Ruth Brown

A singer. A leading light in Atlantic Records' storming of the pop music Bastille. Hits like "Lucky Lips", "Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean", "5-10-15 Hours". Like Etta James, she later allowed herself to be shoehorned into "jazz" or "blues" boxes, after the vagaries of the marketplace pushed her aside for younger, "prettier" chantoozies - she could still out-sing them all. In recent years, she has helped lead the fight for back royalties for herself and her 50s rhythm and blues peers.

I remember her chiefly for her double entendre laden rendition of If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' on It, composed by Alexander Hill and lyrics by Andy Razaf, which conflates the image of a chair with that of the singer's badonkadonk in the listener's mind.

I own a secondhand furniture store and I think my prices are fair, Course this real cheap guy I know came in one day. Saw this chair he wanted to buy, but he wouldn't, claimed the price was too high. So I looked straight in the eye, and this was my reply... If I can't sell it, I'm gonna sit down on it. I ain't gonna give it away. Now darling if you want it, you're gonna have to buy it. And I mean just what I say. Now how would you like to find this waitin at home for you every night. Only been used once or twice but it's still nice and TIGHT!