Ruthie Foster's strong, vibrant voice and her richly textured songs blending blues, gospel, country, and folk have been charming audiences for nearly a decade. Raised in Gause, Texas, a small town southeast of Dallas, Ruthie grew up surrounded by the deep, soulful sounds of gospel and blues. Her outstanding vocals and superb original music have many influences including Sam Cooke, Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Sarah Vaughn, Etta James, and Lightnin' Hopkins, although Ruthie maintains that none of these has had the influence of her mother, Shirley Jones, who urged her to "Open your mouth and sing, girl!" Tonight, Ruthie presents material from her recent album, Runaway Soul (Blue Corn), including original tunes and covers of classics by the likes of Brownie McGhee and Big Maybelle. Possessing the rare gift not only of enthralling audiences with her music, but of truly moving and uplifting them, Ruthie is an up-and-coming artist who should not be missed.