Ruby (singer)

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Lesley Rankine, aka Ruby

Ruby (born Lesley Rankine) is a UK vocalist, whose repertory of styles expand across electronic, trip hop, noise, and Industrial. Her pseudonym comes from her maternal grandmother, who was also called Ruby.

She began her music career as frontwoman to Scottish noise group Silverfish, leaving the group, then based in London, after the release of their 1993 LP Fuckin' Drivin' or What and departing for Seattle. There she joined forces with producer Mark Walk, with whom she worked on material for industrial group Pigface, to produce an electronic album which echoed the downtempo styles, especially trip hop, more than her noise background; the album, Salt Peter, was released in 1995, with a remix album, Stroking the Full Length, appearing in 1996.

Ruby returned to her native Scotland to work on her second solo album, Short Staffed at the Gene Pool. This saw her release material on a new UK label, Wichita Recordings, as well as Thirsty Ear in the US. The song Grace was mixed by several producers, including Mira Calix of Warp Records. This was followed by another remix album, Altered and Proud, later that year.

She has since taken a break from recording, returning to her home country.

The statement that Ruby and Leslie Rankine are synonymous is somewhat misleading. The band Ruby was named as such because Leslie Rankine and Mark Walk (the other member of the band) both have a grandmother named Ruby.