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.
I've Got Shoes
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my shoes
I'm gonna walk all over God's Heaven Heaven
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Ain't goin' there Heaven Heaven
Gonna walk all over God's Heaven
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my robe
I'm gonna shout all over God's Heaven Heaven
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Ain't goin' there Heaven Heaven
Gonna shout all over God's Heaven
I got a harp, you got a harp, all of God's children got a harp
Oh Glory when I get to Heaven gonna play on my harp
I'm gonna play all over God's Heaven Heaven
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Ain't goin' there Heaven Heaven
Gonna play all over God's Heaven
I got wings, you get wings, all got children got wings
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my wings I'm gonna fly, fly
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Ain't going there Heaven, Heaven
Going to fly all over, going to shout all over
Going play all over, gonna walk all over God's Heaven
Ruth Brown's song "I've Got Shoes" is a gospel song that talks about the promise of heaven and the things that come with it. The lyrics talk about shoes, robes, harps, and wings, which are all symbolic representations of what we acquire when we get to heaven. The song emphasizes that all of God's children have the opportunity to reach heaven, and they will be rewarded with these beautiful things when they reach that destination.
In the first verse, the singer compares her possessions with those of others, stating that everyone has shoes. She expresses her eagerness to wear her shoes in heaven and walk all over God's heaven. The second verse states that everyone has a white robe, and when she gets to heaven, she will wear hers while shouting all over God's heaven. In the third verse, she talks about her harp, and how she will play it all over God's heaven when she gets to heaven. Finally, in the last verse, she talks about how everyone has wings, and she will put them on when she gets to heaven and fly all over God's heaven.
The song implies that everyone can reach heaven and get rewarded with all these beautiful things by following the right path. The song's catchy tune, coupled with the powerful message, makes it a popular and timeless classic that continues to resonate with gospel music enthusiasts.
Line by Line Meaning
I got shoes, you got shoes, all God's children got shoes
I have footwear, you possess footwear, and all of God's offspring possess footwear
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my shoes
When I arrive in paradise, I intend to wear my shoes
I'm gonna walk all over God's Heaven Heaven
I plan on strolling throughout God's grand paradise
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Many people discuss heavenly afterlife
Ain't goin' there Heaven Heaven
However, such individuals are unlikely to make it there
Gonna walk all over God's Heaven
I, on the other hand, will be walking all over paradise
I got a robe, you got a robe all God's children got a robe
I have a long, loose-fitting garment, you have one as well, and so do all of God's offspring
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my robe
When I make it to paradise, I plan on donning my robe
I'm gonna shout all over God's Heaven Heaven
I will yell loudly throughout God's heavenly dwelling
I got a harp, you got a harp, all of God's children got a harp
I own a harp, you own one too, and every child of God owns a harp
Oh Glory when I get to Heaven gonna play on my harp
Upon my arrival in heaven, I will play beautiful music on my harp
I'm gonna play all over God's Heaven Heaven
I intend on playing my harp all throughout paradise
I got wings, you get wings, all got children got wings
I possess wings, you will receive wings, and all of God's offspring have wings
When I get to Heaven gonna put on my wings I'm gonna fly, fly
Once I am in heaven, I will put on my wings and soar freely through the skies
Going to fly all over, going to shout all over Going play all over, gonna walk all over God's Heaven
I will traverse, yell, play music, and fly all over God's magnificent realm
Writer(s): William Gerald Kennedy, Ruth Brown, Margie Singleton, J. Kennedy
Contributed by Levi R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.