Ruby Wilson

Ruby Wilson

Memphis, TN

Ruby Wilson, The Queen of Beale Street, died peacefully on August 12 at age 68. She suffered a heart attack at home on August 6 and never regained consciousness.

A monumentally talented singer and performer, Ruby leaves a 50-year legacy of recordings, films, and performances - and fans around the world.

Ruby was born on February 29, 1948 in Fort Worth, TX to Ocie and Emma Wilson.

She moved to Memphis in 1972, worked briefly as a teacher, and quickly established herself as a peerless blues and R&B singer at nightclubs and events around the region. When B.B. King's Blues Club opened in 1991, she led the house band and became "The Queen of Beale Street," entertaining hundreds of thousands of Memphians and tourists alike from her throne at the corner of Beale and Second.

Ruby toured the world as a performer, from New Zealand to Brazil to Europe to Japan, singing on cruise ships, at festivals, and at private events with her hand-picked Beale Street musicians.

Ruby recorded numerous albums. Her first was released on the famous soul label, Malaco Records. She recorded A Song for You in Memphis with the legendary producer Norbert Putnam. Her last original album, Show You a Good Time, was recorded in Memphis with Niko Lyras.

She was also an accomplished actress, with roles in major films including Cookie's Fortune, Black Snake Moan, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, The Client, and The Chamber.

Of all the stars and VIPs she called friends, Ruby was closest to the late B.B. King. She was B.B.'s goddaughter, and they had a special, loving bond throughout his life.





Ruby received numerous awards throughout her life, including a W.C. Handy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Supporter's Award from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Authentic Beale Street Musician Award from the Beale Street Merchant's Association. She also received a Beale Street Brass Note, located in front of B.B. King's.

She was a member of and sang in the choirs of several churches, including Rev. Al Green's Full Gospel Tabernacle, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, and Mount Vernon Baptist Church Westwood.

Ruby leaves one sister, Hattie Davis, and four brothers: Earnest Wilson, Charles Wilson, Ocie Wilson Jr., and Herman Wilson. She is also survived by four children - Shallisa Alexander, Stacey Ragston, Keith Moseley, and Kenneth Moseley - twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Kenneth Alexander.

Ruby Wilson, The Queen of Beale Street, brought happiness to millions with her extraordinary singing talent and charisma. Throughout her life, she remained grateful for the opportunity to share her gifts, to create joy through music, and to be an ambassador for the blues and for her beloved adopted home, Memphis.

As she said in closing at almost every performance, "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good."

Information on funeral services and other memorials is pending.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorial gifts be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Blues Foundation, or a charity of the donor's choice.