Ruby Wilson

Ruby Wilson (February 29, 1948 – August 12, 2016) was an American blues and gospel singer. She was known as "The Queen of Beale Street" as she sang in clubs on Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee, for over 40 years. She had a successful touring and recording career, and appeared in a number of films.

Early life Wilson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, the youngest in a family of six children. Her mother was a maid, her father was self-employed, and Wilson grew up picking and chopping cotton - work she later described as hot and unpleasant.

Wilson's upbringing was filled with music, from two quite different sources - her mother, a deeply religious woman, only allowed her children to listen to gospel music, as she believed that all other music was "the devil's music". Wilson's mother was the choir director at their family church, and when she was 7 years old Wilson began singing in her mother's choir. On the other hand, Wilson's father loved blues and Wilson listened with him to blues musicians, which had a strong influence on her future career. When she was 15 years old, singer Shirley Caesar heard Wilson singing at church and invited her to tour with her as a backing singer. When B.B. King opened his B.B. King's Blues Club, she was given a weekly residency there, and when he later opened a restaurant, Itta Bena, she also became a regular performer there.

As Wilson's career developed, she toured the United States and internationally, and performed at blues and jazz festivals in Europe, Asia and New Zealand.

Film appearances Wilson appeared in several films, including The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), The Chamber (1996), Cookie's Fortune (1999) and Black Snake Moan (2006) as well as in television commercials.

Recognition and honors In 1992, after 20 years of singing in Beale Street clubs, local TV station WMC-TV gave her the title "Queen Ambassador of Beale Street"; two years later this was amended to "The Queen of Beale Street". in 2010, she was inducted into the Black Business Directory's African-American Hall of Fame.

Personal life Wilson was married four times. Her first husband was a gospel entertainer from Chicago. Her fourth husband was B.B. King's road manager.

Later years and death Wilson suffered a stroke in 2009, and was unable to speak for four months. She received speech therapy and physical therapy and eventually recovered enough to return to acting and singing. She suffered a heart attack in 2016, and after several days in a coma died on August 12, aged 68.

She was survived by four children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.