Ruthie Foster

Last updated

Ruthie Foster
RuthieFoster1photocreditJohnCarrico.jpg
Foster performing at The Living Room in New York City; January 24, 2007
Background information
Born (1964-02-10) February 10, 1964 (age 60)
Gause, Texas, United States
Genres Blues, folk, gospel blues
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar
Years active1997–present
LabelsBlue Corn Music, M.O.D. Records
Website Ruthie Foster.com

Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964) [1] is an American singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul. She has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. [2]

Contents

Biography

Foster is from Gause, Texas, and comes from a family of gospel singers. At the age of fourteen, Foster was a soloist in her hometown choir, and was certain that her future would revolve around music. After high school, she moved to Waco, Texas, to attend McLennan Community College, where her studies concentrated in music and audio engineering. She began fronting a blues band, learning how to command a stage in the bars of Texas. [3]

Hoping to travel and gain a wider world perspective, Foster joined the Navy, and soon began singing in the naval band Pride, which played pop and funk hits at recruitment drives in the southeastern United States. Following her tour of duty, Foster headed to New York City, where she became a regular performer at various local folk venues. Atlantic Records got wind of Foster's talent and offered her a recording deal, with the intent of cultivating her as a budding pop star, but Foster wasn't interested in a pop career, preferring instead to explore the various strains of American roots music that had informed her childhood.[ citation needed ] When her mother fell ill in 1993, Foster left New York and her recording deal and returned to Texas to be with her family. She began working as a camera operator and production assistant at a television station in College Station, Texas, while she cared for her mother, who died in 1996.

Career

In 1997 Foster self-released the album Full Circle, the success of which paved the way to a long relationship with the record label Blue Corn Music. [3]

Blue Corn released the follow-up album Crossover in 1999, Runaway Soul in 2002, and Stages (featuring a series of live tracks) in 2004. Foster's next release was Heal Yourself in 2006, followed by the studio album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster in 2008, which was produced by Papa Mali. [4] In 2009, Blue Corn released The Truth According to Ruthie Foster, which was produced by Grammy-winning producer Chris Goldsmith [5] and recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis. [3] The Truth According to Ruthie Foster earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. A second album of Foster's live performances, Live At Antone's (CD and DVD), was released in 2011. In 2012, Blue Corn released the studio album Let It Burn, which featured special guests The Blind Boys of Alabama, William Bell and the rhythm section of The Funky Meters, and was produced by Grammy Award winner John Chelew. [6] Let It Burn earned Foster a second Grammy nomination, this time for Best Blues Album, and was the vehicle for numerous Blues Music Awards won by Foster.

Ruthie Foster, 2008 20080814-RuthieFoster.jpg
Ruthie Foster, 2008

Foster's awards list has grown in the last few years. These awards include three Grammy nominations (Let It Burn for Best Blues Album, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and Promise of a Brand New Day for Best Blues Album [7] [8] ), her numerous wins at the Blues Music Awards, including three awards for Best Female Vocalist and one for DVD of the Year for Live At Antone's, and Foster's crown for Best Female Vocalist at the 2013 Austin Music Awards. [3] [9] In 2016, she was nominated for two Living Blues Awards and won the Koko Taylor Award for Best Traditional Female Blues Artist. [10] Her list of honors also include a nomination from the Living Blues Awards for Best Live Performer. [10]

Foster performed with the Allman Brothers Band in 2012 at their annual Beacon Theatre run in New York City. She sang on four songs, including a cover version of "The Weight", on which she traded verses with Susan Tedeschi. [11] She has toured with the Blind Boys of Alabama as well as Warren Haynes and also appears on Haynes' album Man In Motion. [12] She was featured in February 2013 as a special guest on House of Blues and Elwood Blue's radio show, The BluesMobile, [13] as well as an appearance in November 2012 in Austin Live: Tick Tock, a video short produced by the City of Austin. [3] [14] She performed at the Texas State Society of Washington D.C.'s Presidential Inauguration Ball in January 2013. [15]

Foster continues to tour extensively all over the world. As of 2016, her shows have spanned across the U.S., Italy, Germany, Spain, and Cuba. [10]

Ruthie Foster performing at the Kitchener Blues Festival 2018 Ruthie Foster at Kitchener Bluesfest 2018.jpg
Ruthie Foster performing at the Kitchener Blues Festival 2018

She announced details for a spring 2017 album during an in-depth career retrospective interview with The Pods & Sods Network in November 2016. [16] That album, titled Joy Comes Back, was released on March 24, 2017, via Blue Corn Records, [17] and included collaborations with several artists, including Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Following Hurricane Harvey which damaged many coastal cities in Foster's home state of Texas, she was invited to participate in a benefit concert including Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, and James Taylor. [18] Another significant moment was Foster's performance at Carnegie Hall in February 2018. [19] Foster was also awarded one of US Artists' fellowship awards, which recognized her contributions to her field, accompanied by an unrestricted $50,000 award. [20]

Discography

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Tedeschi</span> American blues musician

Susan Tedeschi is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks’ band, and other musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koko Taylor</span> American blues singer (1928–2009)

Koko Taylor was an American singer whose style encompassed Chicago blues, electric blues, rhythm and blues and soul blues. Sometimes called "The Queen of the Blues", she was known for her rough, powerful vocals. Over the course of her career, she was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, winning 1985's Best Traditional Blues Album for her appearance on Blues Explosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cotton</span> American blues singer-songwriter (1935–2017)

James Henry Cotton was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Hart</span> American blues rock musician

Beth Hart is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song " from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 5 of the US Adult Contemporary and Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shemekia Copeland</span> American blues singer (b. 1979)

Charon Shemekia Copeland is an American electric blues vocalist. To date, she has released ten albums and been presented with eight Blues Music Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Foley</span> Musical artist

Sue Foley is a Canadian blues guitarist and singer. She has released 15 albums since her debut with Young Girl Blues (1992). In May 2020, Foley won her first Blues Music Award, in the 'Koko Taylor Award ' category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bettye LaVette</span> American soul singer (born 1946)

Bettye LaVette is an American soul singer who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise was released to widespread critical acclaim, and was named on many critics' "Best of 2005" lists. Her next album, The Scene of the Crime, debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards. She received the Legacy of Americana Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Americana Music Honors & Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Primer</span> American singer and guitarist (born 1945)

John Primer is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist who played behind Junior Wells in the house band at Theresa's Lounge and as a member of the bands of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Magic Slim before launching an award-winning career as a front man, carrying forward the traditional Windy City sound into the 21st century.

Fiona Boyes is an Australian blues musician. She has been recording for more than 25 years and tours regularly in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lurrie Bell</span> American blues guitarist and singer

Lurrie Bell is an American blues guitarist and singer. His father was renowned blues harmonica player Carey Bell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ledisi</span> American singer/songwriter, author and actress (born 1972)

Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, music producer, author and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Sluppick</span> American drummer (born 1968)

George Peter Sluppick is an American touring and session drummer, best known for his association with bands such as The City Champs, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Sha Na Na, JJ Grey & Mofro and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janiva Magness</span> Musical artist

Janiva Magness is an American Grammy Award nominated blues, soul, and Americana singer, songwriter, and author. To date she has released 16 albums.

John Németh is an American electric blues and soul harmonicist, singer, and songwriter. He has received five Blues Music Awards for Soul Blues Male Artist, Soul Blues Album, Traditional Blues Album of the Year, Instrumentalist – Vocals and Instrumentalist – Harmonica. He has recorded ten albums since 2002, having also backed Junior Watson, Anson Funderburgh and Elvin Bishop. He has opened for Robert Cray, Keb' Mo', and Earl Thomas.

Trudy Lynn is an American electric blues and soul blues singer and songwriter, whose recorded work has been released on twelve studio albums, one live album, and four compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharrie Williams</span> American singer-songwriter

Sharrie Williams is an American blues/soul/gospel singer-songwriter.

Diunna Greenleaf is an American blues singer and songwriter.

Mascot Label Group is an independently-owned record label. Founded in 1989 in The Netherlands under the name Mascot Records, the company was renamed Mascot-Provogue in 1999 and since 2010 has been known as the Mascot Label Group. The company is based in the Netherlands and has offices in New York, Cologne, Stockholm, Milan, Paris and London. It was distributed by ADA and Warner Music Group until 2022; it is now serviced by FUGA. Mascot Label Group is the parent company of six record labels: Mascot Records, Provogue Records, Music Theories Recordings, Cool Green Recordings, The Funk Garage, and The Players Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teeny Tucker</span> American singer

Regina B. Higginbotham known professionally as Teeny Tucker is an American electric blues and new blues singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of the late blues musician Tommy Tucker. AllMusic noted that "Teeny Tucker is among a growing number of female blues belters taking different paths to stardom or wider recognition, but she's one of the very best..." She has released six albums to date.

References

  1. ↑ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 297. ISBN   978-0313344237.
  2. ↑ "The Many Lives of Jazz Musician Ruthie Foster". The Charleston Gazette. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013. In her 48 years, blues singer Ruthie Foster has lived a couple of different lives.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ruthie Foster : Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Ruthie Foster : The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster : CD Baby Music Store". CD Baby. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Ruthie Foster" (PDF). Rosebudus.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ Skanse, Richard. "Fire in the Soul: Ruthie Foster continues her artistic hot streak with Let it Burn". Lone Star Music.
  7. 1 2 "Ruthie Foster Picks Up Third Consecutive Grammy Nomination for Promise of a Brand New Day". Blue Corn Music. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hildebrand, Lee (May 5, 2013). "Ruthie Foster performs in Bay Area – San Francisco". San Francisco Chronicle.
  9. ↑ "Austin Music Awards". Austinchronicle.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "News". Ruthiefoster.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Weight – The Allman Brothers Feat. Ruthie Foster and Susan Tedeschi". YouTube. March 26, 2013.
  12. ↑ Budnik, Dean (June 22, 2012). "Warren Haynes: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag". Relix. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Ruthie Foster Aim For the Hear". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Austin Live: Tick Tock". Austintexas.org. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Official BTB Program" (PDF). Blacktieandbootsball.com. Retrieved May 24, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "EM43 – Ruthie Foster". Podsodcast.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  17. ↑ "News". Ruthie Foster. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Great moments at Erwin Center's Harvey benefit, and one that got away - Austin Music Source". Music.blog.austin360.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Review: Ruthie Foster Brings Her Commanding Presence To an Eclectically Southern-Rooted Set at Zankel Hall". Zealnyc.com. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  20. 1 2 "United States Artists » Ruthie Foster". Unitedstatesartists.org. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Ruthie Foster – Full Circle". CD Baby. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Ruthie Foster – Crossover". CD Baby. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ Barr, Greg (August 22, 2002). "Ruthie Foster: Runaway Soul (Blue Corn Music)". Houston Press Music. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  24. ↑ Caligiuri, Jim (July 23, 2004). "Ruthie Foster: Stages (Blue Corn)". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Ruthie Foster Aims for 'Phenomenal'-ness". NPR. April 25, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  26. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (March 30, 2007). "Ruthie Foster "The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster" Blue Corn". The Washington Post. pp. WE09. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  27. ↑ Silver, Marc (May 28, 2009). "Ruthie Foster (Quietly) Tells The Truth". NPR. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  28. ↑ Capobianco, Ken (February 23, 2009). "Ruthie Foster, 'The Truth According to Ruthie Foster'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  29. ↑ Bman (November 15, 2011). "Bman's Blues Report: Blue Corn Music artist Ruthie Foster New Release – Let It Burn – Review". Bmansbluesreport.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  30. ↑ Horowitz, Hal (August 21, 2014). "Ruthie Foster: Promise Of A Brand New Day". Americansongwriter.com. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Ruthie Foster - Joy Comes Back". Blues Magazine. December 13, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ruthie Foster". Rosebudus.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Artist: Ruthie Foster". www.grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  34. ↑ Marshall, Matt (May 6, 2011). "2011 Blues Music Awards Winners". American Blues Scene.
  35. ↑ White, Jim (May 11, 2012). "2012 Blues Music Award winners". Community Voices. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Ruthie Foster third consecutive Grammy nomination". Gaynorcrawford.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  37. ↑ Marshall, Matt (March 9, 2013). "2013 Blues Music Awards Winners". American Blues Scene. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  38. ↑ "2015 Blues Music Awards Winners". Americanbluesscene.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  39. ↑ "2016 Blues Music Awards Winner List". Blues411.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  40. ↑ "email : Webview : BREAKING: Blues Music Awards winners announced; Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo's 'TajMo' wins seven awards". T.e2ma.net. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Here Are Your 2018/19 Austin Music Award Winners". Austinchronicle.com. March 1, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  42. ↑ "2019 Blues Music Awards Winners Announced". Antimusic.com. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  43. ↑ Grein, Paul (May 12, 2023). "Tommy Castro Repeats as Entertainer of the Year at 2023 Blues Music Awards: Full Winners List". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.

Other sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.