Miss Rhythm [Paperback]

Maurice J. E. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 1999

Before Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Tina Turner, there was Ruth Brown, the legendary rhythm and blues singer best known for her hits "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "Teardrops from My Eyes," and "5-10-15 Hours." Her powerhouse voice and sassy squeal brought worldwide success to the Atlantic label in the 1950s. But it took a decades-long battle with Atlantic to receive her full royalties, which inspired the creation of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.In Miss Rhythm, the singer shares candid recollections: the early days of R&B; the racism she endured on the road; and her abusive husbands and lovers. In the '80s and '90s, Brown earned a Tony and Grammy Award and a role as Motormouth Maybelle in John Water's cult film Hairspray. Miss Rhythm is a story of trial and triumph, and of chart-topping success despite seemingly impossible odds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Born in 1928, Brown was one of the top female rhythm-and-blues singers by the 1950s, recording for Atlantic Records, a company that made a fortune from her hits, such as "Teardrops from My Eyes," but paid her practically no royalties. In the 1960s, after three disastrous marriages, her career flagged and she supported herself and her two sons by working as a teacher's aid, a bus driver and a housekeeper. A chance encounter with Redd Foxx in the mid-1970s led to a comeback that included the part of Motormouth Maybelle in the movie Hairspray, a Tony Award-winning performance in the Broadway show Black and Blue and a Grammy Award-winning album, Blues on Broadway. Since her career was reignited, Brown has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has also recovered some of her Atlantic royalties and works for royalty reform through the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She and Yule (Fast Fade) tell the story of her colorful life in boisterous detail, from her childhood in Virginia and North Carolina-where she got her musical training through singing spirituals in a church choir-to her present renewed fame. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Brown's rise was not uncommon. A small-town Southern girl begins to sing in church and "coloreds-only" USO shows, gets discovered, and is offered a recording contract. In Brown's case the record company is newcomer Atlantic, soon to become the premier R&B label of the 1950s and 1960s. Brown's string of hits over a ten-year period caused Atlantic to be known as the House that Ruth Brown Built. But after the hits stopped and she was forced to earn her living at a series of menial jobs, she realized how the accepted accounting procedures of the day had diverted huge sums from the artist to the record companies. Through the efforts of Brown and others, the companies were forced into a settlement that led to the establishment of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation for the support of early artists. Brown's career, currently enjoying a successful revival, is an important slice of the history of the music business. For public libraries.
Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808889
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808883
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,392,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rhythm & Blues

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true R&B Legend, February 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Miss Rhythm (Paperback)

Ruth Brown has seen it all--from staying in sleazy segregated hotels on tour in Jim Crow America in the 40s and 50s to the top of the R&B charts in the 50s to later hearing her songs on the radio when she was broke and ignored by the record companies she helped build. This lady was the "diva" of R&B and still performs today to packed audiences. We're lucky to have this historical record of her life, for it is a reflection of what many black performers of her day had to go through before achieving the heights of musical stardom, and what they had to go through even after achieving the heights. A great lady and a great performer!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant book about a truly amazing life., February 17, 2001

By 

Paul S. (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Rhythm (Paperback)

Miss Rhythm is one of the most well-written books I've ever read, in a any genre. Besides that, it tells about the life of someone who's had enough life-experience, and up and downs, for five people, and who has overcome incredible adversity in the proccess. Ruth Brown is not only a great artist but is truly an inspiration and an example for people from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Doesn't Miss!!!, February 9, 2005

By 

chris meesey Food Czar (The Colony, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Miss Rhythm (Paperback)

Miss Rhythm is one of the most delightful autobiographies I've read in some time, mainly because 50's R & B diva Ruth Brown never loses her wonderful sense of humor, through good times and bad. Only a truly funny lady could witness a gruesome murder (and decapitation, p. 15) and not lose her lunch in the process. She knew the heights of show business success (several #1 R and B hits), as well as the depths (she had to work as a domestic and teacher's aide AFTER her initial success just to keep food on the table for herself and her kids) and still she comes up smiling in the end. Her battles with Atlantic record company guru Ahmet Ertegun and his minions are noted in great detail: it seems that recording artists way back when received virtually no royalties on sales of their music, and since they were charged for session expenses, often ended up in permanent debt to their labels! This is why the most stirring portion of the book is the last 100 pages or so, which deals with her miraculous comeback on Broadway and in the movies (Hairspray), as well as her founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, a wonderful organization dedicated to recovering back royalties for the many rhythm and blues artist from the 50's and 60's who were paid a mere pittance for their service and who often didn't even have health insurance!! Through it all, the bad marriages and fabulous children, through earthquakes, car accidents, knee problems and poverty, through a final, moving reconciliation with her estranged family, the character of Miss Ruth Brown shines like an inspirational beacon. Get this marvelous book today, and let Miss Rhythm's wonderful strength and spirit serve as a shining example for many years to come.