Ruth Brown

Royalty stands tall, and Ruth Brown has stood as tall as any during her 54-year career as the R&B powerhouse known simply, and righteously, as "Miss Rhythm." And at age 76, Brown is still belting 'em out with style. Her charm and joy—and that deep, drop-dead soulful voice—win her new fans every time she performs. Brown's first hit, "So Long," shot her to fame in 1949, and she ruled the R&B charts throughout the 1950's with two dozen solid hits. Her career ebbed in the '60's, but by the mid-seventies Brown was back. In1989, she won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway musical Black and Blue and a Grammy for her album Blues on Broadway. A 1995 tour with Bonnie Raitt brought "Miss Rhythm" back into the mainstream spotlight. But the title of her 1997 CD said it best: R B=Ruth Brown. That's always been true. Brown will perform in a rare intimate setting, accompanied by cool, tasteful jazz guitarist Rodney Jones, Akira Tana on drums, Jeff Pittson on piano and organ, Nelson Braxton on bass and Charles McNeal on sax.