About
Ruthie Foster & Cyd Cassone
Ruthie Foster's songs are a remarkable hybrid of blues, gospel, roots and folk music rich with honest spirituality and emotion. Ruthie's simply amazing vocal abilities have critics comparing her to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. Her passionate songs and stellar vocals are accompanied by Ruthie's live performances which bring the young and old together for an uplifting experience of dancing, listening, laughing and even some crying especially when Ruthie rounds out the joyous occasion with her versions of show-stopping gospel standards.Raised in Gause, Texas, a small town 180 miles southeast of Dallas, Ruthie grew up surrounded by the rich, soulful sounds of gospel and blues. Her outstanding voice and superb original music have many influences including Sam Cook, Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Sarah Vaughn, Etta James, and Lightnin' Hopkins, although perhaps no one has influenced Ruthie like her mother, Shirley Jones, who urged her to "Open your mouth and sing, girl!".
Foster's musical journey has taken her from McClennan Community College in Waco, Texas and a degree in commercial music to a four-year tour with the U. S. Navy Band "Pride", to New York City and a contract with Atlantic Records. During her stay in New York, Ruthie appeared at many of the top venues in town opening and performing with artists such as Josh White, Jr., Matt "Guitar" Murphy, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Paul Schaffer.
In November of 1993, Ruthie received word from home that her mother, who had been quite ill, needed her. She left New York, Atlantic and her career in music behind and came home to College Station, Texas. She took a job working as a camera person and production assistant at the local TV station and spent her off hours caring for her mother.
During this time, Ruthie began singing and playing for some of the elderly people that she had met with her mother, and thus began a heartfelt dedication to giving back to the community that continues to this day.
"I didn't really have the sense of community in New York, it was one of the reasons I returned to College Station."
Ruthie has donated her considerable talent to many, including the Literary Program, the University Hills Nursing Home, many local schools, and the DARE program.
One January night in 1996, her mother passed away while Ruthie was performing. She had wanted to cancel the show that night, but knew her mother wanted her to sing. She left the hospital room and went to sing for the most important person in her life. Shirley Jones left this earth while Ruthie sang "Amazing Grace"....her mother's favorite gospel song.
Ruthie met her manager/partner Cyd Cassone (Full Circle Productions) in 1994 when she was volunteering at KEOS 89.1 as a fundraising coordinator. Cyd had been a musician and had toured with gospel and folk groups. She began managing the Ruthie Foster Blues Band and stepped onto the stage with Ruthie in 1996.
"Full Circle" was Ruthie's first CD of original songs released in 1997. The project was produced by Ruthie and Cyd along with Steve Carr, recorded at Harry O's in Wheelock, Texas, and was put out on Ruthie's own label "M.O.D. Records". Touring mainly as an acoustic duo, Ruthie and Cyd have appeared nationwide at festivals such as the Kerrville Folk Festival, Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic, and Bluesapalooza in Mammoth Lakes, California. Her second CD "Crossover" featured the single of the same name that appeared in the film documentary "Where Do We Go From Here?" about the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and '60's.
Ruthie's current release "Runaway Soul" will be out during the summer of 2002 on the Blue Corn Label. Produced by Lloyd Maines and recorded at The Hit Shack in Austin, TX, "Runaway Soul" includes a wonderful selection of original tunes, classic covers of Brownie McGhee and Big Maybelle, as well as a truly soulful arrangement of the traditional "Death Came a Knockin". The Terri Hendrix song "Hole in my Pocket" rounds out what must be Ruthie's best work to date.
Ruthie and Cyd have a full touring schedule in 2004, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, and a pan-Canadian trip to include folk festivals in Nova Scotia, Winnepeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Continuing Under New Name
Alix Goolden Performance Hall
