Ruthie Foster

Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964)^[1] is an American singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul, and her live performances are powerfully transfiguring.^[2] (www.allmusic.com) She has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin.^[3]

Biography

Foster is from Gause, Texas and comes from a family of gospel singers. At the age of fourteen, Ruthie was a soloist in her hometown choir, and was certain that her future would revolve around music. After high school, Ruthie moved to Waco, Texas to attend community college, where her studies concentrated in music and audio engineering. She began fronting a blues band, learning how to command a stage in the bars of Texas.^[2]

Hoping to travel and gain a wider world perspective, Foster joined the Navy, and soon her musical talents soon had her singing in the naval band Pride, that played pop and funk hits at recruitment drives in the southeastern United States. Following her tour of duty, Ruthie headed to New York City where she became a regular performer at various local folk venues. Atlantic Records got wind of Foster's talent and offered her a recording deal, with the intent of cultivating her as a budding pop star, but Foster wasn't interested in a pop career, preferring instead to explore the various strains of American roots music that had informed her childhood. When her mother fell ill in 1993, Foster left New York and her recording deal and returned to Texas to be with her family. She began working as a camera operator and production assistant at a television station in College Station, Texas while she cared for her mother, who passed in 1996. A year later in 1997, Foster self-released the album Full Circle, the success of which paved the way to a long relationship with the record label Blue Corn Music.^[2]

Blue Corn released the follow up album Crossover in 1999, Runaway Soul in 2002, and Stages (featuring a series of live tracks) in 2004. Stages marked a turning point in Foster's career, as the experience of a Ruthie Foster live show was able to be experienced by a wide audience. Foster's next release was Heal Yourself in 2006, followed by the studio album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster in 2008 (produced by Papa Mali), and The Truth According to Ruthie Foster (produced by Grammy-winning producer Chris Goldsmith), recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, in 2009, all released by Blue Corn Music.^[2] The Truth According to Ruthie Foster earned Ruthie a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. A second album of Foster's live performances, Live At Antone's (CD and DVD), was released in 2011. In 2012, Ruthie and Blue Corn released the studio album Let It Burn, which featured special guests The Blind Boys of Alabama, William Bell and the rhythm section of The Funky Meters, and was produced by Grammy-award winner John Chelew. Let It Burn earned Foster a second Grammy Nomination, this time for Best Blues Album, and was the vehicle for numerous Blues Music Awards won by Foster. Her most recent album, Promise of a Brand New Day, was released by Blue Corn Music in 2014.

Ruthie Foster's awards list has grown in the last few years. These awards include three Grammy nominations (Let It Burn for Best Blues Album, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and Promise of a Brand New Day for Best Blues Album^[4]), her numerous wins at the Blues Music Awards, including three awards for Best Female Vocalist and one for DVD of the Year for Live At Antone's, and Foster's recent crown for Best Female Vocalist at the 2013 Austin Music Awards.^[2] In 2016, she was nominated for two Living Blues Awards and won the Koko Taylor Award for Best Traditional Female Blues Artist. ^[5]

A frequent and sought-after guest artist, Foster performed with the Allman Brothers Band in 2012 at their annual Beacon Theatre run in New York City. She sang on four songs, including a cover version of "The Weight"," on which she traded verses with Susan Tedeschi. She has toured with the Blind Boys of Alabama as well as Warren Haynes and also appears on Haynes' album Man In Motion. She was recently featured as a special guest on House of Blues and Elwood Blue's radio show, The BluesMobile, as well as Austin Live: Tick Tock, a video short produced by the City of Austin.^[2] Ruthie continues to tour extensively all over the world. In 2016, her shows have spanned across the U.S., Italy, Germany, Spain, and Cuba.^[6] Ruthie's shows are quite spectacular as proven by the hundreds of videos and photos posted by her fans across social media. ^[7] Further, her list of honors include a nomination from the Living Blues Awards for Best Live Performer. ^[8]

Awards and honors

• 2008 Blues Music Awards Nominee – Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year^[9]
• 2009 Blues Music Awards Nominee – Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year^[9]
• 2010 Grammy Award Nominee - The Truth According to Ruthie Foster nominated for 'Best Blues Album'^[10]
• 2010 Blues Music Awards Winner – Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year^[9]
• 2010 Living Blues Critics' Poll Winner – Blues Artist of the Year (Female)^[9]
• 2011 Blues Music Awards Winner – Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year^[11]
• 2011 Living Blues Awards Nominee – Blues Artist of the Year (Female)^[9]
• 2012 Blues Music Awards^[12]
  • Winner: Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
  • Winner: DVD of the Year for Live at Antone's
  • Nominee: B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
• 2012 Grammy Award Nominee – Let It Burn nominated for 'Best Blues Album'^[13]
• 2013 Blues Music Awards Winner – Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year^[14] and again in 2015.^[15]
• 2014 Grammy Award Nominee - Promise of a Brand New Day nominated for 'Best Blues Album'^[16]
• 2016 Living Blues Award Nominee - Blues Artist of the Year (Female) and Best Live Performer^[17]
• 2016 Blues Music Awards Winner – Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year^[18]

Career

• The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster was produced by Papa Mali^[19]
• The Truth According to Ruthie Foster was produced by Grammy-winning producer Chris Goldsmith^[20]
• The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and Let It Burn were nominated for Grammy Awards.^[21]
• She has toured with Warren Haynes and also appears on his album, Man In Motion (2011).^[22]
• Let It Burn featured special guests The Blind Boys of Alabama, William Bell and the rhythm section of The Funky Meters and was produced by Grammy Award winner John Chelew^[23]
• She was featured in Austin Live: Tick Tock, a video short produced by the City of Austin (November 2012)^[24]
• Foster performed with the Allman Brothers Band in 2012, at their annual Beacon Theatre run in New York City. She sang on four songs, including a cover version of "The Weight," on which she traded verses with Susan Tedeschi.^[25]
• She was featured as a special guest on House of Blues and Elwood Blues's radio show, The BluesMobile (February 2013)^[26]
• Foster scored the award for Best Female Vocalist at the 2013 Austin Music Awards^[27]
• Performed at the Texas State Society of Washington D.C.'s Presidential Inauguration Ball (January 2013)^[28]

Discography

• Foster, Ruthie (1997). Full Circle : M.O.D. Records^[29]
• Foster, Ruthie (1999). Crossover : M.O.D. Records^[30]
• Foster, Ruthie (2002). Runaway Soul : Blue Corn Music^[31]
• Foster, Ruthie (2004). Stages : Blue Corn Music^[32]
• Foster, Ruthie (2007). The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster : Blue Corn Music^[33][34]
• Foster, Ruthie (2009). The Truth According to Ruthie Foster : Blue Corn Music^[35][36]
• Foster, Ruthie (2011). Live at Antone's : Blue Corn Music (CD and DVD)
• Foster, Ruthie (2012). Let It Burn : Blue Corn Music^[37]
• Foster, Ruthie (2014). Promise of a Brand New Day : Blue Corn Music^[38]

References

External links

• Official web site
• Ruthie Foster collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Ruthie Foster Biography at AllMusic