Editing Ruth Brown (section)

==Early career==
[[File: Ruth Brown performs at Mambo Club, Wichita, Kansas, 1957.jpg|thumb|Ruth Brown performs at the Mambo Club in [[Wichita, Kansas]], 1957]]
[[Blanche Calloway]], [[Cab Calloway]]'s sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at the [[Bohemian Caverns|Crystal Caverns]], a [[nightclub]] in Washington, D.C., and soon became her manager. [[Willis Conover]], the future [[Voice of America]] disc jockey, caught her act with [[Duke Ellington]] and recommended her to [[Atlantic Records]] bosses [[Ahmet Ertegun]] and [[Herb Abramson]]. Brown was unable to audition as planned because of a car crash, which resulted in a nine-month stay in the hospital. She signed with Atlantic Records from her hospital bed.<ref name=Quatro>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b4jhw|title=Suzi Quatro's Pioneers of Rock: Ruth Brown|publisher=[[BBC Radio 2]]|date=February 9, 2012|access-date=March 17, 2013}}</ref>

In 1948, Ertegun and Abramson drove from New York City to Washington, D.C., to hear Brown sing. Her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, but Ertegun convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues.<ref name=pc3>{{Gilliland|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19748/m1|title=Show 3 – The Tribal Drum: The Rise of Rhythm and Blues. [Part 1&#93;}}</ref>

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 Brown. Recorded for [[Atlantic Records]] in New York City in September 1950 and released in October, it was ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s [[List of number-one R&B hits (United States)|R&B number one]] for 11 weeks. The hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm", and within a few months, she became the acknowledged queen of R&B.<ref>{{cite book |author1-last=Dawson |author1-first=Jim |author2-link=Steve Propes |author2-last=Propes |author2-first=Steve |year=1992 |title=What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record |publisher=Faber & Faber |location= Boston & London |isbn=0-571-12939-0 }}</ref>

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),<ref name=pc3/> "[[Mambo Baby]]" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960), some of which were credited to Ruth Brown and the Rhythm Makers. Between 1949 and 1955, her records stayed on the [[R&B chart]] for a total of 149 weeks; she would go on to score 21 Top 10 hits all together, including five that landed at number one. Brown ranked No. 1 on The ''Billboard'' 1954 Disk Jockey Poll for Favorite R&B Artists.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 13, 1954|title=The Billboard 1954 Disk Jockey Poll: R&B Favorites...Artists|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1954/Billboard%201954-11-13.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=96}}</ref>

Brown played many [[Racial segregation in the United States|racially segregated]] dances in the [[Southern United States|southern states]], where she toured extensively and was immensely popular. She claimed that a writer had once summed up her popularity by saying, "In the South, Ruth Brown is better known than [[Coca-Cola]]."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47234086 |title="What'd I say?" : the Atlantic story : 50 years of music |publisher=Welcome Rain Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=1-56649-048-0 |editor-last=Richardson |editor-first=Perry |edition= |location=New York |page=59 |oclc=47234086}}</ref>

Brown performed at the famed tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] in Los Angeles, which was produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.]] on June 20, 1954. She performed along with [[The Flairs]], [[Count Basie and his Orchestra]], Lamp Lighters, [[Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five]], [[Christine Kittrell]], and [[Perez Prado]] and his Orchestra.<ref>"Tenth Annual Cavalcade Offering Finest Variety At Wrigley Field June 20" Article The California Eagle June 2, 1954.
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Her first pop hit came with "[[Lucky Lips]]", a song written by [[Jerry Leiber]] and [[Mike Stoller]] and recorded in 1957. The single reached number 6 on the R&B chart and number 25 on the U.S. [[Hot 100|pop chart]].<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research|page=54}}</ref> The 1958 follow-up was "[[This Little Girl's Gone Rockin']]", written by [[Bobby Darin]] and [[Mann Curtis]]. It reached number 7 on the R&B chart and number 24 on the pop chart.<ref>Rockin' with Ruth by Ruth Brown. ''Popular Music'', Vol. 5, Continuity and Change (1985), pp. 225–234.</ref>

She had further hits with "I Don't Know" in 1959 and "Don't Deceive Me" in 1960, which were more successful on the R&B chart than on the pop chart. In 1965 she appeared as a guest on [[TV Gospel Time]]. During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view and lived as a housewife and mother.