Ruth Brown | Definitive Soul | CD

Audio Remasterers: Dave Schultz; Daniel Hersch; Bill Inglot.
Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl.
Recording information: Los Angeles, CA (05/25/1949-09/30/1959); New York, NY (05/25/1949-09/30/1959).
For the bulk of the 1950s the letters R and B could just have easily stood for Ruth Brown as for rhythm & blues. Her seismic effect on the music business is twofold. First, on the power of her expressive pipes alone, Brown stands as the female soul giant of the decade and--perhaps more than anybody, Ray Charles included--helped push the boundaries of the genre to the breaking point where it birthed rock & roll. From sultry jazz to ecstatic hiccups to raspy moans, Brown expanded the vocal vocabulary of soul and laid the foundation for every subsequent soul queen who has since overshadowed her, from Etta James and Irma Thomas to Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. Second, her string of hits in the 1950s earned for Atlantic records enormous wealth and reputation--capital that they spent building the most legendary label of its time.
DEFINITIVE SOUL COLLECTION, Rhino's second Ruth Brown greatest-hits collection, strives to be just what its title suggests and succeeds at every turn. The two-disc set compiles all Brown's best singles and B-sides from 1949 to 1960, a stretch during which she practically lived near the top of the R & B charts. Everything essential is here: "Teardrops From My Eyes," "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "Wild Wild Young Men," "It's Love Baby (24 Hours of the Day)," and numerous more.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Blues
• Released: 1/1/1980
• Released: 01/01/1980