Ruby Andrews

American soul singer (born March 12, 1947, Hollandale, Mississippi, USA - died August 13, 2026, Chicago, Illinois, USA). Married to Robert Lester.
Ruby moved to Chicago as a child and began singing professionally while still in high school, working with the vocal group The Vondells before launching her solo career. Her breakthrough came in 1967 with the deliciously assertive “Casonova (Your Playing Days Are Over)”, released on Chicago’s Zodiac Records. The song became Andrews’ biggest national hit, reaching #9 on the R&B chart and crossing over to #51 on the pop chart. Written and produced in part by noted songwriter Jo Armstead, the recording established Andrews as a distinctive new voice on the soul scene.
Andrews followed with a series of strong singles, the most popular of which were “You Made a Believer (Out of Me),” an R&B Top 20 hit in 1969, and “Everybody Saw You,” a Top 40 R&B hit the following year. Much of her work was created with Fred Bridges, Bobby Eaton and Richard Knight, the Detroit-based writing and production team known as The Brothers Of Soul. Her recordings from the period combined the polished sound of Chicago soul with a tougher, blues-influenced edge, and albums such as Everybody Saw You and Black Ruby have developed a following among soul collectors. Andrews continued recording in later decades, including bluesier material for the label produced by the singular soul artist and producer Swamp Dogg. Her final album was 1998’s Hip Shakin Mama.