Ruth Brown

Ruth Brown rose to fame with a series of hits for Atlantic Records which included 'So Long', 'Teardrops from My Eyes' and '(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean'. Her style brought pop appeal to R&B bringing in crossover sales for Atlantic and turning the Virginia-born singer into a household name. She had five number one hits and had her first pop hit with the Leiber and Stoller composition 'Lucky Lips' which reached number six in the R&B charts and number 25 in the mainstream chart.

With the resurgence of interest in R&B on the back of the soul music boom in the 1970s Brown once again rose to prominence and she used her influence to become a staunch advocate for artists' rights. Prior to relaunching her music career Brown had been developing a career as an actress and she combined these two skills to carve out a successful path in theatre earning a Tony Award for her part in the Broadway musical 'Black and Blue'. Brown continued to tour and perform right up until her death in 2006 at the age of 78.