Ruth Brown (1928–2006) was a U.S. rhythm and blues singer and actress, note… Read Full Bio ↴Ruth Brown (1928–2006) was a U.S. rhythm and blues singer and actress, noted for bringing a popular music style to rhythm and blues in a series of hit songs for fledgling Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes", and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean".

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.

Somebody Touched Me
Ruth Brown Lyrics

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(Bop-ba-do, bop-ba-do-be-do)
(Bop-by-do, bop-ba-do-be-do)

You gotta get the rhythm if you're gonna rock
You gotta get a-movin' and don't stop
Here we go
Oh, here we go
Oh, here we go (here we go!)

Well, somebody touched me, in the dark last night
Yeah, somebody touched me, in the dark last night
Well, somebody touched me in the dark last night
Well, moved me when she held me tight
Oh who (who) who (who) who in the dark last night?

Last night, a stranger (stranger) took my hand (took my hand)
Last night, a stranger (stranger) took my hand (took my hand)
Well, last night a stranger took my hand
She said, 'You'll be my lovin' man'
Oh who (who) who (who) who in the dark last night?

(Bop-ba-do, bop-ba-do-be-do)
(Bop-by-do, bop-ba-do-be-do)

Now you got the rhythm so don't stop
We gonna move on with a roll and rock
Here we go
Oh, here we go
Oh, here we go
(Here we go!)

Well, somebody made me fall in love last night
Yeah, somebody made me fall in love last night
Well, somebody made me fall in love
Sets my heart and soul above
Oh, who (who) who (who) who in the dark last night?

Last night, a stranger (stranger) took my hand (took my hand)
Last night, a stranger (stranger) took my hand (took my hand)
Well, last night a stranger took my hand
She said, 'You're gonna be my lovin' man'
Oh who (who) who (who) who in the dark last night?

Oh-wah-oh, oh-wah-oh (do-be-ooo)
Oh-wah-oh, oh-wah-oh (do-be-ooo)

Oh-wah-oh, oh-wah-oh (do-be-ooo)
Oh wah-oh, oh-wah-oh (do-be-ooo)

Overall Meaning

The song "Somebody Touched Me" by Ruth Brown is an upbeat and catchy rock and roll tune with a playful and flirtatious tone. The opening lyrics suggest that in order to truly rock and roll, you need to have the rhythm down and not stop dancing. The song then shifts focus to a sensual experience that the singer had the night before. She sings about someone touching her in the dark and moving her when they held her tight. She questions who it was that touched her and took her hand, saying they promised to be her loving man. The chorus repeats this sentiment and adds that this person made her fall in love and set her heart and soul above. The song is playful and flirtatious while also exploring themes of excitement and mystery.

Interestingly, the song was not originally written or recorded by Ruth Brown. It was actually a traditional gospel song that was later adapted to a secular rock and roll version by Brown. This adaptation happened often during the early days of rock and roll when many artists blended gospel and R&B sounds to create a new genre.

Somebody Touched MeRuth Brown Lyrics

Somebody Touched Me
Ruth Brown Lyrics