About Ruby Lee Hill
“I learned to take that lump in the back of my throat and channel its raw emotion into melody. Right on the brink of tears your voice is shaky, almost cracking, barely audible and then, boom, it breaks through, crisp and real, and that’s your true voice. Crying and singing became synonymous and my stream of consciousness (freestyle) poetry became my songs.”
Surrounded by struggle and having survived a great deal of loss at a young age, this is how Ruby Lee describes her discovery of the cathartic power of music. Born on a horse farm, raised riding bareback spotted appaloosa ponies through the woods, Ruby has the spirit of a desperado cowgirl. Growing up, her mother, Gini Lee’s angelic voice always filled the house with music and Ruby would sneak every opportunity to strum her old Yamaha guitar. Gini Lee passed when Ruby was young but gifted Ruby her powerful voice (and the Yamaha).
To escape her hometown blues, Ruby bid farewell to the looming gray skies of Lake Ontario, New York and followed the promise of abundant sunshine and southern hospitality to Charleston, South Carolina. She was instantly swept up in a whirlwind of Appalachian bluegrass, old time and classic country sounds, that shaped her writing and style. From busking on the streets of Asheville, to gracing the prestigious stages of the Grassroots Festival, North Carolina, Ruby has captivated crowds big and small with her magnetic performance. Fluidly gliding across genres, you might catch her singing Gypsy Jazz with the likes of Big Ben & the Clock Towers, belting out old time tunes with John Hardy Party or showcasing her original Americana songs with the Wildwood Flyers all within the span of a week. Spurred by possible new musical adventures, Ruby then took to the road and eventually made her way to The Paris of the West where the great American highway hits the pacific. The Bay Area has been her home and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch her singing around town with Americana garage rock band Georgia West, one of her passion projects.
Teaming up with multi-instrumentalist, creative extraordinaire Winston Moody and other hot bay area musical talent, Ruby recently recorded her debut EP at Tiny Telephone Oakland. Driving, heartfelt, and honest, this timeless collection of songs is a tribute to the feminine experience. Ruby’s songs share rich, evocative stories of love and loss, interwoven with the classic honky tonk themes of infidelity, misogyny, and vulnerability. A vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, people are always impressed to learn that the song they just heard her sing is not a traditional classic but, in fact, a Ruby Lee Original. Ruby is ecstatic to release the EP in the coming months and bring her live show to local venues.