Ruthie Collins

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace Presents: Ruthie Collins
Part of the Free KUZZ Concert Series Sponsored by Barber Honda
Make your reservations now at: (661) 328-7560
or online at buckowens.com

Things that do not go together: An upright bass and a dance beat. Crafting parties and honky tonks. New York and hillbillies. Instagram and romance. Tones harkening back to Hank Senior and a sound fresh enough to turn country music on its ear. Somehow, Curb Records newcomer Ruthie Collins doesn’t just bring those polar opposites a little closer, she connects them in a way that makes perfect sense. The effect is stunning – nowhere more so than on her debut single “Ramblin’ Man.”

When sounds reminiscent of Hank Williams’ mournful call are joined by Collins’ ethereal vocals over a completely unexpected backbeat, traditionalists instantly know the track is no mere cover of the 1953 chart-topper. Listeners unfamiliar with Williams – or even his son – simply realize that someone has taken country music to a place they never imagined it could go. As both groups get to know Ruthie and her introductory EP Vintage, the convergence of these seemingly disparate realities is convincing them that something truly unique is happening.

“I am a really old-fashioned person living in 2014,” Collins says. “I drive a 1984 Jeep Wagoneer with wood paneling, but there’s a backup camera and an iPod dock. I am obsessed with rustic farmhouse decor. I have a garden. All these things are very country, we just don’t always think about young women in that way. But they’re out there and they’re having crafting parties with their girlfriends. Whether it’s something that’s timeless or something brand new that aspires to that, I am drawn to things that speak of permanence. And that’s how I feel about my music – the upright bass and bluegrass instrumentation modernized and brought into the present day.”