Ruth Brown first signed with Atlantic records. Throughout the fifties Ruth Brown had hit after hit on the Billboard R&B chart. According to Wikipedia, between 1949 and 1955 records by Brown stayed on the R&B chart for a total of 149 weeks: 16 top 10 records, along with 5 number one hits. During the sixties she receded from the public view to care for her family. In 1975 she came back to a musical career that eventually included winning a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical as well as a Grammy for Best Female Jazz Artist.
Other notable awards include: recipient of the Pioneer Award (1989), inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame (1992), inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993), and another Grammy nomination for R + B = Ruth Brown (1997).
Ruth Brown had hosted a program carried by NPR affiliates called BluesStage. I wasn't able to find any recordings of the program itself, but I did find an interview she did with NPR from 1993. In this interview Brown talks about her early life, admiration for Billie Holiday, and she sang as well while the host, Marian McPartland, accompanies on piano. One quality Ruth Brown highlights is the joy she injects into the songs she sings. In discussing Fine & Mellow she says she can't help but add more life and playfulness to the song than the Billie Holiday version, similarly with the song that got her inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "Mana, He Treats Your Daughter Mean".
According to Second Hand Songs the song itself was originally recorded by Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers in May of 1955. Brown's version was released in August of that year. I enjoy this song because of the energy. It's a driving song with a consistent rhythm section and a playful saxophone. There is a buoyant quality to her version that makes me want to dance (it's now going in the practice rotation).
Some Additional Versions:
It's love Baby - Earl Gaines with Louis Brooks & his Hi-Toppers
The Midnighters - It's Love Baby (24 Hours A Day)
Earl Gaines - It's Love Baby 24 Hours A Day
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Sources
https://secondhandsongs.com/work/34960/originals#nav-entity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Brown
https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ruth-brown
http://www.npr.org/event/music/358587932/ruth-brown-on-piano-jazz
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