Ruby Jane Smith
PopTech 2009
Austin-based fiddle player Ruby Jane Smith enjoys the great distinction of having been introduced on stage (as “Sweet Ruby”) by none other than Willie Nelson. She’s been wowing crowds in venues across the country, been featured in both The Christian Science Monitor and British Vogue, appeared on CBS Evening News, performed as the youngest invited fiddler in the history of the Grand Ole Opry, and contributed to film soundtracks—and all this before her 15th birthday.
Smith has competed in dozens of prestigious music competitions and performed with the likes of bluegrass and country music greats including Marty Stuart, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, and, of course, Willie Nelson. “I just want to keep getting better,” Smith says, so in addition to fronting her own band in the Ruby Jane Show, she’s taking voice and guitar lessons, and has begun writing original songs with Bill and Ruth Carter. Born in Dallas and raised in Mississippi, she now resides in Austin, Texas.