Those already in a position of power or wealth will continue to gain more
While the weak ones fade
Those who are not in a position of power or wealth will continue to struggle and fall behind
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Being poor will keep you from achieving success
Money, you've got lots of friends
Those with money tend to have many people who want to be around them
Crowding round the door
These people will be around as long as the money lasts
When you're gone, spending ends
Once the money runs out, these people will disappear
They don't come no more
These people will not remain loyal once the money is gone
Rich relations give
Even wealthy family members will only give the bare minimum
Crust of bread and such
They may only give basic necessities
You can help yourself
The child with their own wealth is free to take care of themselves
But don't take too much
They must be careful not to become greedy or entitled
He just worry 'bout nothin'
The child with their own wealth has nothing to worry about
Cause he's got his own
Their financial security means they don't need to rely on anyone else
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Herzog, Billie Holiday
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
henk timmerman
Ruth heeft met haar performance in deze musical een monument opgericht voor Billie. Als grote Billie-fan was ik sceptisch, maar al snel zat ik echt verbijsterd in m'n stoel. Echt heel knap.
Emmenem 68
Heb deze musical gezien, Ruth heeft een weergaloze performance neergezet: indrukwekkend.
arnoud72
terecht die musical award die ze heeft gewonnen.
Edith Alberts
Ruth!!! zing jazz zet er een paar op youtube dan kan ik je op mijn page zetten. Hier in Italie luisteren ze niet naar Nederlandstalige muziek...Je bent zo goed meisje!!! doe er wat aan, Edith
Edith Alberts
Ruth!!! zing jazz zet er een paar op youtube dan kan ik je op mijn page zetten. Hier in Italie luisteren ze niet naar Nederlandstalige muziek...Je bent zo goed meisje!!! doe er wat aan, dan doorbreek je ook hier;-) Edith
Edith Alberts
Ruth!!! zing jazz zet er een paar op youtube dan kan ik je op mijn page zetten. Hier in Italie luisteren ze niet naar Nederlandstalige muziek...Je bent zo goed meisje!!! doe er wat aan, Edith
Edith Alberts
Ruth!!! zing jazz zet er een paar op youtube dan kan ik je op mijn page zetten. Hier in Italie luisteren ze niet naar Nederlandstalige muziek...Je bent zo goed meisje!!! doe er wat aan, dan doorbreek je ook hier;-) een paar songs van J Holliday ok? <3 Edith