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T E X A S   R U B Y   &   C U R L Y   F O X

The following biographies were used when Texas Ruby and husband Curly Fox appeared onstage as Grand Ole Opry guests on November 8, 1947.

Texas Ruby, radio's original cowgirl, recognized by critics as the Sophie Tucker of feminine folk singers, is a dyed-in-the-wool cowgirl, having been born and reared in the lone star state of Texas.  By the time Ruby was three, she was singing to the cowboys around the corral.  In the years that followed, she continued to sing and entertain at church, school, and neighboring socials.

One day as a young girl, she accompanied her father and brothers on a cattle drive to Fort Worth, which was and still is one of the great cattle buying centers of the West.  The two brothers and Ruby were singing some old familiar cowboy tunes while their father wound up his business.  The older brother, who also later won fame on the radio as Tex Owens, the Texas Ranger, was playing the Sears Roebuck guitar.  During the session, several of the cowboys and cattle buyers had gathered around the old buckboard to enjoy the harmonizing of the two husky brothers and the sis with the beautiful voice.

A short, red-faced gentleman in a white ten-gallon Stetson hat listened soberly while the singing filled the lazy breezes.  He not only was a cattle buyer but also was a radio station stock holder from the famous meat-packing center, Kansas City.  Being a man of travel, he knew what folks of the plains and hill country liked in the way of radio listening.  That was the beginning of the radio career for this young lady whose voice has been carried to millions of people throughout the entire United States.

Arnim Leroy "Curly" Fox grew up in the hill country of southeast Tennessee, where he worked at everything from saw mill to genson gathering.  The evenings were spent making music at the barber shop.  Besides learning to play the guitar and fiddle, Curly also got to be right handy with the razor and shears as an apprenticed barber.  He followed the trade at various times in the following years, since making a living sawing a fiddle was a tough row to hoe in those days.  On rare occasions, traveling string bands would come through the little town, pick and sing a few tunes, and pass around the hat to get a few nickels for gas and eats.  Of course, they could always bunk up with the country folks who were glad to have them stay and play a few more tunes.

One evening while Curly and his dad were having one of their regular sessions of tune picking and singing, an old T-model Ford thundered up and came to an abrupt halt in front of the barber shop.  Emerging from the steam and dust stirred up by the spitting Tin Lizzie were several dusty but otherwise well-dressed men carrying some of the finest looking banjos, guitars, and fiddles the Foxes had ever laid eyes on.

The men came into the shop flashing those personality smiles and talking freely.  They proceeded to wipe the dust from their instruments, all the while insisting that Curly and his dad fiddle a tune or two.  This they did without delay, and right proudly, too, since they were called the very best by the natives.  Both Curly and his dad played either fiddle or guitar.  So, since the old man happened to have the fiddle, he put if up against his chest and flogged a couple of hoe downs, squeaking loud and long in the smoke-filled room.  At the end of the self-styled rendition, Curly insisted that the strangers play one.  So, they proceeded to play with skill and tone, the likes of which Curly and his dad had never heard before.

The newcomers turned out to be one of the greatest string bands of all times, "The Skillet Lickers," famous for their recordings and later for their radio shows.  Watching these professional music makers gave Curly food for thought.  Immediately, he stopped holding the fiddle against his stomach as he sat cross-legged, and began holding it under his chin and standing erect.  In the years that followed, through hours of practicing, he developed a double stop style of noting and unique bow movement.  These have been copied by many and mastered by very few.  Today, Curly Fox is without doubt one of the nation's most colorful fiddlers and versatile entertainers.

In 1937, the now famous husband-and-wife team of Curly Fox and Texas Ruby was formed, making one of the finest teams of its kind on stage and radio.  This team is currently heard over WSM and stars on the nationally popular Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry.  Curly and Ruby are Columbia recording artists.

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Texas Ruby died at the age of 55 in a trailer house fire in Nashville, TN on 3.29.1963 while her husband was appearing on the Friday Night Grand Ole Opry.  After her death, Curly Fox continued to perform on the Grand Ole Opry and at other venues.  He died 11.10.1995 at the age of 85.  Texas Ruby is buried at the Franklin Cemetery.

The commemorative album "Original Recordings Of Texas Ruby & Curly Fox:  A Memorial Tribute To Texas Ruby" was released by Columbia/Harmony Records after Ruby's death.

The last album recorded by Curly Fox and Texas Ruby prior to her death was released on the Starday label.  Songs include: Old Grey Mule, Shanty Street, Fire On The Mountain, Chasin' The Fox, Love Me Now, Mockingbird Reel, Wink Your Little Eye, Model & Train Race, Big Silver Tears, Whistlewood, Front Door Key, Twilight Waltz, I Don't Love Nobody, & Curly's Talkin' Blues.

78-rpm, 10-inch disk recordings by Texas Ruby with Curly Fox & his Fox Hunters on the Columbia record label include:

       36901 - Don't Let That Man Get You Down, Don't You Lie To Me

       37879 - Have You Got Someone Else On The String & Even Though I'll Shed A Million Tears

78-rpm, 10-inch disk recordings by Texas Ruby & Curly Fox on the King record label include:

        716 - It's Over Forever & The Wreck Of The 1256

        786 - Those Dreams Are Gone & The Code Of The Mountains

If you are aware of other recordings by Texas Ruby, Curly Fox, Tex Owens, Laura Lee McBride, or Dick McBride,
contact William Kent Brunette.