Ronald & Ruby were an American pop vocal duo, best known for their 1958 hit single, "Lollipop".[1]
History
editThe duo's members were the black Ronald Gumm (or Gumps)[2]and the white Beverly "Ruby" Ross; interracial pop groups were unusual at the time, and the group did not appear in public or in major press and television outlets.[3] They had previously worked together as songwriters; among their credits are "Young and Hungry for Love", "Frankenstein Rock", "Fat Pat", "Soul Mates", "Don't Come to My Party", and "The Ghost of Love".[1] In 1958, they released a single together entitled "Lollipop", which became a hit in the U.S., reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The song was covered to greater chart success by both The Chordettes and The Mudlarks.[1]
Ronald & Ruby released several further singles, including "Love Birds", none of them hits. Ross continued as a songwriter, recording nearly 200 songs with BMI, including "Candy Man" (for Roy Orbison) and "Judy's Turn to Cry" (for Lesley Gore).[1] Beverly Ross died in 2022.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 370/1. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ Beverly Ross (13 January 2012). ""Lollipop" story behind the song". Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ Ronald & Ruby at AllMusic
- ^ "Listen to 'Lollipop by Ronald & Ruby'". Godsjukebox.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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