Meet Jeff Ruby | Singer-Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Ruby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always enjoyed performing and creative writing. At an early age, I was performing in choirs, musicals, and plays. Music was a big part of my life growing up. I have an older brother who introduced me to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and other bands from that era. We had many hours of chores growing up on a farm in rural Indiana and I always had a Walkman with cassette tapes while I was working. I studied business in college, but I still wanted to perform. I messed around with a guitar a little in college. I didn’t start writing songs until I was out of college. As an introvert, being able to create and express myself through songwriting and performance is a form of catharsis.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a rock and folk singer-songwriter. I write about my experiences and observations. Most topics have probably been covered, but try to write through my unique lens. At some point, I’m guessing everyone faces adversity. I’ve written songs about my struggle with alcohol in my younger years. I quit drinking at age 25. Songwriting and performance have helped me live without drinking. Trying to become a full-time performing songwriter is challenging. I’m not there yet and I have great respect for those who have been able to reach that goal. I keep working on improving my guitar playing, writing songs, and performing as much as I can. I’m not sure this process ever ends, and I don’t want it to.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I like going to live shows. Whether it be the Fox Theatre or Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta has many different venues for shows. Probably the most memorable show I’ve been to was being front row for Paul McCartney at Piedmont Park many years ago. Piedmont Park is a nice natural oasis in the city. I like the Little Five Points area of town with its venues, record shops, and restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
After college, I moved to Orange Beach, Alabama. One night, out of curiosity, I stopped in a bar called Characters. Characters was a songwriters bar owned by Larry and Gale Book. They introduced themselves to me and were very kind. They asked me if I was involved in music in any way. I told them I used to sing some and played guitar. With their encouragement, I went on stage and played a cover song. At this point, I did not have any original songs. Larry told me he was a coordinator of a chapter of NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) and invited me to attend. I became a regular member of the group and started writing original songs. They introduced me to the world of songwriting and were my earliest teachers of this craft. Without meeting Larry and Gale Book, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today.

Website: www.jeffrubymusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffruby

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrubymusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmruby

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrubymusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ruby1693

Image Credits
1) Krista Lee Photography 2) Amy Allmand Photography 3) Hook U Photography