Biography
Emerging from the late-1970s British music landscape with an aggressive fusion of punk rock, reggae, and dub, the Ruts ranked among the most dynamic acts on that scene. Although the 1980 death of their vocalist brought an abrupt close to their run, the quartet still managed to issue six pivotal singles and one landmark album across their brief span. They also exerted considerable influence inside Britain’s Rock Against Racism campaign, thereby securing a political heritage every bit as enduring as their recorded output.
Four West London school friends came together in early 1978 to form the lineup of vocalist Malcolm Owen, guitarist Paul Fox, bassist John Jennings, and drummer Dave Ruffy. At first they played neighborhood shows featuring a fairly conventional post-punk set with early Oi! leanings. Yet the neo-Nazi National Front’s targeted efforts to enlist young supporters prompted the musicians to adopt a sharper political outlook, adding their voices to the expanding local resistance against the fascist threat.
Rock Against Racism grew directly out of that same community reaction, using concerts to spread political awareness. The Ruts became involved with the organization almost immediately, performing at benefit events and festivals. At one such gathering they met the South London reggae group Misty in Roots, and it was through Misty’s People Unite label that the band’s debut single—“In a Rut” backed with “H-Eyes”—appeared in late 1978.
That record offered only a glimpse of their developing sound, and when the group taped a Radio 1 session for John Peel a few months afterward the track was absent from the set. Even so, Virgin Records joined several other labels in spotting their promise and signed them during spring 1979.
The payoff came quickly: their follow-up single, “Babylon’s Burning” backed with “Society,” climbed into the U.K. Top Ten. Drawing on the era’s political and social turmoil, the song captured the simmering anger beneath Britain’s surface. After a national tour supporting the Damned and the release of their Top 30 single “Something That I Said,” the Ruts issued their debut album, The Crack, in October 1979. Its pioneering mixture of punk, roots reggae, dub, and hard-rock intensity propelled the record to number 16 and into the wider musical vocabulary.
Taken from the album as the next single, “Jah War” responded to the April riots in London’s Southall district that left one person dead and many injured. The track combined deep dub textures, a driving riff, and a soaring chorus, distilling fury and sorrow in a way that mirrored the Specials’ later “Ghost Town” in its depiction of a fraught moment in British history.
Surprisingly the single failed to chart, its raw subject matter resulting in an informal airplay ban, yet the setback did not halt the band’s momentum. A headlining tour preceded their collaboration with Jamaican ska veteran Laurel Aitken on his first new U.K. single in years, “Rudi Got Married.” The Ruts themselves returned to the Top 25 in April 1980 with “Staring at the Rude Boys,” their own foray into 2 Tone territory through its lyrics rather than its musical style.
Plans for a second album and an American tour were under way, and their latest British dates had sold out well ahead of time. Then personal difficulties overtook Malcolm Owen: his marriage collapsed and his long-standing heroin use spiraled beyond control. The Ruts canceled several U.K. shows and, in a last attempt to intervene, dismissed the singer shortly after he finished recording “West One.”
The dismissal appeared to prompt change—Owen sought treatment and met his bandmates to explore a return. The discussion ended positively, yet his determination faltered. On the weekend of 11 July 1980 he went home, used again, and died of an overdose. The remaining members continued as Ruts D.C., taking the name from the Italian phrase meaning “from the beginning,” though they pursued a markedly different musical direction. Their earlier work nevertheless endured. A month after Owen’s death “West One” entered the U.K. chart. Virgin assembled outtakes and non-album tracks into the 1980 release Grin and Bear It.
In 1987 Strange Fruit compiled the band’s three Radio 1 sessions as The Peel Sessions Album, underscoring their lasting impression; the collection was reissued on CD in 1990. The following year Windsong issued BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, a more satisfying live document than the 1987 sets The Ruts Live on Dojo and Live and Loud! on Link. Caroline’s 1995 compilation Something That I Said gathered further material, and additional anthologies, tribute projects, and live recordings continued into the 2000s.
On 16 July 2007 the band reunited for a benefit concert with Henry Rollins standing in for the late Owen. The event led them back to the studio, where they worked on new material across the next five years, culminating in the 2013 release Rhythm Collision, Vol. 2.
Four West London school friends came together in early 1978 to form the lineup of vocalist Malcolm Owen, guitarist Paul Fox, bassist John Jennings, and drummer Dave Ruffy. At first they played neighborhood shows featuring a fairly conventional post-punk set with early Oi! leanings. Yet the neo-Nazi National Front’s targeted efforts to enlist young supporters prompted the musicians to adopt a sharper political outlook, adding their voices to the expanding local resistance against the fascist threat.
Rock Against Racism grew directly out of that same community reaction, using concerts to spread political awareness. The Ruts became involved with the organization almost immediately, performing at benefit events and festivals. At one such gathering they met the South London reggae group Misty in Roots, and it was through Misty’s People Unite label that the band’s debut single—“In a Rut” backed with “H-Eyes”—appeared in late 1978.
That record offered only a glimpse of their developing sound, and when the group taped a Radio 1 session for John Peel a few months afterward the track was absent from the set. Even so, Virgin Records joined several other labels in spotting their promise and signed them during spring 1979.
The payoff came quickly: their follow-up single, “Babylon’s Burning” backed with “Society,” climbed into the U.K. Top Ten. Drawing on the era’s political and social turmoil, the song captured the simmering anger beneath Britain’s surface. After a national tour supporting the Damned and the release of their Top 30 single “Something That I Said,” the Ruts issued their debut album, The Crack, in October 1979. Its pioneering mixture of punk, roots reggae, dub, and hard-rock intensity propelled the record to number 16 and into the wider musical vocabulary.
Taken from the album as the next single, “Jah War” responded to the April riots in London’s Southall district that left one person dead and many injured. The track combined deep dub textures, a driving riff, and a soaring chorus, distilling fury and sorrow in a way that mirrored the Specials’ later “Ghost Town” in its depiction of a fraught moment in British history.
Surprisingly the single failed to chart, its raw subject matter resulting in an informal airplay ban, yet the setback did not halt the band’s momentum. A headlining tour preceded their collaboration with Jamaican ska veteran Laurel Aitken on his first new U.K. single in years, “Rudi Got Married.” The Ruts themselves returned to the Top 25 in April 1980 with “Staring at the Rude Boys,” their own foray into 2 Tone territory through its lyrics rather than its musical style.
Plans for a second album and an American tour were under way, and their latest British dates had sold out well ahead of time. Then personal difficulties overtook Malcolm Owen: his marriage collapsed and his long-standing heroin use spiraled beyond control. The Ruts canceled several U.K. shows and, in a last attempt to intervene, dismissed the singer shortly after he finished recording “West One.”
The dismissal appeared to prompt change—Owen sought treatment and met his bandmates to explore a return. The discussion ended positively, yet his determination faltered. On the weekend of 11 July 1980 he went home, used again, and died of an overdose. The remaining members continued as Ruts D.C., taking the name from the Italian phrase meaning “from the beginning,” though they pursued a markedly different musical direction. Their earlier work nevertheless endured. A month after Owen’s death “West One” entered the U.K. chart. Virgin assembled outtakes and non-album tracks into the 1980 release Grin and Bear It.
In 1987 Strange Fruit compiled the band’s three Radio 1 sessions as The Peel Sessions Album, underscoring their lasting impression; the collection was reissued on CD in 1990. The following year Windsong issued BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, a more satisfying live document than the 1987 sets The Ruts Live on Dojo and Live and Loud! on Link. Caroline’s 1995 compilation Something That I Said gathered further material, and additional anthologies, tribute projects, and live recordings continued into the 2000s.
On 16 July 2007 the band reunited for a benefit concert with Henry Rollins standing in for the late Owen. The event led them back to the studio, where they worked on new material across the next five years, culminating in the 2013 release Rhythm Collision, Vol. 2.
Albums
