Ruth Alston Brown was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the “Queen of R&B”.
Ruth Brown was married three times and is survived by two sons. Her romance with R&B singer Clyde McPhatter resulted in a son, Ronnie McPhatter.
Her other son is from her second marriage to tenor saxophonist Earl Swanson.
Ruth Brown children: Meet Ronnie McPhatter
She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as “So Long”, “Teardrops from My Eyes” and “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean”.
For these contributions, Atlantic became known as “the house that Ruth built” (alluding to the popular nickname for the old Yankee Stadium).
Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Following a resurgence that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in the 1980s, Brown used her influence to press for musicians’ rights regarding royalties and contracts; these efforts led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Her performances in the Broadway musical Black and Blue earned Brown a Tony Award, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award.
