Ruby Nash Garnett

Last updated

Nash Garnett in 1965 Ruby Nash Garnett (cropped).png
Nash Garnett in 1965

Ruby Nash Garnett [1] (born June 15, 1934) is an American singer who led the rhythm and blues group Ruby & the Romantics. [1]

Career

Born in Akron, Ohio, Nash did not start singing until she was a senior in high school. She joined a group of male singers touring as "The Supremes" in 1961. After they got a recording contract with Kapp Records, they changed their name to "Ruby & the Romantics". In 1963, they scored a No. 1 hit with "Our Day Will Come", and had a Top 20 Hit with, "My Summer Love" (#16) and still another hit with "Hey There Lonely Boy" (#27), along with several more charting songs over the next several years, but they never emulated that initial success. The group disbanded in 1971, after 10 years, still with all five original members: Nash, Leroy Fann, Ed Roberts, George Lee and Ron Mosely. [2]

Nash returned to Akron and worked for AT&T. Ruby & The Romantics were given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1997, and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007. [3] [4]

As of 2024, Nash is the only surviving original member.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Brown</span> American singer-songwriter (1928–2006)

Ruth Alston Brown was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean". For these contributions, Atlantic became known as "the house that Ruth built". Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etta James</span> American singer (1938–2012)

Jamesetta Hawkins, known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bland</span> American blues and soul singer and musician (1930–2013)

Robert Calvin Bland, known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladys Knight & the Pips</span> American R&B/soul vocal group

Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie Taylor</span> American singer and songwriter (1934–2000)

Johnnie Harrison Taylor was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. He was initially successful at Stax Records with the number-one R&B hits "Who's Making Love" (1968), "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" (1971) and "I Believe in You " (1973), and reached number one on the US pop charts with "Disco Lady" in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Wells</span> American singer and songwriter (1943–1992)

Mary Esther Wells was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dells</span> American R&B vocal group

The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first recording in 1954 and two years later had their first R&B hit with "Oh What a Night". After disbanding due to a near-fatal car crash in 1958, the band re-formed in 1960 with Funches being replaced by Johnny Carter. This lineup remained together until Carter's death in 2009. In 2004 the Dells were inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. The group performed until illness forced longtime lead singer Marvin Junior and bass vocalist Chuck Barksdale into retirement, ending the group's 60-year run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Sledge</span> American singer (1940–2015)

Percy Tyrone Sledge was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 1966. It was awarded a million-selling, Gold-certified disc from the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Thomas</span> American singer (born 1942)

Carla Venita Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits "Gee Whiz " (1960), "B-A-B-Y" (1966) and "Tramp" (1967), a duet with Otis Redding. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Marvelettes</span> American girl group

The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart, and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wanda Young prior to the group signing their first deal. They were the first successful act of Motown Records after the Miracles and its first significantly successful female group after the release of the 1961 number-one single, "Please Mr. Postman", one of the first number-one singles recorded by an all-female vocal group and the first by a Motown recording act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Chandler</span> American musician

Gene Chandler is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful songs, "Duke of Earl" and "Groovy Situation", and his association with the Dukays, the Impressions, and Curtis Mayfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Pinkney</span> Musical artist

Willie "Bill" Pinkney was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was often said to be the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He was chiefly responsible for its early sounds. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. As an original group member, Bill Pinkney was a 1988 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Drifters.

Bobby Howard Byrd was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader and talent dedicated, who played a part in the development of soul and funk music in association with James Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Turner</span> British Jamaican singer, songwriter, and actress

Francella Ruby Turner MBE is a British Jamaican R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and actress.

The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby & the Romantics</span> American R&B Vocal Group

Ruby & the Romantics was an Akron, Ohio-based American R&B group in the 1960s, composed of Ruby Nash, George Lee, Ronald Mosely, Leroy Fann and Ed Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Midnighters</span> American vocal group

The Midnighters were an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan. They were an influential group in the 1950s and early 1960s, with many R&B hit records. They were also notable for launching the career of lead singer Hank Ballard and the worldwide dance craze the Twist. Between 1953 and 1962 the Midnighters had several hits on the U.S. pop and R&B charts. Their hits included the million-selling Billboard Top 10 pop hits "Finger Poppin' Time", and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go". The Midnighters also had 13 top 10 R&B hits, including three that reached number 1. Their top 10 R&B hits included "Work with Me, Annie", "It's Love Baby ", "Annie Had a Baby", "The Hoochi Coochi Coo", "Teardrops on Your Letter", "Get It", "The Float" and "Nothing but Good". They received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's prestigious Pioneer Award in 1992 and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. The Midnighters are also noted for achieving a music industry milestone in 1960, by becoming the first group in history to place 3 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. The group's lead singer, Hank Ballard, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Midnighters as a group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Famous Flames</span> American R&B vocal group

The Famous Flames were an American rhythm and blues, soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their first appearance in a professional recording, "Please, Please, Please", in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmet Ertegun</span> Turkish-American businessman (1923–2006)

Ahmet Ertegun was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist.

References

  1. 1 2 Cardwell, Jewell (April 30, 2010). "Grandmothers Fan Club cooks up tribute to LeBron". Akron Beacon-Journal . Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  2. "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks - RUBY & THE ROMANTICS".
  3. "Pioneer Awards: 1997". Rhythm & Blues Foundation . Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  4. "Ruby & The Romantics (Inducted 2007)". www.vocalgroup.org. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017.