“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ”
Ruby, a native of Morgantown, West Virginia, began classical training on the violin at age 3, a journey that continued into college at West Virginia University. In her adult years, she branched out from classical violin, and began a lifelong adventure as a musical performer in multiple bands spanning from rock-n-roll to honky-tonk. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays cello, viola, mandolin, banjo, bass, and piano, but typically performs live with violin, guitar, and ukulele.
After performing for 16 years as a touring musician with a multi-member act, she embarked on a solo career in 2018, and as of the end of 2024 has performed over 800 live solo shows. As a soloist, Ruby draws upon a lifetime of experience as a songwriter, recording artist, and live performer, creating a unique collaboration of musical styles including elements of her Appalachian roots, classical training, rock, blues, country, and old-time music to forge her own original genre of classic Americana she’s coined “Mountain Soul Music.” It is truly Americana, at its best.
When not performing regional and local shows, Ruby tours throughout the U.S., routinely opens for national acts who visit and perform in Pittsburgh, and records in the studio. Since 2018 she has recorded and released 5 studio albums, her songs have received radio airplay, she has supported numerous notable acts such as Marshall Crenshaw, Scott Miller, The Steel Wheels, among others, and has been a featured performer in Telluride, and at the Kansas State Fair.
Ruby’s fiddle-driven musical techniques and smooth, soulful vocals leave audiences everywhere mesmerized.
FEATURED ALBUMS
RUBY ON STAGE
Neptune’s Lounge, recorded at Mindrocket Studio and released in December 2019, is collection of classic jazz standards with a few of my original compositions included. It is a vast departure from the musical style that most people have grown accustomed to in my previous endeavors and performances.
The seed was planted many years ago by jazz fans within my own family, and more recently while listening to old vinyl recordings by jazz artists and vocalists such as Dinah Washington, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, and Etta James. This led to attempting to learn about the structure and composition of some of those great songs by playing them first on the ukulele.
To fully realize the recording potential of these songs, expert help was needed. Luckily, the Youngstown, Ohio jazz scene had a wealth of talent to contribute. With the help of extremely talented musicians who collaborated on this recording project, a vision was realized.