A veteran performer, Ruby Hayes started singing at age 14, when she led a gospel choir in her hometown of Plumerville, Arkansas. In the early 1970s, she made her professional singing debut with the Al Martinez jazz combo in Washington DC at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. She performed with a rhythm and blues band throughout the DC metropolitan area and traveled up and down the East Coast with a jazz and blues band she founded.
Today, Ruby continues to headline shows around DC. The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) nominated her as Best Blues Vocalist in 2002 and nominated her CD, "Ruby's Blues," for Best Blues Recording in 2003. Ruby also performs extensively on the West Coast and topped the billing at the San Diego 2004 Adams Avenue Street Fair Festival, the largest free festival in Southern California. When not entertaining crowds in the top clubs and festivals, she performs her own original one-woman musical, Ruby Hayes Sings Bessie's Blues, in regional theaters.
Ruby is known for her upbeat, interactive performance style. Although she is cool, calm and reserved, her on-stage persona is hotter than the month of July. This Princess of the Blues is becoming a major force in the blues arena!