Ruth Brown - Teardrops From My Eyes: Best Of 1949-59 (2024)

Ruth Brown was a trailblazing R&B artist whose popularity and success from the early 1950s established the fortunes of the Atlantic Records label. So much so that the label was often referred to as “The House That Ruth Built”. With her sassy, raunchy yet sweet style, Brown was unique. She was also an advocate for other R&B musicians, mounting a brave legal challenge against her former label, and revolutionising the royalty system for all musicians in the process. Brown’s career can be seen as two halves of a whole that add up to something ground-breaking and substantial. In this fantastic collection, the focus is on her early work; the gems featured here include her first single for Atlantic, “So Long”, her first R&B hit, “Teardrops From My Eyes”, arguably two of the earliest Rock ’n’ Roll hits, “5.10.15 Hours”, and Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”, and perhaps her biggest early career hit, “Lucky Lips”. This fine collection gives the discerning listener a real flavour of the “hot” and sassy sound for which Brown was so revered. A muse for Little Richard, and dubbed “Miss Rhythm” by Frankie Laine, Ruth Brown’s songs are essential listening for fans of great music.