"5-10-15 Hours" is a rhythm-and-blues song written by Rudy Toombs in 1952 for

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a popular music, pop music ...

and was one of several number-one R&B hits he wrote for her. When Brown was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

, her induction said that "her best work was to be found on such red-hot mid-Fifties R&B sides as '5-10-15 Hours'".

Song Background

Her recording is smooth, sophisticated blues shouting at its best, has a touch of suppliance more characteristic of the vocal qualities of popular singers than of the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

. The recording features a

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

solo by Willis Jackson.

Footnotes

1952 singles Atlantic Records singles Ruth Brown songs Songs written by Rudy Toombs 1952 songs {{1950s-R&B-song-stub