Ruth Gerson is an American singer and song writer. A native of New York City, Ruth Gerson grew up on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

, the daughter of Michael and Cheryl Gerson. She was a student at the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

and studied Jewish existentialism at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

. She began a career as a self-supporting musician, performing her own booking, hiring musicians and doing her own promotion. Her 1997 album ''Fools and Kings'' was produced by veteran producer Don Dixon. She has opened for

Dave Matthews David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...

, Hootie and the Blowfish,

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter of Folk music, folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans 40 years. In the mid-1980s and 1990s she released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the ...

and

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

, and performed at the

Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...

in 1994 and the

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...

. She also performed on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'', and ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...

''. In a reader's poll of Italy's largest music magazine '' Buscadero'', she was named the second-best female vocalist of 1997, coming in behind

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

. In the same year, Ruth Gerson collaborated with the Italian singer Massimo Bubola as the female vocalist in the song "Mio Capitano" by Bubola himself. After teaching at Princeton, in 2009, following her divorce, she moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

where she founded San Francisco Vocal Coaching. In 2010 she released her album, ''This Can't Be My Life'', about her emotional experiences while living in New York. She is the inventor of th
Singingbelt
which is an accessory designed to train singers how to use the diaphragm to perfect breath support.

Discography

* "Very Live", 1995 * ''Fools and Kings'', 1997 * "Not Around Town", 1998 * ''WISH'', 1999 * ''Wake to Echo'', 2003 * '' This Can't Be My Life'', 2010 * "Deceived", May 17, 2011

References

External links

Home page of Ruth Gerson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerson, Ruth 21st-century American Jews American jazz pianists American jazz singers Singers from New York City Living people Princeton University alumni Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women pianists Year of birth missing (living people) Inventors from New York (state)