Seattle’s 92-Year-Old Jazz Legend Still Plays Two Shows A Week

By Rachel Belle

Listen to Ruby Bishop and all that Jazz

Dressed in a sparkly purple outfit, and wearing black, sequined UGG boots because of the snow, it’s hard to believe that Ruby Bishop is 92 years old. One of the few remaining Seattle jazz legends, she grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington and was the first African American baby born in Thurston County. She was born with long, piano playing fingers and a bug to perform.

“I was in show business when I was six years old. I was making a lot of money singing and dancing. Like, when the fairs would come they would throw down all kinds of money from the grandstands.”

More than 80 years later, she still performs at Vito’s on Seattle’s First Hill.

“Twice a week. I work Saturdays and Sundays and love every minute of it. Gosh it’s fun!”

Her friend and piano playing protege, Larry Knapp, says she’s always something to see.

“Some performers perform for people but Ruby connects with the people. If people are enjoying her, the songs just roll off of her because she really does feed off the audience.”

Ruby grew up playing music, and eventually attended the University of Washington.

“Mother wouldn’t let me take music in college. She wanted me to be a pharmacist. I didn’t like any of the science. I wanted to play music and so I took off. I never looked back because I didn’t want to be a pharmacist. I married one (laughs) but I never wanted to be one.”

After she left the UW, she started to meet some of the greats.

“I started studying piano and every really fine piano player that I met, I took a little bit of that talent with me. Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, all of these people.”

She also struck up a great friendship with Louis Armstrong.

“He was precious, he was just a good guy. He made me happy. He and I were good friends and when he came to Seattle, if he came to anyone’s home, it was mine. So I would go and ask the guys ‘Hey, would you like for me to fix dinner for you tonight?’ Of course they said yes! I’d get what every one of them wanted to eat and then I’d cook all day for them. When they got done with work at night, here comes the taxi cabs up to my house! Oh gosh, we’d have more fun! Some of the stories they would tell would just make you laugh.”

Ruby does a spot-on Louis Armstrong impression, perfectly imitating his throaty, gravelly voice. She recalls a time when she was living in Walla Walla and Louis called her up at 6 in the morning.

“He said ‘Hello Baby! Whatcha doing over here in cowtown?’ He was so funny! He said ‘Come on up to my room and we’ll tell each other some lies!’ and he says ‘I’ve got a bottle of Courvoisier!’ and I said ‘Oh, Louis, haven’t you stopped telling those lies yet?’ and we’d laugh! He did have some Courvoisier, I’ll never forget. It was my first glass of Courvoisier ever and it wasn’t my last!”

In her early years, Ruby played music at night, and by day she had a variety of careers. She worked at Boeing, was a court reporter and got her esthitician’s license at Renton Beauty School. But by the 70’s she was a working entertainer, and sang for the troops.

“I went to Vietnam and Korea. I wore pretty dresses. There were some times there when I knew my mother had one dumb kid and I was it! I got a kick out of those guys though. They were so glad to see somebody from ‘back in the world,’ they called it.”

Ruby plays the old standards, like Fats Wallace and Erroll Garner.

“When you hear Ruby Bishop play it’s almost like going back to the early early days of jazz,” Larry says. “The very early Boogie Woogie piano players of the 30’s. Every time I come hear Ruby, I just melt.”

Ruby may be a lady, but she’s a tough lady who’s not afraid to open her mouth if someone, for example, tries to pet her fur coat.

“They know that I don’t take any foolishness. I don’t bother them, they don’t bother me. Some of them have a tendency to get a little out of line and I put them back in their place.”

Larry says he cherishes every moment he gets to spend with her.

“She’s kind of like the queen bee. People have a lot of respect for her, always have. I still would like for her to be discovered; I’d like to see her on Jay Leno. She’s a character!”

Go see Ruby perform every Saturday and Sunday night at Vito’s in Seattle.