Ruby Winters (born Ruby Forehand; January 18, 1942 – August 7, 2016) was an American soul singer: primarily recording in Nashville, Winters had several R&B hits from 1967 to 1974 but is best known for her 1977 UK Top Ten hit "I Will".
Early life and career
Ruby Winters was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Charles Forehand Jr. and Lucille Inez Forehand. From the age of five, subsequent to her mother's death, Winters was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio by maternal grandmother Jeanetta Bradshaw, who encouraged Winters' penchant for singing, first expressed in church at age four. At age sixteen Winters - by then a wife and mother - began singing professionally, eventually expanding her performing focus beyond Louisville-area functions. By 1966 Winters was singing in the Charlie Daniels band, she and Daniels both being managed by Bill Sizemore: Sizemore also managed singer Ronnie Dove and was able to interest Dove's label: Diamond Records, in recording Winters whose resultant debut single: "In the Middle of a Heartache" (a Charlie Daniels composition), was recorded at Sambo Studios in Louisville for July 1966 release, reaching the Top 30 on the hit parade for WAKY 790-Louisville.
The regional interest in Winters' debut single led Diamond Records a&r head Phil Kahl to himself oversee Winters' next recording session which took place in Nashville early in 1967. Before Kahl left New York City with the intent of producing distinct Nashville sessions for Winters and another Diamond Records act: Johnny Thunder, label president Joe Kolsky had suggested that Kahl record Winters and Thunder as a duo, Kolsky having noted the recent chart success of the Peaches and Herb remake of the traditional pop standard "Let's Fall in Love" and also the current Marvin Gaye/Kim Weston hit duet "It Takes Two". Kahl resultantly recorded Winters and Thunder as a duet remaking the 1950s pop hits "Teach Me Tonight" and "Make Love to Me": with "Make Love to Me" as the A-side the single was released in February 1967 to reach #13 R&B in April 1967 registering at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After Winters reached the national R&B chart with her third solo release: "I Want Action", in the autumn of 1967, Diamond Records brought her to New York City to work with George Kerr who had recently produced R&B hits for the O'Jays and Linda Jones. With his regular collaborator: arranger Richard Tee, Kerr reteamed Winters with Johnny Thunder for "We Have Only One Life", released in February 1968 to become a chart shortfall. Kerr also had Winters record "Last Minute Miracle" which he had in 1967 recorded with the Shirelles for a regional hit single release and also (as "A Last Minute Miracle") with Linda Jones (with all three versions apparently sharing a common backing track); however Winters' version remains unreleased, "We Have Only One Life" remaining her only release for the year 1968. Winters nonetheless made a strong comeback in 1969 with four R&B hits beginning with her highest ranking U.S. solo hit, Winters' remake of the 1961 Chuck Jackson hit "I Don't Want to Cry", Winters reaching #15 R&B in February 1969 and registering on #99 on the Hot 100: two of Winters' next three singles were also remakes, specifically of "Just a Dream" and "Guess Who" (the respective originals being by Jimmy Clanton and Jesse Belvin). In 1970 Winters' recording schedule again slowed with no releases until January 1971 when her recording of the hymn "Great Speckled Bird" was issued by Certron, who had purchased Diamond Records in early 1970. Following Certron's own closure in early 1971, their tapes were sold to Cutlass Records, Winters was announced as being on the roster of the Cutlass R&B subsidiary label Hotline, but Winters had no releases before Cutlass folded by 1973.