Ruth Brown Biography

The original queen of rhythm 'n' blues has been on a remarkable roll for several years. In addition to her usual appearances on records and at night clubs, Ruth Brown has also been racking up award after award for her recently published autobiography, her work in film, on television, and on the Broadway stage.

Along with the a Tony Award for her performance in Broadway's Black and Blue, a 1989 Grammy-winning album (Blues on Broadway), Ruth completed the performer's trifecta with her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on her 65th birthday!

Ruth Brown's considerable accomplishments are not limited to the stage. Ruth and her lawyer Howell Begle of Washington, D.C., were the central figures of a legal battle with Atlantic Records over back royalties, which--when amicably settled -- directly led to the establishment of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which is providing hospitalization and other benefits for the pioneers of the genre.

In 1994, she wowed TheatreFest audiences in a production of Ain't Misbehavin.

And, if all that were not enough, Ruth coauthored (along with Andrew Yule) her autobiography, Miss Rhythm, which was released in February of 1996 by Penguin Books. It won the 1997 Ralph Gleason Music Book Award for excellence in music literature and is in development by "Showtime" as a film.

Most recently, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album "R + B = Ruth Brown" and has played festivals in Memphis, Philadelphia, Chicago and Hollywood.

Ruth's voice can currently be heard in commercials for Crystal Light and Northwest Airlines.