Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
Encyclopedia
"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis
. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell
, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year.
" and "But You Know I Love You
", Rogers wanted to take his group more into a country music
direction. They recorded their version of the song (with Rogers singing the lead) in one take. The record was a major hit for them. It made #1 in the UK on the New Musical Express (#2 on the BBC
chart) staying in the top twenty for 15 weeks and selling over a million copies by the end of 1970. In the United States it reached number six on the Hot 100 and number thirty-nine on the country chart and also sold more than 1 million copies by 1979. Worldwide, the single sold more than 7 million copies.
In 1977, now a solo
act following the First Edition's split in early-1976, Rogers made re-recordings of this and a number of other First Edition hits for his 1977 greatest hits package Ten Years Of Gold
(later issued in the British Isles
as The Kenny Rogers Singles Album
), which topped the US country charts and was just as successful in the United Kingdom.
, Bobby Bare
, Dale Hawkins
, Carl Perkins
, Cake
, Leonard Nimoy
, Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
, Sort Sol
, The Killers (as the b-side to "Smile Like You Mean It
") and Right Said Fred
.
Several foreign-language versions have been recorded: Greek singer Nana Mouskouri
recorded a French version entitled "Ruby, garde ton cœur ici" for her 1970 album Dans le soleil et dans le vent; Pavel Bobek, Czech country singer, recorded "Oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát" in 1981; Gary Holton
and Casino Steel's English-language version was a number one hit in Norway at the beginning of 1982.
An answer song
, "Billy, I've Got To Go To Town," was released in 1969 by Geraldine Stevens who had previously recorded successfully under the name Dodie Stevens
. Sung to the same melody with an arrangement quite similar to the First Edition version, "Billy" peaked at #117 pop, #57 country.
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
. The song was made famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
The First Edition
The First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
in 1969. "Ruby" was originally recorded in 1967 by Johnny Darrell
Johnny Darrell
Johnny Darrell was an American country music artist.Darrell was born in Hopewell, Alabama but grew up in Marietta, Georgia. After a stint in the army, he moved to Nashville and began managing a Holiday Inn near Music Row when he was discovered by Kelso Herstin, a producer working for United...
, who scored a number nine country hit with it that year.
Chart performance
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 9 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
The First Edition version
In 1969, after Kenny Rogers and the First Edition's success with the hits "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
"Just Dropped In " is a song written by Mickey Newbury. Said to reflect the LSD experience, the song was intended to be a warning against the danger of using LSD. First recorded in 1967 by Jerry Lee Lewis, who rejected it, it was a hit for The First Edition in 1968...
" and "But You Know I Love You
But You Know I Love You
"But You Know I Love You" is a song written by Mike Settle, which was a 1969 pop hit for The First Edition, a group that included Settle and Kenny Rogers. Evie Sands recorded the song for her 1970 album Any Way That You Want Me...
", Rogers wanted to take his group more into a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
direction. They recorded their version of the song (with Rogers singing the lead) in one take. The record was a major hit for them. It made #1 in the UK on the New Musical Express (#2 on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
chart) staying in the top twenty for 15 weeks and selling over a million copies by the end of 1970. In the United States it reached number six on the Hot 100 and number thirty-nine on the country chart and also sold more than 1 million copies by 1979. Worldwide, the single sold more than 7 million copies.
In 1977, now a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
act following the First Edition's split in early-1976, Rogers made re-recordings of this and a number of other First Edition hits for his 1977 greatest hits package Ten Years Of Gold
Ten Years Of Gold
-Overview:As his fourth solo album, Ten Years of Gold is a collection of ten songs spanning the last decade. The album features solo reworkings of hits Kenny had with The First Edition. Though Kenny had already scored three other solo hits, "Lucille", "Daytime Friends", "Love Lifted Me" and "While...
(later issued in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
as The Kenny Rogers Singles Album
The Kenny Rogers Singles Album
-Overview:This album was issued in the UK by United Artists Records in 1979 and was the second Kenny Rogers album to reach the pop UK Albums Chart Top 20 . It featured every one of his singles to make the UK Pop Top 75 to that point...
), which topped the US country charts and was just as successful in the United Kingdom.
Chart performance
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 39 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 4 |
| Norway Singles Chart | 9 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 26 |
Covers
The song has been recorded many times by various artists. The Statler Brothers had perhaps the first cover in 1967 on their album, Big Country Hits. Other artists who have recorded versions cover the modern pop-music gamut, including Roger MillerRoger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
, Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
, Dale Hawkins
Dale Hawkins
Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins was a pioneer American rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who was often called the architect of swamp rock boogie...
, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, Cake
Cake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
, Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers of modern popular music and some ukulele and New Zealand standards...
, Sort Sol
Sort Sol
Sort Sol is a pioneer rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band was formed in 1977 as a punk rock outfit, originally under the name Sods. Despite drastic changes in the group's line-up, their current name, which translates to English as black sun, has remained with them since the early 1980s...
, The Killers (as the b-side to "Smile Like You Mean It
Smile Like You Mean It
"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock band The Killers. The song is featured on their debut album Hot Fuss, and is the fourth single from it in the United Kingdom and the third single in United States. It was written by lead vocalist Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer.It...
") and Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred is an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli. The group is named after a song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962...
.
Several foreign-language versions have been recorded: Greek singer Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
recorded a French version entitled "Ruby, garde ton cœur ici" for her 1970 album Dans le soleil et dans le vent; Pavel Bobek, Czech country singer, recorded "Oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát" in 1981; Gary Holton
Gary Holton
Gary Frederick Holton was an English singer-songwriter, musician and actor from London. He was the frontman of the band Heavy Metal Kids, for whom he played lead vocals, guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards and harmonica, and played the part of Wayne in the UK television comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet...
and Casino Steel's English-language version was a number one hit in Norway at the beginning of 1982.
An answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
, "Billy, I've Got To Go To Town," was released in 1969 by Geraldine Stevens who had previously recorded successfully under the name Dodie Stevens
Dodie Stevens
Dodie Stevens is an American pop singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.-Early life:...
. Sung to the same melody with an arrangement quite similar to the First Edition version, "Billy" peaked at #117 pop, #57 country.
Further reading
- Rule, Ann (1999), "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town". A Rage to Kill and Other True Cases. Simon and Schuster p. 291. ISBN 0743424042