Born in 1990 in Traverse City, Michigan, Ruby is the daughter of commercial fishermen and is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Ruby is the great-granddaughter of a fiddler, and recorded fiddle music was a staple in her home growing up. At the age of around five, Ruby told her mother that she wanted to play the fiddle, but it was not till the age of ten when her mother was able to secure a grant that allowed Ruby to get an instrument and lessons. Ruby was initially part of a group of young violin players, including her brothers Alex and Cameron, that were enabled to learn through the grant. She studied violin from Jan Ostrowski and became active in the OMFA and has continued with the fiddle to the present.

Ruby attributes much of her musical development to a wide array of fiddle activities in her mid to late teens, including trips to Canada, mentorship by older players, and the attendance of many OMFA Jamborees. Ruby and her mother even managed to attend every OMFA jamboree during Ruby’s senior year of high school and perhaps the following year as well. OMFA fiddler Lee Sloan mentored Ruby, and others, such as Danny Johnston, were important figures in her musical upbringing. While attending AlgomaTrad, a fiddle camp on St. Joseph Island in Ontario, Ruby met Anne Lederman, a Canadian fiddler and practitioner of Metis music. Lederman invited Ruby to participate in a trip to Torontoto learn from Metis master fiddlers such as James Cheechoo of Moose Factory, Ontario and John Arcand from Saskatchewan. After a second trip to Toronto to learn from “Teddy Boy”Houle, Ruby performed and taught with the group of students at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention.

Ruby has actively been attending fiddle events around Michigan and further afield, such as Jerusalem Ridgein Kentucky. She has a diverse range of influences that include Bluegrass, Canadian styles, and Michigan fiddling. Ruby especially loves to play for dancing but performs at a variety of other venues from tribal events to festivals.

(BIO from fieldwork report by Trae McMaken on fieldwork conducted through the Michigan Traditional Arts Program)