Brown was the oldest of seven siblings and was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. I. C. Norcom High School was where she studied. Dockworker Brown’s father was. He oversaw the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church choir as well, but young Ruth rebelled against him by preferring to perform at nightclubs and USO events.
She was influenced by Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan.
Brown, at 17 years old, and Jimmy Brown, a trumpeter whom she later married, fled their Portsmouth home in 1945 to sing in bars and clubs. The next month, she was a member of Lucky Millinder’s orchestra.
How old is Ruth Brown?
Ruth Brown passed away at the age of 78. Brown’s performance at the Crystal Caverns, a nightclub in Washington, D.C., was arranged by Blanche Calloway, a bandleader and sister of Cab Calloway, who later took on the role of Brown’s manager.
Her performance with Duke Ellington drew the attention of Voice of America disc jockey Willis Conover, who later suggested her to Atlantic Records executives Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson.
