Ruby Johnson

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Ruby Johnson
Ruby johnson.jpg
Cover of Ruby Johnson compilation album
Background information
Birth nameRuby Johnson
Born(1936-04-19)April 19, 1936
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States
DiedJuly 4, 1999(1999-07-04) (aged 63)
Lanham, Maryland, United States
Genres R&B, soul
OccupationSinger
Years activec.1958–1974
LabelsV-Tone, NEBS, Volt

Ruby Johnson (April 19, 1936 [1] – July 4, 1999) [2] was an American soul singer, best known for her recordings on the Volt label in the late 1960s. [1]

Contents

Life and career

She was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and was raised in the Jewish faith. [2] She sang, with her eight brothers and sisters, in the Temple Beth-El choir. [1] After completing high school, she moved to Virginia Beach where she worked as a waitress and began singing rhythm and blues with local bands, before spending two years with Samuel Latham and the Rhythm Makers. [1] She then moved to Washington, D.C. in the late 1950s, and joined Ambrose and the Showstoppers, the house band at the Spa nightclub. [1] Local entrepreneur Never Duncan Jnr. became her manager, [1] and placed her with record producer Dicky Williams. Her first single, "Calling All Boys", was issued in 1960 on the V-Tone label, before Duncan established his own recording company, NEBS. [1] She released a succession of singles on NEBS, including "Here I Go Again", "Worried Mind", and "Nobody Cares", some of which became local hits. [2]

When her local supporter, disc jockey Al Bell, began working for Stax Records in Memphis in 1965, he won her a contract with the label. [1] There, she recorded a handful of classic soul records with the writing and production team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, [1] and backing musicians including Steve Cropper, "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson. These were issued on the Stax subsidiary label, Volt. [1] They included "I'll Run Your Hurt Away", [1] which reached No. 31 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1966, and "If I Ever Needed Love", both tracks which became staples of subsequent soul compilations, such as those by Dave Godin. [3]

Despite the quality of her records, they met with little success, and after a few more years singing in clubs, she gave up her singing career in 1974. [1] She worked in government posts, and eventually became the director of Foster Grandparents, a federal programme helping handicapped children relate to older generations. [1] She also returned to worship and sing at the Temple Beth-El near her home in Lanham, Maryland. A compilation CD, including many previously unissued tracks, was issued in 1993. [4]

She died in 1999, aged 63. [2]

Discography

Singles

Albums

I'll Run Your Hurt Away, Stax, 1993 [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 143. ISBN   0-85112-733-9.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Obituary: Ruby Johnson". The Independent . October 23, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ "RUBY JOHNSON : Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven". Sirshambling.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "I'll Run Your Hurt Away - Ruby Johnson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Ruby Johnson Discography - USA". 45cat.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
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