"People never believe I can be a country singer when I tell then I'm from New York."
This isn't New York City we're talking about people; driving 6 hours north west of the Big Apple, you finally hit a small rural town where you can practically smell fresh produce when you exit the interstate. Raised on a grape farm, Ruth is no stranger to what it means to be a down home girl. The setting is quaint and homey. As you pull through town, only a few blocks long, Ruth points out landmarks from her adolesence. "There's the Intermezzo Cafe where I played once. After that I decided to move to Nashville." "There's the sub shop I used to hang out at in high school! Can we stop?" Soon after grabbing a few chicken finger subs the road gets dark and she rolls down the car windows and says, "Smell!" The aroma of grapes fills the air. "Turn here!" Pulling up into the driveway of a two-story farm cottage you forget that you have just driven north from TN for 10 hours. She runs into the house greeting her childhood pets and wraps her arms around her Mama. To the left of the driveway is a garden of wildflowers which leads you to another small cottage where her mother runs her own music school. As long as Ruth can imagine she was surrounded by music. Being raised on the music of Emmylous Harris and James Taylor and classical music, you can hear those influences in music today. Just behind the building is another large structure, the barn where the family runs their grape farming business and makes homemade apple cider. Beyond the barn are acres and acres of grape vines. So, to calm your apprehension, yes the girl is from New York and, yes she is country!
After high school she decided to leave her small town roots and hit Boston where she attended the Berklee College of Music as a songwriting major. She played shows around town with friends but decided to move south and get in touch with her musical roots. After college she took a job as a music director at a church in TX but didn't feel like her talents were being utilized and ultimately followed her heart to Nashville.
Working as a waitress, Ruth met her fellow duo partner in her first group, Wild Honey, who went on to come in 4th on the first season of CMT's "Can You Duet." With the duo, Ruth had the pleasure of opening for acts like Sarh Evans, Luke Bryan and Gretchen Wilson.
Going out on her own, Ruth found herself at a crossroads. She had been in the Wild Honey world for so long that she wanted to make sure that she moved forward with a sound and approach that were all her own. Trying to grasp her image as a solo artist, she decided to focus on her music. She spent months writing both on her own, with local music friends and even had the pleasure of writing with the likes of Jeff Cohen, Dennis Matkosky, Nathan Champman and Steve Bogard. Setting out to be the singer/songwriter that she is, she shared her new songs with the world perorming her first solo show opening for Aaron Tippin in her hometown. Currently, Ruth is continuing to build her song catalog while performing both locally and regionally. When not engulfed in the music you can find her online talking to her fans and doing video chats with them sharing her new music, and playing with her dog, admiringly named "Emmylou."
