Idolator

Ruth Brown—whose '50s hits like "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "5-10-15 Hours" resulted in her label, Atlantic Records, being known as "The House That Ruth Built"—passed away in Las Vegas over the weekend. Brown was referred to as "the girl with the tear in her voice," and she appeared as Motormouth Maybelle in John Waters' Hairspray. In the 1980s, Brown created the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which worked to preserve the legacy of R & B and protect its artists. Brown was 78.

Ruth Brown - 5-10-15 Hours [MP3, link expired; via Tuwa's Shanty and the Root Canal]
Ruth Brown dies at age 78 [Reuters]
Rhythm and Blues Foundation [rhythm-n-blues.org, via Soul Sides]