Hurricane Ruth

Feel the Power of the HURRICANE!

Hurricane Ruth LaMaster is a vocal powerhouse with a style all her own. Hurricane Ruth earned her name because no one believed that such a large sound could come out of such a small woman!

The Glendale tavern, in Beardstown, Illinois, was Milt LaMaster’s, (Ruth’s father), business. Sunday at the Glendale meant jam sessions. Musicians came to the Glendale from all over the region to perform. Many genres were represented; blues, jazz, country, and big band. All of these styles are represented in the music Ruth writes and performs today. Ruth remembers, at the tender age three, sitting on her Dad’s lap, while he played drums in these jams. She would keep time on the ride cymbal while he played. These Sunday sessions are some of Ruth’s earliest and fondest memories.

Ruth has performed with John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Taj Mahal, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Sam & Dave, Fenton Robinson, Maynard Ferguson and his orchestra, and most recently; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Royal Southern Brotherhood, and Ronnie Baker Brooks. Ruth’s vocals are deeply rooted in traditional blues, but make no mistake, she can rock the house! Ruth has opened for renowned rockers: Heart, Judas Priest, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts & Steppenwolf, just to name a few.

“Ruth has a voice that was destined to be one of the greats of the Blues. Hurricane Ruth is small in stature but somehow this voice, this force of nature, comes out of her taking your breathe away. Voices like this, with this much passion, very rarely come into our lives.” – Peter Merrett, PBS106.7 – Melbourne, Australia

“Pipes like this are what people are hearing when they refer to someone “belting out the blues”. “ – Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro, Mary4Music.com

The POWER of Big Mama Thornton; FIRE of Janis Joplin; boundless stage ENERGY of Tina Turner, and SOULFULNESS of Aretha Franklin all rolled into a petite dynamo!

The great WILLIE DIXON once told Ruth “You’re the only hurricane I can appreciate”.