Ruby & The Duke

In case you didn't already know, Duke Special recently made a documentary called Ruby & The Duke about the life and work of 1950s Belfast singer Ruby Murray for RTE. This then led to his recording a CD of some of her songs, the profits of which are going to Depaul Ireland. So, to promote this, there was a gig in the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast last Thursday.

First of all, I have to say that I - like most people - didn't know much about Ruby Murray. I was vaguely aware that she was a pretty successful pop singer in the '50s, I've seen the blue plaque outside the Ulster Hall, and of course she's become cockney rhyming slang for a curry, but that was about it.

Thursday was really more of an evening in the company of Ruby & Duke Special than what you'd call a 'normal' gig. Duke introduced segments from the documentary that gave a brief glimpse into her life - how quiet and shy she was, how (despite being hugely well-known in her day) uncomfortable she was with fame and celebrity, and how the fickle nature of the music industry left her in the shade with the advent of rock'n'roll. She died destitute, alcoholic and alone, a tragic end to a life and a talent so promising.

In between these segments, Duke played some of the songs for which Ruby was well known. Just him and a piano, it was a rather lovely, subdued and touching affair. The lyrics of Ruby's songs might seem a bit twee in this day and age, but the sincere, restrained nature of Duke's voice and piano suited them to a tee, and really exposed the emotion behind them. They became more than just covers of pop songs from a bygone era, but heartfelt and genuine expressions of love, loss and heartache.

It was a really moving and lovely thing to be a part of - to see how Duke connected with Ruby and her music, and how perfectly the work of Depaul fits in with how Ruby's life sadly ended up. A huge well done to everyone at Depaul, the Oh Yeah Centre and of course Duke Special himself for putting on a great evening, raising awareness of one of Northern Ireland's lost legends, and raising some funds and awareness of Depaul.

You can buy the cd here, through the Depaul website, or at various stockists across Belfast and Dublin (a list of which can be found here) including Clements Coffee shops, Head Belfast, Boojum, Dragon Records, Good Vibrations, Premier Record and the Rusty Zip. It's a minimum donation of £5/€6, which is an absolute steal for the cd which includes a set of unique note cards, designed by some of Depaul Ireland's service users during art sessions. So go on, scamper over there and get a copy of it now! It'll be your good deed for the day.

Links:
Depaul Website
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