Ruby And The Romantics

Ruby & the Romantics stand among the premier mixed-gender soul vocal ensembles, achieving their breakthrough with the 1963 release of “Our Day Will Come,” a track that ascended to the summit of both pop and R&B listings and endures for numerous listeners as the quintessential expression of romantic yearning and turmoil. The founding lineup, assembled in Akron during 1961, featured lead singer Ruby Nash Curtis alongside Ed Roberts, George Lee, and Leroy Fann; prior to this formation, the male participants had performed under the name the Supremes. Subsequent efforts, including the 1964 offering “When You’re Young and in Love” along with “Our Everlasting Love” and “Baby Come Home,” showcased further quality material yet failed to replicate the earlier commercial triumph. Personnel underwent a full overhaul by 1966, leaving Curtis as the sole remaining original member now joined by Richard Pryor, Vincent McLeod, Robert Lewis, Ronald Jackson, and Bill Evans. The ensemble shifted to an exclusively female configuration in 1968 when Denise Lewis and Cheryl Thomas provided backing for Curtis, though the group proved unable to revive the enchantment originally sparked by “Our Day Will Come.”