Ruby Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruby Wilson
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Wilson performs in 2016
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| Born | February 29, 1948 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 2016 (aged 68) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1963–2016 |
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Ruby Wilson (born February 29, 1948 – died August 12, 2016) was an American singer and actress. She was famous for singing blues and gospel songs. People called her "The Queen of Beale Street". She sang in clubs on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, for more than 40 years. Ruby Wilson also toured and made many recordings. She even appeared in several movies.
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Early Life and Music Beginnings
Ruby Wilson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She was the youngest of six children. Her mother worked as a maid, and her father was self-employed. Ruby grew up picking cotton, which she said was hot and hard work.
Music was a big part of her childhood. Her mother was very religious and only allowed gospel music. She thought other music was "the devil's music." Ruby started singing in her mother's church choir at age 7. But her father loved blues music. Ruby listened to blues musicians with him. This had a strong impact on her future singing style.
When she was 14, Ruby met the famous blues musician B.B. King. He offered to be her godfather, and they became very close friends. At 15, singer Shirley Caesar heard Ruby sing at church. Shirley invited Ruby to tour with her as a backup singer. The next year, Ruby moved to Chicago. There, she directed a church choir and sang gospel music. Later, she went back to Texas and started singing jazz.
Ruby Wilson's Amazing Career
In 1972, Ruby Wilson moved to Memphis, Tennessee. She worked as a kindergarten teacher. At the same time, she began singing regularly in clubs on Beale Street. These clubs included The Peabody, Club Handy, and Club Royale. She performed with famous musicians like Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes, and the Four Tops. When B.B. King opened his B.B. King's Blues Club, Ruby got a weekly singing spot there. She also performed regularly at his restaurant, Itta Bena.
As her career grew, Ruby Wilson toured all over the United States. She also traveled internationally. She performed at blues and jazz festivals in Europe, Asia, and New Zealand. Ruby sang at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. She even performed for important people like President Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Ruby also sang on cruise ships and at many parties and events. She performed with several bands, including the Hot Cotton Jazz Band and the King Beez.
In the 1980s, Ruby lived in Los Angeles for a few years. She performed with entertainers like Joan Rivers.
In 1976, she signed her first record deal with Malaco Records. Her first album, Ruby Wilson, came out in 1981. She released nine more albums during her career. Two of these, Cake Walking Babies (1988) and Outstanding In Their Field (1989), were recorded with the Hot Cotton Jazz Band.
Film Appearances
Ruby Wilson appeared in several movies. These included The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), The Chamber (1996), Cookie's Fortune (1999), and Black Snake Moan (2006). She also appeared in television commercials.
Awards and Recognition
In 1992, after 20 years of singing on Beale Street, a local TV station WMC-TV gave her a special title. They called her "Queen Ambassador of Beale Street." Two years later, this was changed to "The Queen of Beale Street."
In 2006, Ruby Wilson won the Memphis Sound Award for Best Entertainer. In 2010, she was added to the Black Business Directory's African-American Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Ruby was given space to show items from her career. Later that year, the Ruby Wilson Museum opened. It displays her awards, outfits, and photographs. In 2013, she received a W.C. Handy Heritage Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Beale Street Walk of Fame has a special brass note honoring Ruby Wilson. This note recognizes her important contribution to the music of Beale Street.
Later Years and Passing
Ruby Wilson had a stroke in 2009. She could not speak for four months. She worked hard with speech and physical therapy. Eventually, she recovered enough to return to acting and singing. In 2016, she had a heart attack. After several days in a coma, she passed away on August 12, at age 68.
She was survived by her four children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
