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.
Hello Little Boy
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, hello little boy, don't you remember me
Well, 'cause I've been down the docks from Tennessee
Well, I met you bay, it was right near by the mall
Well, met you bay, right near by the mall
And now you wanna call me doin' the Lindy Hop
I said, you ain't good looking, you ain't nobody's dream
Well, but when you love me, can't help but scream
I cried ooh wee
I cried ooh wee
Well, ooh wee baby, so good to me
(Play the blues, git it)
Now, you ain't good looking, you ain't nobody's dream
I said, you ain't good looking, you ain't nobody's dream
Well, but when you love me, can't help but scream
I cried ooh wee
I cried ooh wee
Well, ooh wee baby, so good to me
(Play the blues, yeah)
Well, I believe in you baby, I know you done me wrong
Well, I believe in you baby, I know you done me wrong
Well, my train's leaving, goodbye, so long
Well, it's bye baby bye
Well, it's bye baby bye
Well, I'm leaving you baby, hang your head and cry
Well, bye bye
Well, bye bye
Well, I'm leaving you baby, hang your head and cry
Well, it's bye bye
Oh, it's bye bye
Well, I'm leaving you baby, hang your head and cry
Ruth Brown’s “Hello Little Boy” is a classic blues song from the 1950s that speaks on love and relationships. It tells a story of a woman who met a little boy by the mall and now he wants to call her to do the Lindy Hop. While the woman acknowledges that the boy is not good looking nor anybody’s dream, she still can’t help but scream when he loves her. The repetition of the phrase “I cried ooh wee” emphasizes the overwhelming emotions that the woman is experiencing.
The woman, however, is not blind to the boy’s faults, and knows that he has done her wrong. The song concludes with her leaving him and telling him to hang his head and cry as she says bye bye. The story in the song touched on several elements of relationship dynamics. For example, even though the woman recognizes the boy’s flaws, she still loves him. Moreover, the theme of leaving someone who has betrayed one’s trust, as seen in the conclusion of the song, is a relatable element of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, hello little boy, don't you remember me
The singer recognizes the listener and greets him enthusiastically
Well, 'cause I've been down the docks from Tennessee
The singer explains that she has traveled from Tennessee to be here
Well, met you bay, right near by the mall
The singer describes how she first met the listener by the mall
And now you wanna call me doin' the Lindy Hop
The singer suggests that the listener has expressed interest in dancing with her
I said, you ain't good looking, you ain't nobody's dream
The singer acknowledges that the listener isn't traditionally attractive per societal standards
Well, but when you love me, can't help but scream
Despite the listener's looks, the singer can't help but feel ecstatic when loved by him
I cried ooh wee
The singer exclaims how good she feels
Well, ooh wee baby, so good to me
The singer continues to express how good she feels, thanks to the listener
Now, you ain't good looking, you ain't nobody's dream
The singer reiterates that the listener isn't conventionally good-looking
Well, I believe in you baby, I know you done me wrong
The singer still has faith and trust in the listener, despite him previously hurting her
Well, my train's leaving, goodbye, so long
The singer announces that she has to leave as her train is departing
Well, it's bye baby bye
The singer repeats the farewell, signaling that the goodbye is final
Well, I'm leaving you baby, hang your head and cry
The singer is telling the listener to feel regret for losing her
Contributed by Jordan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jery Tillotson
fabulous ruth brown at her greatest--would love to have set in on this session--everybody having a blast and really getting into it--bravo to the greatest of all blues singer--ruth brown!
Sally Long
Great Song ! She rocks this song... makes me want to Dance very Time I Hear It !
Jery Tillotson
would love to have sat in on this wild session--sounds like everyone a rocking and rolling especially ruth brown the greatest of them all.
countrychess
Dynamite ! Thunderous sax and voice !
Jimmy TEDESCO
GREAT - 1) Baritone Sax chorus -
2) Tenor Sax Chorus.
Ruth Brown, vocals with :
Sam Taylor, tenor sax; Paul Williams, baritone sax; Kelly Owens, piano #1,2; John Lewis, piano #3; Mickey Baker, guitar; Lloyd Trotman, bass; Joe Marshall, drums;
NYC, December 16, 1953
countrychess
Fantastic !
Steve S
Damn, this is on FIRE!!!
A Penandroll
Ruth was bad ass!!!
Stephan Koenig
From the album Miss Rhuthm - ATLANTIC 45-1027, 1953
pfflam
Damn!!! Tear it up!