RUBY ANNIVERSARY
IT’S 40 YEARS SINCE BRUM SINGER RUBY TURNER HAD HER FIRST HIT, AND SHE’S BACK ON HOME TURF, WRITES
WHEN months of hard touring with Jools Holland concluded on December 23, Ruby Turner was naturally looking forward to a welldeserved festive break.
“I spent Christmas horizontal,” the singer laughs.
But her was short-lived, as once the decorations were down, she was readying for her own UK tour, which concludes at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on March 6.
“You have to be match fit, physically on it, everything needs to be firing,’’ says the 65-year-old soul / gospel / R&B vocalist says of her swift return to the stage after a couple of weeks on the sofa.
‘‘But it’s fantastic! When you’re one-to-one with an audience, you can engage with them, talk to them. It’s not just playing the music, I’m also interweaving stories between the songs.”
As you’d expect from someone who’s sung with Mick Jagger, Culture Club, Motown superstar Jimmy Ruffin, Jools Holland, and fellow Brum stars UB40 and Steve Winwood, as well as performing for royalty, picking up an MBE, and acting too, she has plenty of stories to tell. “People have said to me, ‘You’ve got to write a book!’
“Nah,” she smiles. “Just come to the gigs and I’ll tell you!”
Raised in Handsworth, Jamaicaborn Ruby grew up surrounded by music. Yet, she says “theatre was where my heart was” and as a 16-year-old she enjoyed treading the boards at Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre. “That’s where my voice came out. We were young and we were all singing and dancing and acting, having a nice time,” she recalls. “We had the opportunity to go to Edinburgh in 1977, and played the Fringe, and someone came along, wrote about it and said I was ‘one to watch’, and [BBC TV arts series] Arena filmed our little drama thing too.
“Afterwards, the team sat me back down and said, ‘You should sing!’” So that’s what Ruby did.
“It was just fantastic!” she enthuses, recalling her own gigs and the explosion of talent present in Brum during the late-’70s/early-’80s. “The music scene was so vibrant here, we were leading the way, there was just such a buzz. ‘‘There was not a pub in Birmingham that didn’t have gigs on. I remember being in the Barrel Organ in Digbeth when Dexy’s Midnight Runners came in looking for a gig, and The Hare And Hounds, in Kings Heath – that was my gig back in the day – and the Selly Oak Tavern.
“And there was also The Rum Runner, Barbarella’s, the ‘Durannies’ [Duran Duran], UB40 – my guys – Steve Gibbons...
“We all played in different people’s bands, and played with different musicians. It was such a wonderful time, there were so many things going on here and the music scene captured that vibe. It was the best time, and I made such friends because Birmingham is such a friendly city.”
Ruby’s breakthrough came when she was recommended to Culture Club. From touring and recording with Boy George and co., she was
picked up by Jive Records as a solo artist, and amassed a string of hits, including If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me) in 983, I’d Rather Go Blind in 1987, and Stay With Me Baby in 1994, plus It’s Gonna Be Alright – a US R&B Chart number one in 1988, and a huge feat for a British artist at the time.
When the hits began to dry up, Ruby returned to her first love, acting, treading the boards in Carmen Jones with Simon Callow, joining A Streetcar Named Desire at Bristol
Old Vic, and heading to London’s West End. She even landed a role in EastEnders, and a cameo in comedy fave Love Actually.
“People are still discovering me in it – it was a wonderful experience,” Ruby smiles, recalling how she suspected Love Actually writer/director Curtis was a fan after hearing one of her songs played in the background during an episode of Curtis’ TV comedy series The Vicar Of Dibley.
But when Jools Holland called, and invited her to guest with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, it was an offer she couldn’t refuse, and more than 25 years later, she’s still with them, now as a permanent member.
“Theatre’s a very precarious thing. Seeing these wonderful young people, who are about to do six or 12-month runs of theatre shows only for them to close in three months is heartbreaking. I was lucky, I had another string to my bow, so when Jools called, I thought, ‘Why not?’ It was a good decision.” Although Jools’ regular touring, TV and recording commitments keep her busy, she’s never lost sight of her solo career, and is currently pondering a follow-up to 2020’s Love Was Here album.
“I’m not very prolific,” confesses the singer, who still lives in the West Midlands, just south of Brum. “But I have to keep writing; I have to keep recording – that creative element won’t be silenced.”
I remember being in the Barrel Organ when Dexy’s came in looking for a gig
Ruby Turner visits Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on March 6. She then returns to the venue on May 22 with Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. See warwickartscentre.co.uk