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.
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be dear Lord, let it be
When my feeble life is over
Time for me will be no more
Guide me gently, safely over
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be dear Lord, let it be
The song "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" is a gospel hymn that portrays a deep longing for a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. The lyrics express the singer's recognition of his own weaknesses and the need for the strength and guidance of Jesus to keep him from sin. The refrain expresses the singer's desire for a daily walk with Jesus, being satisfied as long as he can walk close to Him. The second verse speaks of the final journey to the kingdom of heaven, where the singer trusts in the guidance of Jesus to lead him safely over.
The song’s message is one of faith, trust, and dependence on the guidance and protection of Jesus Christ. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and they have touched the hearts of many listeners. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, including Ruth Brown, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and Mahalia Jackson, among others.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a closer walk with Thee
I humbly ask for a deeper and more intimate relationship with You, God
I am weak but Thou art strong
I acknowledge my own limitations, but trust in Your limitless strength
Jesus keep me from all wrong
Please guide me away from temptation and help me to make right choices
I'll be satisfied as long
I don't need worldly possessions or status to be content - a close relationship with You will suffice
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
May I always remain near to You and follow Your path
Grant it Jesus, is my plea
Please fulfill my request for a closer connection with You
Daily walking close to Thee
Help me stay committed to seeking Your presence each day
Let it be dear Lord, let it be
May my desire for closeness with You be fulfilled and sustained by Your grace
When my feeble life is over
When my time on earth has come to an end
Time for me will be no more
I will have run out of time to do what I can to draw closer to God
Guide me gently, safely over
May my soul be guided peacefully and safely into the afterlife
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore
May I join in the eternal kingdom of God after passing from this world
Writer(s): Jerry Kennedy, Margie Singleton, Ruth Brown
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.