Ruby Glover’s Baltimore
The Late Jazz Great in Her Own Voice
March 14, 2008
By Martha Thomas
Image courtesy of the Baltimore Sun Company, Inc., All rights reserved.
Photo by Christopher T. Assaf.
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Jazz singer Ruby Glover spent her life — and her career — in Baltimore. As a young girl she sang in clubs along Pennsylvania Avenue (and went straight home to her mother after a gig). Just a few days before her death in October, she was videotaped by members of the Squonk Opera company, a Pittsburgh-based group that was in Baltimore doing interviews for a new work. Its production of Baltimore: The Opera was performed at Theatre Project in December, the week Glover would have turned 78. In the taped interview, Glover answers questions with stream-of-consciousness digressions, her thoughts and riffs delivered in the scat-singing style that made her famous. Here are some excerpts.
The Jazz Scene
Pennsylvania Avenue got destroyed in the ‘60s. In its heyday [I felt like] Alice in Wonderland. You’d get off the streetcar at the corner of Dolphin and Pennsylvania Avenue. There were two parts to it. On your right you were gonna hit the upper echelon: the Royal Theater, all the clubs. On the lower side of Pennsylvania were the ladies of the evening.
As soon as I got off that trolley, I had extra energy and wanted to skip. My mother would call [the clubs where I was singing] and tell them that I was coming. As soon as [the shows] were over, my mother had them putting me in a taxi and sending me home.
On Pennsylvania Avenue you could hear your best artists playing. You could feel Coltrane playing. As I progressed and became sophisticated, [after work] I would go farther down and meet a couple of the guys coming off the stage and we could go back and hear others playing. It was delightful, it was rich. It was enriching.
Back then we had people who dressed fabulously. We celebrated Easter walking down the street from the top to the bottom, with little ones with their little white socks and their shoes sitting on the curb watching.
The Real Ruby Glover
I knew that I couldn’t just sing straight. I knew that there was something else in my mind, in my brain, in my performance that I was looking for. I wanted to be me, the real me. The only way to obtain it was to hang with musicians who would bring it forward.
I began to scat, just like Ella, but I knew I couldn’t repeat Ella, just like I couldn’t repeat Billie Holiday. I wanted to be me. I wanted my sound. I didn’t want people to say, “Oh you sound just like…” I didn’t want to sound just like. I wanted to be who I am.
One day I made a tape and they played it back before I left [the club]. I came out and said, “Dag, who’s that singing my song?” He said, “You don’t recognize that voice?” He said, “Who do you think that is?” I said, “It sounds like Sarah Vaughan, but I don’t remember her singing that song.” He said, “Sit down,” and I said, “Why do I have to sit down?” and he said, “If you don’t sit down you’re going to fall: It’s you.”
I realized I had to wipe all of that Sarah Vaughan out and go back to classes and find the real Ruby Glover. When I met Sarah Vaughan she said, “I heard from one of your musicians that you sound like me.” I said, “Please, no dishonor, I ought to apologize.” She said, “No, don’t apologize, I felt great that there was someone who could really tie into my music,” and I said, “I don’t want to sound like you, no offense.” She said, “What are you going to do?” I said, “I have to go and find the real me.” She said, “If you sound like me, I’ll raise hell.” It worked. I came out of it sounding like me.
Baltimore is a Warm Sweater
Baltimore is like my warm sweater. It picks me up and aids me to be the person that the audience would love. I love the children and would like to see them happier than they are. I’d like to see less comfort given to those who don’t need it and more shared with those who do. I’d like to see more love and attention to individuals I’ve seen walking the street homeless. I’d love to be part of an ability to create another Pennsylvania Avenue, so the young talent could have that same enjoyable approach to music and the real happiness that jazz can bring. I’d like to see more harmony between people regardless of color. I’d like to see people with more satisfaction with life than they have today.
I have wild dreams for this city. This city should never close its door.
Those are not just dreams — those are realities that happened for a little girl who turned into an older lady, who still tries her damndest to do it all over again for others.
When I think of Baltimore I think of love, music, food, visits to wonderful places. When I think of Baltimore I think of love.
