Ruth Brown fast facts

Monday, March 31, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

HOMETOWN: Portsmouth, Va. "Quite a few of us came out of there," said Brown, ticking off the names Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, the Five Keys and the Moonglows.

PERSONAL: Single "currently, presently and in the future." Married three times "officially. Unofficially, I lost count." Has two sons, Ron, 42, and Earl, 38, and a grandson, Brandon, 10.

HONORS: A testament to Brown's versatility is her inclusion in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in, well, Oklahoma.

AWARDS: A Grammy for the album "Blues on Broadway," a musical companion piece to "Black & Blue," a Broadway show in which Brown starred and won a Tony for in 1989.

ON THE TONY: "I had no idea I was gonna win anything," she says. Brown accepted the award from Tommy Tune while sitting in a wheelchair. She had planned to have total knee replacements, but then won a role in "Black & Blue" and put off the surgery. By the time she got to the Tony Awards, she could barely walk.

BIG-SCREEN RUTH?: Brown's fried Judy Ann Mason is writing a screenplay adaptation of "Miss Rhythm," the singer's autobiography. Toni Braxton and Halle Berry are reportedly the leading candidates to star in the film. Brown is high on Angela Bassett, who also is reportedly in the running.

BETTER TO HEAR THAN TO READ?: Brown had always been self-conscious about being unable to read music until she got a boost in confidence from Dizzy Gillespie when the two were touring Japan. "He said, 'Don't worry, you got an ear.' And I've heard musicians say, 'Ruth sings in tune.' That's the best compliment I could get."

LONG-RANGE GOAL: "I'm waiting to be discovered again."