January 1989
Lynne Palmer with Ruth Brown

tribute to her. Johnny green died a year later.
      During the time Ruth Brown and I were roommates (from March 1989 to November 1990), I was amazed that she never sang in the apartment. When learning a new song, she would hum while listening to the music and reading the words on the music sheet. When appearing in nightclubs, Ruth Brown never warmed up before a show. With her naturally powerful voice, she didn’t have to.
      I told Ruth she would win the “Outer Critics” award, and the following month, April 1989, she won it for Best Actress in a Musical. I told Ruth she would win a Grammy (which she did), and that someday she would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which happened in 1993). Later she won the W.C. Handy, “Keeping the Blues Alive” award.
      After one and a half years as roommates, Ruth Brown moved to Hollywood to be with her grown children and grandchild. A year later, I moved to Las Vegas. When an earthquake  demolished  Ruth’s

For twenty years, I was Ruth Brown’s astrologer and close friend. Ruth Brown’s death is an enormous personal loss to me and to her family, friends, fans and music lovers everywhere. No one will ever replace her -- Ruth Brown was an original. She was the Queen of Rhythm and Blues. As she always said, “R and B stands for Ruth Brown.” And indeed it did!
      In 1987, the late singer, Doris Troy, famous for her song, “Just One Look,” told Ruth, “You need to have your horoscope done by Lynne Palmer.”
      As Ruth Brown later wrote, “When my career was at a standstill, I met Lynne Palmer, whose predictions turned out to be accurate. As a matter of fact, in 1989 I won the Tony award for Best Actress in a musical. Lynne Palmer correctly predicted I would win a Tony, Grammy, perform in a comedy film, which was the role of Maybelle in HAIRSPRAY. And that I would be shocked with unexpected shocks and unexpected moves, which turned out to be the 1994 California earthquake.”
      When Ruth Brown came for an astrological reading, I told her she had aspects to be an actress in a movie. A year later, she appeared in the film “Hairspray.” I told Ruth she would have success with a religious album -which was released after having been shelved for 28 years.
      Ruth had a chance to go to Paris to star in the musical “Black and Blue” but she did not want to go. I saw that she had great aspects for success there. Finally, exasperated, I pointed my finger in her face and said, “YOU GO!” Later, Ruth sent me a  postcard  from  Paris and  said  the

show was a great success. It was held over for many months.
|      After Ruth Brown returned to New York City, she told me that “Black and Blue” was going to open in January 1989, but, again, said she didn’t want to do it. And again, I insisted she do the show because I saw that she would win a Tony, plus numerous other awards. I told Ruth that she had good aspects for the previews in December 1988 and would open for the previews, which she did.
      But, for the scheduled January 1989 opening night, Ruth did not have aspects to be there. Her astrological aspects showed a serious cholesterol problem. I advised her to see a doctor and to watch her diet. On the January scheduled opening of “Black and Blue,” Ruth Brown was in the hospital --her cholesterol was over 400 . The scheduled opening date was postponed and a few weeks later, Ruth Brown performed in “Black and Blue.” The rest is history.
      When Ruth was rehearsing “Black and Blue” at the theatre, the director told her not to move while she sang, “Body and Soul.” She couldn’t understand why she had to stand in one spot -- until the dress rehearsal. Her beaded gown weighed thirty pounds and she could barely move.
      While Ruth was performing in “Black and Blue,” she received a letter from John W. green, the composer of “Body and Soul.” Johnny green told Ruth she was the only singer in the world who sang that song the way he meant it to be sung. He enclosed the original score of  “Body  and  Soul” as  a  gift  and