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» Add News | The Ruts
Formed in London 1977. The Ruts came together after Paul Fox (guitar) and Dave Ruffy (bass), quit their band to combine forces with Malcolm Owen (vocals). Ruffy soon moved to drums and John "Segs" Jennings came in on bass. The band started playing small, local venues. Eventually playing Rock Against Racism gigs. They also showed their ability to fuse punk and reggae. They signed to People Unite label and released the one-off single In A Rut, which got into the hands of champion DJ John Peel who played it to death.
The band were soon signed to Virgin records and released the single Babylon's ...read more
Formed in London 1977. The Ruts came together after Paul Fox (guitar) and Dave Ruffy (bass), quit their band to combine forces with Malcolm Owen (vocals). Ruffy soon moved to drums and John "Segs" Jennings came in on bass. The band started playing small, local venues. Eventually playing Rock Against Racism gigs. They also showed their ability to fuse punk and reggae. They signed to People Unite label and released the one-off single In A Rut, which got into the hands of champion DJ John Peel who played it to death.
The band were soon signed to Virgin records and released the single Babylon's Burning which reached No7 in 1979. The Band were now one of the largest punk bands in the country. The album The Crack soon followed. Becoming an instant classic. It showed the bands varied musical styles, punk, reggae, dub and rock. Reaching 29 in the album charts. Something That I Said, an excellent punk rock record, was pulled from the album and reached No. 29. Jah War was also released from The Crack but failed to chart.
In 1980 the band released the single Staring At The Rude Boys which reached 22. It was another indicator of their ability to mix ska and punk. However the band reached a tragedy, Malcolm Owen had started using heroin and died of an overdose on 14 July 1980. The Band soldiered on. The single West One (Shine On Me), recorded before Owen's death, reached No.43. And the album Grin It And Bear It, a mixture of album-less singles, session track and live tracks, reached 28. The band reformed as The Ruts D.C. releasing two albums in the early 1980s but without Owen they had lost most of the magic and later quit.
The bands legacy lives on. They are well known as being one of Britain's best loved punk bands and have been said, by many, to play reggae better then The Clash. But their whole musical style is great. They are certainly a punk band that shined and will continue to be loved.
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Similar Bands: The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, The Specials, The Members, Sex Pistols Contributors: Pint of stella, porch,
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