Texas Ruby

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Ruby Agnes Owens (June 4, 1908 – March 29, 1963),^[1] professionally better known as Texas Ruby, was an American pioneering country music female vocalist and musician of the late 1930s through to the early 1960s. Her brother was famous as Tex Owens, the writer of Cattle Call.

Early life

Ruby was born on a ranch in

Texas Ruby made her first breakthrough in the music industry working with country bandleader Zeke Clements but by the mid forties she and husband Fox had developed their own stage act and were much in demand, including a stint as regulars on the Grand Ole Opry from 1944 to 1948. The Foxes left the Opry and in late 1948 moved to Texas, where most of their concert dates were. The move seemed to push national stardom further away from the duo, who in the early 1960s moved first to Los Angeles (appearing on the Town Hall Party country music television series) and then back to Nashville in attempts to return to the limelight. Fox, widely considered one of country music's greatest fiddlers, worked the Opry more frequently as background instrumentalist than as a star.

On March 29, 1963, while Fox was appearing on the Opry, a fire broke out in the couple's home and Ruby was killed. It was a grim month in Opry history, as Ruby was the fifth Grand Ole Opry star to die that month, following Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, and Jack Anglin. Fox was reinstated as an official Grand Ole Opry member shortly afterward but he retired by 1970.

Personal life

Ruby was the sister of Tex Owens, who composed Eddy Arnold's hit "The Cattle Call."

Notes

References

• Charles K. Wolfe, Classic Country: Legends of Country Music, 2001, Routledge,
  ISBN 978-0415928274