Fiddling around: for 12-year-old musician Ruby Jane Smith, life may be a highway, but Columbus is home.A petite figure with long brown hair and a wide smile takes the stage. She lifts her fiddle and bow to play, and it isn't long before the audience is mesmerized by her winding rhythms and contagious energy. Steady clapping ensues as she skillfully delivers note after note, song after song. "Encore," they yell. Ruby Jane Smith, 12, of Columbus smiles and happily obliges, thanking them for their support. Ruby Jane is not your typical 12-year-old. Along with mother JoBelle, she has been touring the nation in an RV since early June, winning the hearts of bluegrass bluegrass, any species of the large and widely distributed genus Poa, chiefly range and pasture grasses of economic importance in temperate and cool regions. In general, bluegrasses are perennial with fine-leaved foliage that is bluish green in some species. and country music lovers along the way. Despite the traveling, performing, and high accolades she has received, the 12-year-old maintains a steady balance between fun and, well, more fun. "It's all about having fun," says Ruby Jane, who, like those who seem to enjoy life most, gives "fun" a broad definition. It can include the more glamorous occurrences--playing to an enthusiastic crowd, appearing with country duo Big and Rich on an ABC television ABC Television may refer to:
Though she is currently logging miles in an RV, Smith's road to success began ten years ago with classical violin lessons at the age of two. While attending a violin camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe, more properly Santa Fé, (pronounced [ˈsænə feɪ] by natives, [ˌsænə ˈfeɪ] , when she was seven, she was exposed to fiddle music. "The teenagers would get around in fiddle jam sessions after lessons. I saw them jamming and I told Mama, 'That's the kind of music I want to play.'" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] And so she did. Ruby Jane enrolled in old-time fiddle lessons and studied bowing techniques, archaic tuning, and depth of expression. After only six formal lessons under her belt, she won first place at the Tuscaloosa's Fiddling & Bluegrass Contest. At age eight, the Mississippi Arts Commission granted Smith an apprenticeship with Charles T. Smith, a famed old-time fiddle player. "He was so sweet," recalls Ruby Jane. "I studied with him every Monday for a year. We would learn a few tunes, sit and visit for a while with his wife, then learn a few more tunes." Ruby Jane has had the opportunity to perform with many bluegrass legends, including Marty Stuart Marty Stuart (b. September 30 1958, Philadelphia, Mississippi) is an American country music singer, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music. In the early-1990s, he had a successful string of Country hits. , Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Vincent (b. July 13 1962, Kirksville, Missouri) is a bluegrass singer and an accomplished mandolin, guitar and fiddle player. [1] Her musical career started as a child in her family's band, The Sally Mountain Show, and has spanned almost four decades. , Mike Snider Mike Snider may refer to:
In addition, Ruby Jane, at the age of 10, became the youngest fiddler to perform at the Grand Ole Opry Grand Ole Opry, weekly American radio program featuring live country and western music. The nation's oldest continuous radio show, it was first broadcast in 1925 on Nashville's WSM as an amateur showcase. . She has also played at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop three times, and won the National Beginners Fiddle Championship, ranking first nationally in the under-12 category. Her portrait, commissioned to James Patterson by the state in 2005, hangs among a collection of notable Mississippians in the Jackson-Evers International Airport For an airport in Papua New Guinea, see . Jackson-Evers International Airport (IATA: JAN, ICAO: KJAN) is a public airport located just east of Jackson, Mississippi, (United States), across the Pearl River in Rankin County. . But Ruby Jane excels at more than just fiddle playing. She is now a master of eight other instruments--mandolin, guitar, harmonica harmonica. 1 The simplest of the musical instruments employing free reeds, known also as the mouth organ or French harp. It was probably invented in 1829 by Friedrich Buschmann of Berlin, who called his instrument the Mundäoline. , banjo banjo, stringed musical instrument, with a body resembling a tambourine. The banjo consists of a hoop over which a skin membrane is stretched; it has a long, often fretted neck and four to nine strings, which are plucked with a pick or the fingers. , Dobro, piano, drum, and spoons--all of which you are likely to hear her play if you attend one of her concerts. Perhaps her highest local award was winning first place in her category in the Fiddle-Off at the Mississippi State Fair Southern Championship Fiddle Contest. At 10 years old, she became the state's youngest fiddle champion. She was also recently awarded the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin for 2007-08. The Daniel Pearl Memorial violin was crafted by Jonathan Cooper of Maine in honor of the slain American reporter, who was also an accomplished violinist and fiddler. "I am deeply honored by this award. I am speechless," says Ruby Jane. "I can only hope I can give through my music a little of what Daniel Pearl gave throughout his life." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It doesn't look like this fast-paced musician is slowing down anytime soon. She recently had a taste of New York's Fashion Week when she was invited to perform live for clothing label Project Alabama while models walked the runway. And in June, she was invited to perform in the CMA CMA - Concert Multithread Architecture from DEC. Music Fest Special with Big and Rich. Her second CD, "Creekside," was released this summer. It includes original songs written by Ruby Jane. In fact, one song was written on the way to the recording studio as she plucked at her mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. while her mother drove, they played the tune for her producer, and he decided it ought to be the title song. Smith doesn't let the attention go to her head, though. While she enjoys visiting new places, she still calls Columbus home. "I'm a Southern girl at heart," she says. Ruby Jane attributes her Christian beliefs as guiding her career. "This has been what I've been doing my whole life. God is leading us in every direction. He has planned it all out. I'm just doing what He wants me to do," says Smith. "And, of course, I'm having fun doing it." ruby jane's playlist A file that contains an index to a selected group of music files on the computer. Using digital jukebox software such as iTunes and Winamp, playlists are created by the user by dragging and dropping titles from a master index. The software may be able to create a playlist automatically. Life on the road requires good tunes. When she's not playing or writing her own songs, here's what this accomplished fiddler listens to: Big and Rich Patty Griffin Bruce Springsteen Tom Waits John Pry The Beatles Dolly Parton par·ton n. Any of the point particles believed to be a constituent of hadrons, now known as quarks. No longer in technical use. [part(icle) + -on1.] Johnny Cash Hank Williams Carrie Underwood Rolling Stones Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. For most of its career, the group has consisted of vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary, and drummer Chad Smith. listen up You can hear a little of Smith's playing on MississippiFiddler.com and find a schedule of upcoming performances. Her next local concert is October 11, where Smith will be playing in the Legends of Bluegrass Festival in Columbia. |
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