“When Peggy performs she makes sure to maintain the quality and integrity that each song deserves. I love watching her do this. When you listen, you know every note in every phrase will be executed masterfully with heart and soul, and you cannot wait to hear it. True ear candy!”
~ Vocalist Aileen Pearlman
A well established presence in the Asheville music scene since 2002, jazz and blues singer Peggy Ratusz performs an infectious, sultry, multi-layered brand of original, traditional and modern music. While influences such as Ray Charles, Anita O’Day and Bonnie Raitt are evident, it cannot be denied that her style is unique.
Audiences are inspired by the rhythm, melodies and content of the stories she tells. Every drop of emotion is authentic. For nearly 37 years, opportunities have placed her on television shows, radio, festival line ups, theaters, bars, restaurants, benefits, private events and showcases.
“Growing up in Worthington, OH, I took piano lessons from eight-years-old and my teacher encouraged me to sing. I listened to everything – Beatles, Elvis, Aretha, Sinatra, Ella, Janis, plus blues singers KoKo Taylor, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Memphis Minnie. I heard the soundtrack of “Jesus Christ Superstar” so much I knew most of the words by heart. One day I was singing Yvonne Elliman’s “I Don’t Know How to Love Him”, when four of my brothers and my mom opened the door and applauded. This act of significant validation was from the people I needed it most! I haven’t stopped singing since!”
After seven years touring the West in a folk rock trio based in Tucson, AZ, Peggy moved to Austin, TX in 1985 and fronted a 4-piece Chicago Blues style band called The Bootleggers, performing at numerous popular clubs. Throughout the 1990’s she was also a featured entertainer in show bands covering Motown and Soul music. After 17 years in Austin, Peggy moved to WNC and now makes her home in Fletcher.
Peggy and her bands have placed or won Best in Blues/R&B for five straight years in the WNC Best-of Readers pole, and in both 2008 and 2010, she and her band were semi-finalists in the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.
“I don’t know where this woman came from, but Asheville’s Peggy Ratusz can flat out sing some blues, jazz and rock.” ~ David Brewer, High Country Press
Ratusz has shared the stage with or opened for Taj Mahal, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Bernard Allison, Denise LaSalle, Candye Kane, Bob Margolin, Geff Achison, Kellin Watson, River Guerguerian, Jonathan Scales, Duane Simpson, Jonathan Pearlman, Shannon Whitworth and Gypsy Jazz’s One Leg Up. She’s performed at numerous blues festivals, as well as Bele Chere, The Orange Peel, Altamont Theater, Isis Restaurant & Music Hall, Grey Eagle Music Hall, Jack of the Wood, 5 Walnut Wine Bar and Tressa’s. Peggy and One Leg Up are featured in the Cabaret Jazz Series at White Horse Black Mountain on September 27, 2013.
An advocate for other area musicians, Peggy has been booking, hosting and running sound for the incredibly popular twice monthly Singer Songwriter in the Round series at both Jack of the Wood and Jack of Hearts, giving area and touring songwriters a place to play and get paid. For two years, she hosted a bi-monthly Female Artist Spotlight Night at Tressa’s Jazz & Blues, which were paid showcases for women artists of all genres, from novice to professional.
She is also a teen band music mentor for several area youth bands who perform soul, rock, jazz and blues and is a vocal coach to young and not-so-young area singers. Her regular column “Women Making Music” is featured in the monthly WNC Woman magazine, and she has recorded two CDs: “Infused with the Blues” and “It Takes a Lot of Faith”.
“Listening is the most important aspect about creating music people need to hear. It enables us to lift each other up as musicians on stage together, which in turn gives us opportunities to fearlessly stretch ourselves beyond what we thought we were capable of doing.” The talented musicians who share the stage with her would agree!
www.reverbnation.com/peggyratusz