[RIP] Queen of Beale Street ‘ Ruby Wilson’

The Queen of Beale Street Ruby Wilson passed away last week in Memphis, TN..

Ms. Ruby was a blues, soul and gospel singer. She will truly be missed.

Funeral arrangements have been announced.

The visitation for Ms. Ruby Wilson will be held Thursday, August 18 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at NJ Ford Funeral Home.

Wilson’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. the following day at Baptist Church Westwood located at 620 Parkrose Road.

After the funeral the processional will head down Beale Street and stop at B.B. King’s.

(5) facts about Ms. Wilson:

1) Ms. Wilson recorded 10 albums and performed with Ray Charles, the Four Tops, Isaac Hayes, B. B. King and others.

2) She also performed in Europe and Asia and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and sang in church choirs, including that of the Rev. Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis.

3) Wilson appeared in several films, including The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), The Chamber (1996), Cookie’s Fortune (1999) and Black Snake Moan (2006) as well as in television commercials.^[5]^[9]^[10]

4) Ms. Wilson was born in Fort Worth. She moved to Memphis in 1972 and became a fixture at Beale Street nightclubs, including Mr. King’s blues club, where she had a regular weekly performance.

5) Wilson moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1972, and started working as a kindergarten teacher in the Memphis City School system.^[3]

Prayers to her family.