Octave One feat. Ann Saunderson Artist Bio

Ann Saunderson (born in London, UK) is a British dance/soul artist. Saunderson recorded and released material under the pseudonym Ruth Joy between 1987 and 1992 with her group Krush, and between 1989 and 1992 as a solo artist.

Saunderson began her career as bass player in Sheffield. She then played lovers and roots reggae before being driven into the hip hop world, where her early efforts had the feel of reggae. In her early days, she played drums in a jazz band and sang (as Ruth Joy) backing and fronting vocals. Saunderson has also worked as a studio engineer. Arranging other acts’ vocal arrangements brought Saunderson to Krush. Around this time she became known as Ruth Joy for recording purposes. Joy provided the lead vocal on Krush’s “House Arrest”, which reached number three on the UK single charts.

As Ruth Joy, her first two singles were influenced by hip hop and reggae. Her debut single, “Don’t Push It” was heavily promoted in trendy magazines like The Face. Joy had a reputation for being very candid and was respected for this in the music world. In her own words, “I don’t mind being popular but I do music my own way. If people like it too then that’s safe”. Her “DPI” single was backed by a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Gimmee Your Love”. The video for “DPI” was filmed in Jamaica. Says Joy in a 1989 interview with Record Mirror, “I’ve decided just to be myself, not have an image…there’s no falseness, it’s honest, straightforward. When I’m singing I can really get out of my box…” Shortly after “Don’t Push It”, MCA released Joy’s self-produced “Soul Power” single in late 1989. This was not as successful.

Ruth Joy began work on her debut album circa 1991. It was released in 1992 and was called “Pride and Joy”. The album is a quasi-compilation as it features her 3 1989 tracks, her single “Feel”, and seven new offerings. The 1990s material was generally a lot more mellow and soulful. The first single of the 1990s, “Feel”, was produced by the legendary Carl Mcintosh. Originally scheduled for release in late 1991, the track was deferred until February 1992. It was a substantial European club hit. For the “Pride and Joy” album, Ruth Joy worked with several ‘big name’ producers including: Aswad, Nomad Soul, Mantronik, Carl Mcintosh and Whole Hog Productions. After departure from MCA records in mid 1992, Joy rejoined Krush for the release of “Walking On Sunshine”, in November of that year. This seems to be the last Ruth Joy material available.

After her ‘Ruth Joy’ project, Ann Saunderson went back to recording under her own name, and she worked with Inner City, her husband Kevin Saunderson’s band. One of Saunderson’s most famous contributions to Inner City was in their classic 1992 hit, “Pennies From Heaven”. The late 90s were rather inactive and it was only in 2000 that Saunderson began to mix with new producers/acts. In the early 2000s, she worked with the American techno band Octave One. She provided guest vocals on two of their single releases, “Blackwater”, and “Somedays”. All of these projects were large club hits and had great critical success, especially “Blackwater”. Saunderson also featured on tracks on Octave One’s debut album. Additionally, she is featured on Dave Lee’s single, “You’re Not Alone”, released in early 2006.

Discography

Singles: Krush (as Ruth Joy):

1. “House Arrest”, December 1987. UK #3
2. “Walking On Sunshine”, November 1992. UK #71

Singles: Ruth Joy (Solo):

1. “Don’t Push It”, August 1989. UK #66
2. “Soul Power”, November 1989. UK #94
3. “Feel”, February 1992. UK #67

As Ann Saunderson:

1. “Blackwater” (Octave One featuring Ann Saunderson), 2001. UK #47
2. “Blackwater” (remix) (Octave One featuring Ann Saunderson), 2002. UK #69
3. “Somedays” (Octave One featuring Ann Saunderson), March 2005.
4. “You’re Not Alone” (Dave Lee featuring Ann Saunderson), January 2006.
5. “Lie To Me” (Slam featuring Ann Saunderson), August 2004.

Albums: (As Ruth Joy)

1. “Pride And Joy”, April 1992.

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