Ruby Turner

R&B singer Ruby Turner was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1958 (some sources say 1962), and moved with her family to Handsworth, Birmingham, England, when she was nine years old. She was an aspiring singer from an early age, and in the early '80s got to work with British blues legend Alexis Korner. As early as 1983, she had appeared on records with UB40, but her biggest early career boost came in 1986 when she appeared on the Culture Club record From Luxury to Heartache, which was virtually the last gasp of the group in its original incarnation. Turner got a recording contract of her own soon after. Her debut album, Women Hold Up Half the Sky (1986), was a critical and commercial success, and she charted eight singles over the next 11 years, the most successful of which was "I'd Rather Go Blind," which made it to number 27 in England in 1987. Turner has performed with Bryan Ferry, Steve Winwood, Mick Jagger, and Jools Holland, and has also established herself as a successful composer, with covers of her songs by Lulu, Yazz, and Maxi Priest. She has also successfully covered others' songs, most notably "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)," a Staple Singers hit that she recorded with Jonathan Butler. Turner has also topped the U.S. R&B charts with "It's Gonna Be Alright." Turner branched into acting as well, working in stage productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Carmen Jones, and Fame, and on the BBC soap opera Doctors. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide