{"history":[],"article":{"id":"ca44c1bb-efc0-46f1-9c52-9edfa1af3561","title":"Ruby (British band)","slug":"ruby-british-band","content":":::summary\n**Name:** Ruby \n**Image Size:** 150px \n**Background:** group_or_band \n**Origin:** [London](https://bliptext.com/articles/london), England \n**Genre:** [Trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop), [industrial](https://bliptext.com/articles/industrial-music), [electronic](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music) \n**Years Active:** 1994–present \n**Label:** [WORK](https://bliptext.com/articles/work-records)/[Creation](https://bliptext.com/articles/creation-records)
[Epic](https://bliptext.com/articles/epic-records)
[Wichita](https://bliptext.com/articles/wichita-recordings)
[Thirsty Ear](https://bliptext.com/articles/thirsty-ear-recordings) \n**Associated Acts:** [Pigface](https://bliptext.com/articles/pigface)
[Silverfish](https://bliptext.com/articles/silverfish-band)
[Skinny Puppy](https://bliptext.com/articles/skinny-puppy)
[ohGr](https://bliptext.com/articles/ohgr) \n**Current Members:** Lesley Rankine \n**Past Members:** [Mark Walk](https://bliptext.com/articles/mark-walk)
Chris Taplin
Gavin Fawcett
Regina Chellew
Sharon Dougherty \n:::\n\n# \n**Ruby** is a Scottish [electronic music](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music) act that was formed as a collaboration between singer Lesley Rankine and multi-instrumentalist [Mark Walk](https://bliptext.com/articles/mark-walk) in 1994, and is now positioned as a solo vehicle for Rankine.\nRuby's sound includes [electronic](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music), [trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop), [noise](https://bliptext.com/articles/noise-music), [industrial](https://bliptext.com/articles/industrial-music), and [jazz](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz), among others.\nRankine and Walk named the group Ruby after learning that this was the name of both their maternal grandmothers.\n\n# History\nScottish singer Lesley Rankine (born April 11, 1965) began her music career as frontwoman for the London [garage-psych](https://bliptext.com/articles/garage-psych) band The Grizzelders, recording one cassette-only release called Making It Real Gear.\nShe then formed the [noise rock](https://bliptext.com/articles/noise-rock) band [Silverfish](https://bliptext.com/articles/silverfish-band), leaving the group after the release of their 1993 LP Organ Fan and then departing for Seattle.\nShe also appeared on the Toronto-based [Monster Voodoo Machine](https://bliptext.com/articles/monster-voodoo-machine)'s Suffersystem album recorded in 1994 at Chicago Trax; this album won a [Juno Award](https://bliptext.com/articles/juno-award).\nRankine had previously worked with producer/multi-instrumentalist Mark Walk on material for industrial group [Pigface](https://bliptext.com/articles/pigface).\nThe two rejoined forces in Seattle and formed Ruby as an electronic project exploring [downtempo](https://bliptext.com/articles/downtempo) styles, especially [trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop).\nRuby released the album Salt Peter in 1995.\nSalt Peter's first single was \"[Paraffin](https://bliptext.com/articles/paraffin-song)\"; the compilation New Voices Vol. 3 from [Rolling Stone](https://bliptext.com/articles/rolling-stone) had this song as its second track.\nRuby's best known song, \"[Tiny Meat](https://bliptext.com/articles/tiny-meat)\", was the album's second single and was the only song by the band to chart in the United States, reaching #22 on the Modern Rock Tracks list.\nThis song was also included in the compilation MTV Fresh 2. Another single, \"[Hoops](https://bliptext.com/articles/hoops-ruby-song)\" came out in early 1996.\nThe previously unreleased song \"This Is\" was on the [soundtrack](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-cable-guy) to the film [The Cable Guy](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-cable-guy) in May 1996.\nThe CD single for the song \"Paraffin\" included a remix called \"Harpie Mix\" which was also on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie [The Beautician and the Beast](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-beautician-and-the-beast).\nWalk did not participate in a world tour to promote Salt Peter; instead Rankine sang with a full live band including Chris Taplin on bass/guitar, Gavin Fawcett on drums, and Sharon Dougherty on keyboards/guitar (replaced by Regina Chellew mid tour).\nA [remix album](https://bliptext.com/articles/remix-album), Revenge, the Sweetest Fruit, appeared in 1996, with a UK version titled Stroking the Full Length following a few months later.\n\"Flippin' tha Bird (Ceasefire Remix)\" was included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film [Nowhere](https://bliptext.com/articles/nowhere-1997-film). In 1996 Rankine joined [Tom Jones](https://bliptext.com/articles/tom-jones-singer) for a cover of the song \"[Kung Fu Fighting](https://bliptext.com/articles/kung-fu-fighting)\", and later recorded a one-minute version of [Lerner and Loewe](https://bliptext.com/articles/lerner-and-loewe)'s \"[Thank Heaven for Little Girls](https://bliptext.com/articles/thank-heaven-for-little-girls)\" for a [Samuel Bayer](https://bliptext.com/articles/samuel-bayer)-directed [Mountain Dew](https://bliptext.com/articles/mountain-dew) commercial in which she also appeared.\nRankine then moved to [New Orleans, Louisiana](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-orleans-louisiana), but only stayed only six months due to events including a rash of car-jackings and hold-ups in the surrounding areas, and the murder of a woman in the garden across from her home.\nWhen Rankine learned that the killer had deposited the victim's clothing in her garbage as they left the scene, she left New Orleans within five days for Seattle to start recording Ruby's second album.\nMost of Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool was finished by August 1998 and nearly completed by Rankine in her native Scotland throughout 1999.\nThe album was released in 2001; a supporting tour was hampered when effects equipment was lost.\nFor a short time Ruby collaborated with former Creation label members Mark Bowen and Dick Green, but by March 2008 no further recordings had been released.\nRankine took a break from recording, returning to her home country.\nBy this time Walk had become a member of [Skinny Puppy](https://bliptext.com/articles/skinny-puppy).\nIn December 2012, Rankine announced on her Facebook page that she was working on new music and videos under the Ruby name.\nIn 2013, she released the EP Revert to Type, followed by the album Waiting for Light in 2014.\nAnother EP, Type-Cast, was released in 2016.\n\n# Discography\n**Studio albums**","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-26T08:03:37.525Z","updated_at":"2025-01-26T08:03:37.525Z","search_vector":"'band':3 'british':2 'rubi':1","search_content":" \n**Name:** Ruby \n**Image Size:** 150px \n**Background:** group_or_band \n**Origin:** [London](https://bliptext.com/articles/london), England \n**Genre:** [Trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop), [industrial](https://bliptext.com/articles/industrial-music), [electronic](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music) \n**Years Active:** 1994–present \n**Label:** [WORK](https://bliptext.com/articles/work-records)/[Creation](https://bliptext.com/articles/creation-records) [Epic](https://bliptext.com/articles/epic-records) [Wichita](https://bliptext.com/articles/wichita-recordings) [Thirsty Ear](https://bliptext.com/articles/thirsty-ear-recordings) \n**Associated Acts:** [Pigface](https://bliptext.com/articles/pigface) [Silverfish](https://bliptext.com/articles/silverfish-band) [Skinny Puppy](https://bliptext.com/articles/skinny-puppy) [ohGr](https://bliptext.com/articles/ohgr) \n**Current Members:** Lesley Rankine \n**Past Members:** [Mark Walk](https://bliptext.com/articles/mark-walk) Chris Taplin Gavin Fawcett Regina Chellew Sharon Dougherty \n \n\n# \n**Ruby** is a Scottish [electronic music](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music) act that was formed as a collaboration between singer Lesley Rankine and multi-instrumentalist [Mark Walk](https://bliptext.com/articles/mark-walk) in 1994, and is now positioned as a solo vehicle for Rankine.\nRuby's sound includes [electronic](https://bliptext.com/articles/electronic-music), [trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop), [noise](https://bliptext.com/articles/noise-music), [industrial](https://bliptext.com/articles/industrial-music), and [jazz](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz), among others.\nRankine and Walk named the group Ruby after learning that this was the name of both their maternal grandmothers.\n\n# History\nScottish singer Lesley Rankine (born April 11, 1965) began her music career as frontwoman for the London [garage-psych](https://bliptext.com/articles/garage-psych) band The Grizzelders, recording one cassette-only release called Making It Real Gear.\nShe then formed the [noise rock](https://bliptext.com/articles/noise-rock) band [Silverfish](https://bliptext.com/articles/silverfish-band), leaving the group after the release of their 1993 LP Organ Fan and then departing for Seattle.\nShe also appeared on the Toronto-based [Monster Voodoo Machine](https://bliptext.com/articles/monster-voodoo-machine)'s Suffersystem album recorded in 1994 at Chicago Trax; this album won a [Juno Award](https://bliptext.com/articles/juno-award).\nRankine had previously worked with producer/multi-instrumentalist Mark Walk on material for industrial group [Pigface](https://bliptext.com/articles/pigface).\nThe two rejoined forces in Seattle and formed Ruby as an electronic project exploring [downtempo](https://bliptext.com/articles/downtempo) styles, especially [trip hop](https://bliptext.com/articles/trip-hop).\nRuby released the album Salt Peter in 1995.\nSalt Peter's first single was \"[Paraffin](https://bliptext.com/articles/paraffin-song)\"; the compilation New Voices Vol. 3 from [Rolling Stone](https://bliptext.com/articles/rolling-stone) had this song as its second track.\nRuby's best known song, \"[Tiny Meat](https://bliptext.com/articles/tiny-meat)\", was the album's second single and was the only song by the band to chart in the United States, reaching #22 on the Modern Rock Tracks list.\nThis song was also included in the compilation MTV Fresh 2. Another single, \"[Hoops](https://bliptext.com/articles/hoops-ruby-song)\" came out in early 1996.\nThe previously unreleased song \"This Is\" was on the [soundtrack](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-cable-guy) to the film [The Cable Guy](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-cable-guy) in May 1996.\nThe CD single for the song \"Paraffin\" included a remix called \"Harpie Mix\" which was also on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie [The Beautician and the Beast](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-beautician-and-the-beast).\nWalk did not participate in a world tour to promote Salt Peter; instead Rankine sang with a full live band including Chris Taplin on bass/guitar, Gavin Fawcett on drums, and Sharon Dougherty on keyboards/guitar (replaced by Regina Chellew mid tour).\nA [remix album](https://bliptext.com/articles/remix-album), Revenge, the Sweetest Fruit, appeared in 1996, with a UK version titled Stroking the Full Length following a few months later.\n\"Flippin' tha Bird (Ceasefire Remix)\" was included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film [Nowhere](https://bliptext.com/articles/nowhere-1997-film). In 1996 Rankine joined [Tom Jones](https://bliptext.com/articles/tom-jones-singer) for a cover of the song \"[Kung Fu Fighting](https://bliptext.com/articles/kung-fu-fighting)\", and later recorded a one-minute version of [Lerner and Loewe](https://bliptext.com/articles/lerner-and-loewe)'s \"[Thank Heaven for Little Girls](https://bliptext.com/articles/thank-heaven-for-little-girls)\" for a [Samuel Bayer](https://bliptext.com/articles/samuel-bayer)-directed [Mountain Dew](https://bliptext.com/articles/mountain-dew) commercial in which she also appeared.\nRankine then moved to [New Orleans, Louisiana](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-orleans-louisiana), but only stayed only six months due to events including a rash of car-jackings and hold-ups in the surrounding areas, and the murder of a woman in the garden across from her home.\nWhen Rankine learned that the killer had deposited the victim's clothing in her garbage as they left the scene, she left New Orleans within five days for Seattle to start recording Ruby's second album.\nMost of Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool was finished by August 1998 and nearly completed by Rankine in her native Scotland throughout 1999.\nThe album was released in 2001; a supporting tour was hampered when effects equipment was lost.\nFor a short time Ruby collaborated with former Creation label members Mark Bowen and Dick Green, but by March 2008 no further recordings had been released.\nRankine took a break from recording, returning to her home country.\nBy this time Walk had become a member of [Skinny Puppy](https://bliptext.com/articles/skinny-puppy).\nIn December 2012, Rankine announced on her Facebook page that she was working on new music and videos under the Ruby name.\nIn 2013, she released the EP Revert to Type, followed by the album Waiting for Light in 2014.\nAnother EP, Type-Cast, was released in 2016.\n\n# Discography\n**Studio albums**","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}