Forebears: Ruth Brown, The Fabulous Miss Rhythm

This essay is one in a series celebrating women whose major contributions in recording occurred before the time frame of NPR Music's list of 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.

Ruth Brown was R&B's first major star; in fact, rhythm and blues as a genre was born at almost the same moment Brown released her first single. It was 1949 when Billboard changed the name of its "Race Music" category to "Rhythm and Blues" — the same year Brown released her first single, "So Long." Her early musical legacy isn't as well-known as her later accomplishments, but Brown's 1950s