EMP|SFM Oral History Videos

Category: Jazz

Video Title: Five Jazz Greats

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Who: Ruth Brown
What: Queen of rhythm and blues
Interviewed: April 24, 1998
Where: New Orleans

The Player:
Ruth Brown (January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was one of the great all-time R&B vocalists. Signed to Atlantic Records in 1949, she churned out so many hits over the next decade that the label became know as "the House that Ruth Built." Although known as an R&B singer, she was originally inspired by jazz singers Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday, and she shared the stage with Count Basie, Lester Powell, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

Read the transcript:

Songwriting Partnership
Count Basie, a very kind gentleman who said, "Here they come and there they go, swingin' gates." I toured with his band, and I think that was one of the proudest moments. I toured with that big band, Count Basie, and with Joe Williams and George Shearing. Basie gave me a lot of visibility under the jazz realm, and always was kind enough to respect what it was about. I loved him and miss him.

Bud Powell and Lester Young. I toured the south with Lester Young on a blues tour, believe it or not. My great memory was with the hurachis, the straw shoes, the pork pie hat, and a little plaid bag in which he carried his bottle of Johnny Walker Red. I also remember checkin' into Austin, Texas, in a little hotel there and when we checked in the sign said: $20 with and $15 without. And we didn't understand what that was. So Lester said, "Give me one without." We all thought it meant with a bath and no bath. So Lester said, "Well, we're just here for a short time so who needs a bath. I can use ..." What it meant though was with a window and without a window. And I'll never forget that when Lester went into his room, came back down to the desk and he was livid about no window, you know. It was like a closet. But I had great times, great times with him.

Charlie Parker. I was a singer with him when he got strings. I worked with him at the Paradise in Detroit the first time he presented strings. It was wonderful. But you know the amazing thing was in that time I wasn't aware of the greatness of all these people that I was with. They were just very kind to me. I was an R&B singer, and a lot of times I got put on bill because of the fact that my record was big you know. I was put on bills with Miles Davis. The first time I went to work with him he didn't want me on the bill with him and refused to perform with me because I was an R&B singer, notably. Well, we went on to become friends and have great respect for each other.