Lady fiddler, Ruby Allmond, shown here in a 1959 Hopkins County appearance, was
remembered through her music, on Monday, as her collection was donated to the
Texas A&M University Commerce Library.

 

Friends and acquaintances of Ruby Allmond joined together on Monday to remember her musical legacy.

Northeast Texas Music Pioneer
Remembered in Monday Ceremony

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Greg Mitchell, Director of Libraries at TAMU-C, welcomed Monday's crowd and
spoke of the generosity of the donation of Ruby Allmond's collection.

 

In the background, the sound of a distant fiddle resonated through the air at a lively tempo and one could almost see her cradling the beautiful, old, mellow, wooden fiddle as lovingly as if it had been alive, as she made the instrument sing with bow pulled over the taut strings.....melodies of San Antonio Rose, Faded Love, Cottoneyed Joe, Ruby Rocking the Blues, Listen to the Mockingbird, and Ruby's Waltz could be heard as her music was introduced to many and brought back to life for another generation. Yes, many in the crowd at Monday's tribute to Bonham native and Northeast Texas music pioneer, Ruby Allmond, were hearing the sound of her fiddle for the first time, while others had a note of nostalgia on their faces as they long remembered the lady, clad in cowboy boots, a fancy western skirt, and playing her fiddle from a venue in their very own little hamlet, somewhere in this part of the state. Ruby would have been proud, as she watched the lyrics from her songs and the music she left behind, being showcased at Monday's tribute in her honor. Her beloved friend and fellow musician, Audra Brock, has donated the materials to the Texas A&M University-Commerce Library for current and future generations to receive the influence of Ruby's contribution to music.

 

Dr. Dan Jones, President of TAMU-C, addressed Monday's crowd
and allowed that he'd been newly introduced to Ruby Allmond's music,
but had quickly become a fan, as it addresses the very culture of the
Northeast Texas Region.

 

I guess that Texas A&M University-Commerce President, Dan Jones, best described the collection when he spoke of the mission of the library, in his speech Monday. "A college library, like this, is much more than books and materials on a shelf, but a repository of a region's history, and Ruby's songs, lyrics, and compilations speak of the people of Northeast Texas," affirmed Jones. "She tells the story of time and place that we all recognize in the character of the people, a rich part of our local heritage!"

 

 

Audra Brock, lifelong friend of Ruby Allmond and fellow musician, told Monday's crowd that every time
she started to make plans to donate Ruby's music "it kept pointing to TAMU-C."

 

For those not knowing Ruby, they were astounded at the clever lyrics, the melodious ballads, and the artful arrangements of her work as Dr. Deborah Porter and Hopkins County musician, Lou Ann Petty, took instrument in hand and brought the music to life. Porter began Monday's tribute playing an autoharp and accompanied by Grammy Award winning musician, Brad Davis, as she played and sang Play One More, Mother Mabelle. "This song reminds me of Ruby's deep association and admiration for Mother Mabelle Carter and her family, and speaks of the family type of music that was such a part of the Country and Western genre, in the infancy of the culture, in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's," expressed Dr. Porter. "June Carter made an appearance in Northeast Texas in the 1960's and Ruby appeared on stage with her, in the small Northeast Texas hamlet of Reilly Springs, over in Hopkins County!"

 

Dr. Deborah Porter took autoharp "in-hand" and began singing "Play One More, Mother Mabelle," as she was
accompanied by Brad Davis, in Monday's tribute to Allmond.

 

Petty began her repertoire of three Allmond songs, with Play the Blues For Me, Baby, as she took Ruby's lyrics and accompanied herself on the guitar, with backup from Davis and Rob McWhorter. "This song speaks of Ruby's love for music and knowing the feeling of being 'second fiddle' to music in the life of a man," related Petty. "It addresses a woman, who starches and irons her husbands clothes and sends him off to play his music, but only asks him to remember her by playing the blues!"

 

Hopkins County vocalist and Cumby resident, Lou Ann Petty, accompanied by Davis and Rob McWhorter, begins her tribute to
Ruby Allmond, with "Sing the Blues for Me, Baby!"

 

Petty continued her tribute with Sounds of Texas, a song that spoke to everyone in the audience, when it embraced the Ruby Allmond lyrics "A man's a man when he's heard the sounds of Texas....the screech owls call and the doggies bawl in Texas...."

 

Petty performs "Sounds of Texas," a song that addresses those things all of us from
the Lone Star state readily recognize.

 

The final song by Lou Ann Petty was Walk On Woman and spoke of the times that Ruby's music was formed...."When it comes to lovin', you better walk on woman and leave my man alone...." At least the older generation in the crowd could relate to a commitment so deep, that one dared someone to "take her man!"

 

And, Petty ended her Monday presentation with "Walk On Woman!"

 

Over 90 songs written by Ruby Allmond are included in the collection at Texas A&M University-Commerce and includes such arrangements and original work as Orange Blossom Special, Five Foot Two, Twinkle, Little Star, Ragtime Annie, and Wednesday Night Waltz.. The collection is available for listening and study by those interested and wanting to learn more about the culture of Northeast Texas, and the influence of Ruby Allmond, a true pioneer in the region's formation.

A reception was held following the musical tribute and fans, acquaintances, friends, and family joined together to remember Ruby and to visit with her devoted friend, Audra Brock, who made it all possible with the donation to the TAMU-C Library.

Lou Ann and Johnny Petty joined Audra Brock, at Monday's reception, to discuss the Ruby Allmond
legacy and it's importance to the Northeast Texas culture.

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