The best thing to do at this point is to go to the official 45s website which I manage.
But if you can't be naffed, here's a summary.

Matt Hales - keyboards, vocals and writes songs
Ben Hales - guitars backing vocals and writes songs
Stephen Cousins (me) - bass guitar and backing vocals
Matt Vincent-Brown - drums and writes songs

We formed in February 1992 as Gravel Monsters. and did our first ever gig at Barton Pevril College, Eastleigh Feb 92.

Recorded our first proper demo at Impulse Studios in Wallsend, July 1992. Then recorded further demos at St. Marks Studios, London in September 1992. We met our first management/record company at an industry workshop organised by the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors also in September 92. Brian Wade owned WAIF productions and in 1995 they also formed ARC Records. We changed our name to RUTH.

Our first TV appearance was on an advert for British Knights clothing on MTV in summer 1993. Recorded more demos, RG Jones and Westside studios in 1993 and 1994.

We eventually recordedour first album in the summer of 1995 in Chapel Studios, Lincs. We spent 6 weeks in the residential studios there.

Our first single called 'I Don't Know' Oct 1995 failed to chart. we appeared on The Chart Show and Live and Kicking 1995. Second single 'Fear of Flying' reached Number 91 in Feb 1996. Appeared on The Chart Show and Blue Peter Feb 1996.
'Valentines Day', our third single got to 120 something it did get us our first play on Radio One. We were on The Chart Show again and various satellite television.
In April 97 we re-released 'I Don't Know' and it got on the Radio One playlist. Charted at 65. We appeared on The National Lottery show and This Morning plus loads of other stuff.

Unfortunately our album release was continually held back due to lack of money/success. After a long lay off, RUTH tour UK. Another RUTH UK tour on Melody Maker 'Maker Breaker' circuit. Ruth appear on BBC National Lottery show again on 5th December 1998 performing planned single 'Waiting For This' which was never released.

Hoping to break into the foreign markets, we began touring Switzerland and Germany in 98/99 and then in March 2000 we played at the South By South West Festival in Austin, Texas, USA. We also planned to release a new single 'Waiting For My Heart To Break'. However, our UK record company ARC, were having difficulty gaining finance to run the company and in June 2000 we decided to leave ARC.

We signed a deal with Phil Nelson at First Column Management. He has previously managed The Longpigs and still manages The Levellers from his Brighton offices. After a series our gigs in London and a lot of record company interest, we eventually signed to Mercury Records UK anmd changed our name again to The 45s.

We toured throughout the summer of 2001 and then again in October 2001 with Shed Seven, Cosmic Rough Riders, Electric Soft Parade and Cooper Temple Clause. Brixton Academy and Shepherd's Bush Empire were two of the big places we played as well as the enormous Barrowlands in Glasgow. Our first single with Mercury was 'Something Real' and was released in October 2001 and reached 91 in the UK chart. We were played 5 times on the Mark and Lard show on Radio One although never made the playlist.

We released our second single in March 2002. Unfortunatley it did only marginly better than the first single and we were subsequently dropped from Mercury Records. After 10 years together we decided enough was enough and we split up. Matt Hales has gone on to sign a record deal with his project Aqualung. He reached number 7 in the UK charts with his first single "Strange and Beautiful". Ben is forming a new band called Bench as well as playing guitar when Aqualung play live. Matt V-B is writing songs and is enjoying having control of the music he makes. I am also writing and recording at home in my studio and have not lost the desire to 'make it' some day.

There is no animosity between any of us. We are all still friends and see each other regularly. It's just a shame the band never really reached it's full potential.........or maybe it did.

Copyright © by Debbie and Stephen All Right Reserved.

Published on: 2003-02-27 (6984 reads)

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