- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRuth Alston Weston
- Nicknames
- Miss Rhythm
- The Queen of R&B
- The Queen Mother of the Blues
- The Girl with the Tear in Her Voice
- Ruth Brown was born on January 12, 1928 in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Hairspray (1988), The Hurricane (1999) and My Blueberry Nights (2007). She was married to Earl Swanson, Jimmy Brown, Bill Blunt, Willis 'Gator Tail' Jackson and Jimmy Brown. She died on November 17, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
- SpousesEarl Swanson(1955 - ?) (divorced, 1 child)Jimmy Brown(1945 - ?) (annulled)Bill Blunt (divorced)
- Her 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".
- Willis Conover, a local Washington disc jockey, caught her act and recommended her to Atlantic Records, but Ruth was unable to audition for the company due to a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital visit. In 1948, however, the record talent caught her act in a club and convinced her to switch from ballads to rhythm and blues.
- Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, and also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Ruth at a Washington nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager.
- Best known in films for her role as Motormouth Maybelle in John Waters' musical comedy Hairspray (1988).
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