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 Ertegรผn 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, Ertegรผn and Abramson drove to Washington from New York City to hear her sing in the club. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegรผn 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.
Lucky Lips
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama told me, "Honey, you've got more that other girls.
Now, you may not be good looking but you'll soon wear diamond clips
And you'll never have to worry 'cause you've got lucky lips."
Lucky lips are always kissing,
Lucky lips are never blue.
Lucky lips will always find
I don't need a four-leaf clover,
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm.
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms.
I never get heartbroken, no, I'll never get the blues
And if I play that game of love I know I just can't lose.
When they spin that wheel of fortune all I do is kiss my chips
And I know I picked a winner 'cause I've got lucky lips.
Lucky lips are always kissing,
Lucky lips are never blue.
Lucky lips will always find
A pair of lips that will be true.
I don't need a four-leaf clover,
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm.
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms.
The song Lucky Lips by Ruth Brown is an upbeat, cheerful tune that celebrates the power of confidence and positive thinking. The lyrics start with the singer recalling her mother's words of encouragement when she was a little girl. Her mother tells her that she may not be conventionally attractive, but she has something special - lucky lips. This concept of lucky lips is explored further in the song as a metaphor for the singer's self-assurance and success in matters of love.
The chorus underscores this idea, with the repetition of the phrase "lucky lips" emphasizing the importance of this trait. The singer proclaims that lucky lips are always kissing and never blue, meaning that those who possess them are always happy and fulfilled in love. She also claims that lucky lips will always find a pair of lips that will be true, implying that a positive outlook can attract loyal and devoted partners.
Overall, Lucky Lips is a buoyant, catchy tune that encourages listeners to believe in themselves and their own good fortune. The song suggests that confidence and positivity can be just as powerful as any rabbit's foot or four-leaf clover.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a little girl with long silky curls
As a young girl, I had long, beautiful hair and my mother would instill in me that I was different from other girls.
Mama told me, 'Honey, you've got more than other girls.'
My mother once told me that I had something special that other girls didn't possess.
Now, you may not be good-looking but you'll soon wear diamond clips
My mother reassured me that even though I may not be considered conventionally attractive, I would still be pampered and doted upon with luxurious items such as diamond hair clips.
And you'll never have to worry 'cause you've got lucky lips.
My mother told me that with my 'lucky lips', I'll never have to worry about anything in life.
Lucky lips are always kissing,
Lucky lips are always engaged in romantic pursuits.
Lucky lips are never blue.
Lucky lips never experience heartbreak or sadness.
Lucky lips will always find a pair of lips that will be true.
Lucky lips will always find someone who is faithful and genuine in their love.
I don't need a four-leaf clover, Rabbit's foot or good luck charm.
I don't need any other symbol of good luck to succeed in love.
With lucky lips I'll always have a fellow in my arms.
Because of my 'lucky lips', I can always count on having a romantic partner by my side.
I never get heartbroken, no, I'll never get the blues
Due to my 'lucky lips', I never experience heartbreak or sadness.
And if I play that game of love I know I just can't lose.
In the realm of love, I am always a winner thanks to my 'lucky lips'.
When they spin that wheel of fortune all I do is kiss my chips
When life is uncertain, all I need to do is trust in my 'lucky lips' to guide me.
And I know I picked a winner 'cause I've got lucky lips.
I know that I have successfully chosen the right romantic partner because of my 'lucky lips' guiding me.
Lyrics ยฉ Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BELINDA ABERBACH STEVENSON AGAR REVOCABLE TRUST
Written by: JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kd3226
When I was just a little girl with long silky curls
Mama told me, "Honey, you've got more that other girls.
Now, you may not be good looking but you'll soon wear diamond clips
And you'll never have to worry 'cause you've got lucky lips."
Lucky lips are always kissing,
Lucky lips are never blue.
Lucky lips will always find
A pair of lips that will be true.
I don't need a four-leaf clover,
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm.
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms.
I never get heartbroken, no, I'll never get the blues
And if I play that game of love I know I just can't lose.
When they spin that wheel of fortune all I do is kiss my chips
And I know I picked a winner 'cause I've got lucky lips.
Lucky lips are always kissing,
Lucky lips are never blue.
Lucky lips will always find
A pair of lips that will be true.
I don't need a four-leaf clover,
Rabbit's foot or good luck charm.
With lucky lips I'll always have
A fellow in my arms.
@Pickinbuddy
What a GREAT record this was--the arrangements were fantastic...great vocal performance!
@larrycarr4562
Ruth rocks! ๐ถlucky lips are never blue! ๐ถ
@thomaslombardo3401
One of my all-time favorite songs by Miss Rhythm.
@TheBaylor22
Fabulous! One of the original pioneers of Rock and Roll. She and Lavern Baker were mentors to Jackie Wilson, Clyde McPhatter, and Little Willie John, among others.
@Sugarbehr1967
Excellent..she was truly the Queen along side of Dinah, Sarah and Billie..thanks for posting!
@ben33603
Ruth one of the best in the 50s. I love this song for at least 40 years
@giannib01
Timeless CLASSIC . . . still absolutely MOVES. If this don't make you MOVE . . . sumpum wrong witchoo !
@chrisdarling5004
What a fantastic pedigree no wonder she sounds brilliant.
@vilmad007
What a sweet voice
@antonioservian3454
Es la reina del rock and roll genial sublime love yes