Ruby Smith
Ruby Smith (August 24, 1903 – March 24, 1977) was an American classic female blues singer. She was a niece, by marriage, of the better-known Bessie Smith, who discouraged Ruby from pursuing a recording career. Nevertheless, following Bessie's death in 1937, Ruby recorded twenty-one sides between 1938 and 1947. She is also known for her candid observations on her own and Bessie's lifestyle. |
Birth and Death Data: Born New York City (most populous city in the United States), Died March 24, 1977 (Anaheim (most populous city in Orange County, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-023400 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Dream man blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-023401 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Selfish blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-023402 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | 'Lectric chair blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-023403 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Hard up blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-023404 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Flyin' mosquito blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-023405 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Draggin' my heart around | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0038 | 10-in. | 1/8/1947 | You satisfy | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0039 | 10-in. | 1/8/1947 | Hot sauce Susie | Ruby Smith | Female-male vocal duet, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0040 | 10-in. | 1/8/1947 | I'm scared of that woman | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0041 | 10-in. | 1/8/1947 | Port wine blues | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | 24207 | 10-in. | 3/9/1939 | Back water blues | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | 24208 | 10-in. | 3/9/1939 | He's mine, all mine | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | 24780 | 10-in. | 6/16/1939 | Hungry blues | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist | |
| Decca | 69821 | 10-in. | 10/15/1941 | Make me love you | Ruby Smith | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69822 | 10-in. | 10/15/1941 | Fruit cakin' Mama | Ruby Smith | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69823 | 10-in. | 10/15/1941 | Black gal | Ruby Smith | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69824 | 10-in. | 10/15/1941 | Thinking blues | Ruby Smith | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 70029 | 10-in. | 12/10/1941 | Why don't you love me any more? | Ruby Smith | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 70030 | 10-in. | 12/10/1941 | Harlem gin blues | Ruby Smith | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Ruby," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110947.
Smith, Ruby. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110947.
"Smith, Ruby." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Ruby - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98055183
Wikidata: Ruby Smith - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7376389
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/39566741
MusicBrainz: Ruby Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b32c99c7-f539-4f26-815a-32ec581397b2
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/411534 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/411534
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