A young musician is returning to Arnold, only this time with more notoriety.
Ruby Leigh Pearson, the recent runner-up on “The Voice,” is scheduled to perform April 20 in Rickman Auditorium, 747 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold.
The 16-year-old from Foley, Mo., performs under the name Ruby Leigh.
She finished second late last year on season 24 of “The Voice,” the NBC music competition television show, and since then, she has booked several performances around Missouri and Illinois, and elsewhere.
“I am pretty busy now,” Ruby said. “It was exciting that (the Arnold date) was open, and we were able to book it.”
Ruby said she’s happy to perform in Arnold again.
“It should be a lot of fun,” she said. “I have played in Arnold a few times. I played at the Local House (Restaurant and Bar, 3946 Jeffco Blvd.) and some other places.”
Tickets for the Rickman concert went on sale Feb. 1 and cost $35 each for floor-level seats and balcony-level tickets cost $30. Proceeds will benefit the Arnold Kiwanis Club, which is holding the concert.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available online at RubyLeigh.eventbrite.com.
Rickman Auditorium has 1,459 seats.
Kiwanis member Carole Yount said the organization is looking forward to the concert.
“Ruby Leigh is a very talented 16-year-old. To have somebody with her talent and recognition come to Arnold at Rickman, I think that is amazing,” Yount said. “We are lucky to get her.”
The Voice
When Ruby sang during the “Blind Auditions” on “The Voice,” all four judges – Gwen Stefani, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Niall Horan – turned their chairs, which is how contestants are selected to continue in the competition.
The judges who turn their chairs for contestants also vie for the chance to coach them, and Ruby, who mainly sang country songs on the show, selected McEntire.
Ruby said McEntire gave her good advice during their time together.
“One thing that (McEntire) was big about was eye contact and connecting with the crowd,” she said. “Another thing she was big about was connecting with the song, portraying the song and acting out the song. It was mainly that. Those are things I use a lot during performances now and think about before I start singing.”
Ruby advanced through every competition round to reach the finals, when she performed a duet of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” with McEntire.
Michael Huntley won the competition, but Ruby said her time on the show has helped her career.
“It has been crazy,” she said. “The biggest thing is the support I have now. I had great support before being on the show, but now, it is even better. I have a bigger fan base. I am getting bigger opportunities.
“The change is evident. It is amazing to come from a town of 68 people, and now I am playing in California and Texas and all of these different places.”
Ruby said she still has a professional mentor in McEntire and remains in touch with her through emails.
“I don’t want to be that person who messages her every day and is annoying. I kind of keep my distance, but if I need help with something, I will reach out,” Ruby said. “She is there for me if I need her.”
Starting young
Ruby said she was 9 when her father, Casey Pearson, sparked her interest in country music.
“My dad used to race dirt cars,” she said. “I went into his race car shop while he was working on his car, and he was playing classic country music. I had never heard that before. I was like, ‘Dad, what are you listening to?’ He was like, ‘Don’t come in here running down my music.’”
Ruby said her father explained that classic country music tells a story and after you hear the story, you hear the beautiful music, too.
She said she listened for a while and heard what her dad was talking about. Then, unbeknownst to her, Casey’s favorite song came on – “Dublin Blues” by Guy Clark.
Ruby said she started singing along without knowing the words and her father told her she sounded good, so she decided to learn the song and sing for him the next day.
George Portz performs with Ruby Leigh, then 11, at the George Portz Traditional Music Festival in Festus.
“I sang it for him about eight times,” she said. “He recorded me singing, posted it on Facebook and (her career) took off from there.”
That same year, Ruby started performing with anyone she could. The late George Portz, who organized the George Portz Traditional Music Festival in Festus starting in 2013, helped her during the early stages of her career. Portz died in January 2023, but his son, Jason Portz, and Dee Hardgrave, George Portz’s girlfriend, are continuing to hold the festival in his memory.
Ruby said she met Portz in Wright City when she was guest singing with another group.
“When I was done, George came over. I didn’t know who he was, and he was like, ‘Hey, would you want to play a song with my band? We know your song. I was like,‘Yeah, of course.’ I was singing classic country, and a lot of people I would sing with didn’t know the songs I knew. I ended up getting to sing with him.”
Ruby said she performed at the George Portz Traditional Music Festival at least three times.
“Festus was always a lot of fun,” she said.
Ruby said she took Portz’s advice to learn how to play the guitar.
Arnold concert
Ruby said when she performs in Rickman, the audience will hear more than the classic country songs she is known for.
“I don’t like to put myself in a box,” she said. “I have learned classic rock songs, newer country and (newer) rock songs, the Blues and other pop music, pretty much anything I can put my hands on.”
Ruby said she also taught herself how to yodel.
“I was scrolling through YouTube and found a girl yodeling. I kept listening to it, and I tried to emulate it. After trying about a billion times, I broke my voice, which is how you properly yodel. Some people sing the yodel and don’t break their voice, which sounds different. It is difficult to break your voice, but that is what is considered a proper yodel. Once I got it, I couldn’t stop. I yodel all the time.”
Ruby said she gets lots of requests to yodel.
“I don’t think I have ever done a show where I haven’t yodeled.”
Yount said the Kiwanis Club will use money raised at the concert to fund college scholarships for Jefferson County high school seniors and to fund various community outreach projects, like its annual Giving and Light Fair around Christmastime, when the group gives Chromebooks to several students.
“It is something we are excited about, having more money to work with in our community,” she said. “All of the money stays right here. When you donate to us, we give it right back to your kids. We stay local.”