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.
Good Day for the Blues
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
so I could walk the floor
I've got to hit the streets
Cause there's a wolf outside my door
the bill collector's calling
and my kids need better shoes
gonna go to church on sunday
cause I got nothing left to loose
it´s a real good day for the blues
It's raining cats and dogs outside
and I'm looking for a job
the man I worked for laid me off
lord and I worked for him real hard
but I won't let my kids go hungry
no matter what I have to do
and it´s a good day,
it´s a real good day for the blues
things are getting better
the check is in the mail
I just threw my last dye in the wishing well
and it´s a good day,
a real good day for the blues
I got a up early this morning
so I could walk the floor
I've got to hit the streets
cause there is a wolf outside my door
gonna go to church on sunday
lord I got nothing to loose
and it´s a good day
it´s a real good day for the blues
Ruth Brown's “Good Day for the Blues” tells a story of hardship and resilience. The singer wakes up early and paces the floor, filled with worry and anxiety over financial troubles. She's got to hit the streets because there's a wolf outside her door, and the bill collector is calling. Despite being laid off from work, she's determined to find a way to provide for her children and will go to church on Sunday with nothing left to lose.
The lyrics paint a picture of a woman in dire straits, struggling to make ends meet in the face of overwhelming adversity. The repetition of the opening lines highlight her desperation and restlessness, as she tries to come up with a plan to avoid the looming threat of poverty. Despite the bleakness of her circumstances, there is a glimmer of hope, as she sings about a good day for the blues. She finds solace in the music and the comfort it provides.
Overall, “Good Day for the Blues” is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It's a song about hardship, but also about perseverance, and finding the strength to carry on in the face of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
I got up early this morning
I woke up early today
so I could walk the floor
so I could pace around my house
I've got to hit the streets
I need to go out and find work
Cause there's a wolf outside my door
Because I am in danger of losing everything
the bill collector's calling
I owe money and they keep reminding me
and my kids need better shoes
I cannot afford to provide for my children
gonna go to church on sunday
I turn to my faith for hope and guidance
cause I got nothing left to lose
because I am at rock bottom
and it´s a good day
despite my struggles, today is still okay
it´s a real good day for the blues
the blues reflects my current struggles and emotions
It's raining cats and dogs outside
It's pouring rain outside
and I'm looking for a job
I am trying to find work
the man I worked for laid me off
I lost my job and source of income
lord and I worked for him real hard
I put in a lot of effort into my job
but I won't let my kids go hungry
I will do whatever it takes to provide for my children
no matter what I have to do
I am willing to go to great lengths to support my family
things are getting better
My situation is improving
the check is in the mail
I am finally receiving some money
I just threw my last dye in the wishing well
I am taking one last chance and hoping for the best
and it´s a good day
Even with my struggles, today is still good
a real good day for the blues
The blues still reflect my emotions and struggles
Writer(s): Ricky Ray Rector, Hoy Harvey Lindsey Ii
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sewell E.
I got up early this morning
so I could walk the floor
I've got to hit the streets
Cause there's a wolf outside my door
the bill collector's calling
and my kids need better shoes
gonna go to church on sunday
cause I got nothing left to loose
Gonna go to church on sunday
and it´s a good day
it´s a real good day for the blues
It's raining cats and dogs outside
and I'm looking for a job
the man I worked for laid me off
lord and I worked for him real hard
but I won't let my kids go hungry
no matter what I have to do
and it´s a good day,
it´s a real good day for the blues
things are getting better
the check is in the mail
I just threw my last dye in the wishing well
and it´s a good day,
a real good day for the blues
I got a up early this morning
so I could walk the floor
I've got to hit the streets
cause there is a wolf outside my door
gonna go to church on sunday
lord I got nothing to loose
and it´s a good day
it´s a real good day for the blues
Psychic Angela Thomas
My favorite song by Ruth Brown. I met her in 1999. What a nice woman.
xkecoupe
best ever female blues singer and this whole CD is absolutely awesome.
Γιωργος Φραγκουλοπουλος
Απίστευτο κομμάτι και ανεπανάληπτη ερμηνεία!!!
Malc The talc
Just found out about this great singer. I just cannot see many of todays musicians and singers work being sought out in years to come and especially all these "auto-tuned" starlets!
Holly Amesz
she is truly amazing
Dancing Dave
And it's a good day...it's a real good day for the Blues...BRILLIANT!!!
mrworldwide8
How can u not love da blues?!?!💖
Sandra Merritt
My older siblings and parents introduced me to this music.
kallistratos fm
απιστευτο τραγουδι πολυφωνικο,σπουδαιο δειγμα γραφης και δυναμικης εξαλλου οnly the blues speaks the truth..
Howard Robinson
what a great track..
thanks