You had better tell your babysitter you’re going to be late when Ruby Dee & the Snakehandlers comes to town. For the uninitiated, the four-piece outfit plays Americana that encompasses Texas honky-tonk, Bakersfield twang, Memphis rockabilly, Western swing and good old fashioned rock ’n’ roll.
Led by, you guessed it, Ruby Dee, the band is thrilled to present their new album, Little Black Heart. Ruby wrote every song on the album, with the exception of the Jack Scott number ‘The Way I Walk’, made famous by The Cramps, which has long been a favourite of the band.
Some readers may be familiar with the remarkable journey undertaken by the songwoman. Around eight years ago, Ruby was involved in an accident which left her with a traumatic brain injury.
The accident left her with vertigo, memory loss and language challenges among other things. As a form of therapy, she wrote recipes for friends and family, later releasing the book ‘Ruby’s Juke Joint Americana Cookbook’. Songwriting still eluded her, until a few years ago. Ruby: “It takes a lot more out of me, but that makes me feel like I am giving that much more of myself to the song.”
The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 13.
