Singer. She was one of the most popular singers in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. She made pop chart history in March of 1955 by having five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. Born Ruby Florence Murray into a Protestant family in Northern Ireland, her characteristic hoarse voice was as a result of an operation on her throat at the age of six weeks old. After her well-received debut performance at the Ballymena Variety Theatre at age thirteen, she began touring including performing on television. She returned home to finish her education, but left formal schooling at age 14. Her first single was "Heartbeat," which reached #3 in Britain's Top Five in 1954. The next year in 1955, "Softly Softly," reached #1 as she made chart history with five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. This record, as a female singer, was entered in the Guinness World Records in 2014, according to her website. She recorded under Columbia Records. She appeared in a royal command performance, and toured the USA, Malta and North Africa. Her only film role was in the 1956 farce, "A Touch of the Sun." Her name lives on in cockney rhyming slang as the rhyme for curry. Her recording years were over by 1959, yet she performed publicly for the rest of her life. With a history of alcohol abuse, she died of liver cancer after a long period of illness. Two stage plays about her life story have been written and performed in Ireland with much success. She married twice and divorced once. She had two children by her first husband.
Singer. She was one of the most popular singers in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. She made pop chart history in March of 1955 by having five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. Born Ruby Florence Murray into a Protestant family in Northern Ireland, her characteristic hoarse voice was as a result of an operation on her throat at the age of six weeks old. After her well-received debut performance at the Ballymena Variety Theatre at age thirteen, she began touring including performing on television. She returned home to finish her education, but left formal schooling at age 14. Her first single was "Heartbeat," which reached #3 in Britain's Top Five in 1954. The next year in 1955, "Softly Softly," reached #1 as she made chart history with five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. This record, as a female singer, was entered in the Guinness World Records in 2014, according to her website. She recorded under Columbia Records. She appeared in a royal command performance, and toured the USA, Malta and North Africa. Her only film role was in the 1956 farce, "A Touch of the Sun." Her name lives on in cockney rhyming slang as the rhyme for curry. Her recording years were over by 1959, yet she performed publicly for the rest of her life. With a history of alcohol abuse, she died of liver cancer after a long period of illness. Two stage plays about her life story have been written and performed in Ireland with much success. She married twice and divorced once. She had two children by her first husband.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Inscription
DEAR RUBY SLEEPS "SOFTY, SOFTY" IN PEACE "EVERMORE"
SADLY MISSED BY BERNIE, JULIE, & TIM
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