timeless soul from the georgia clay to the modern day
Image by Ian Rawn Photography
“First, good soul music is just too hard to come by. Second, it is refreshing because Ruby Velle has a timeless voice. You could listen to this voice all day and not get tired of it. More than that, you could listen to this voice and this album in 15 years and it would still sound good.”
‘Step Right up’ (single) IS a global call to action, RELEASING IN 2025 and already nearing 20K streams*
‘The indie soul band that could’ is continuing not only to carry the torch for the genre of southern soul, but to provide a sonic call to action with their upcoming single “Step Right Up” - a rousing melody-meets-megaphone anthem, asking humans across the globe to come correct. The song reminds us the time is now for good trouble, for gathering in community with courage, for givin’ no slack when it comes to seeing human rights for all in our lifetime (for the kids!).
* across YT and Spotify
“Listening to Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics is both entertaining and compelling — because they’ve gone after the root of the thing, in their own way, while living in a place that’s got a built-in connection to soul.”
“Ruby Velle and The Soulphonics can sit alongside the very best... the groove, the charm and the lyrics powerful are enough to make you stand up and take notice. Lee Fields himself even wrote that it was “awesome” on their Facebook page and who am I to disagree?”
“After listening to this album a few times I am almost positive Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics have been sent from the past to show folks what real music is all about.”
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Seven-time winner of Atlanta’s Best Soul Band (Creative Loafing)
Billboard-charting debut album It’s About Time (2012) sold 250,000+ downloads
Top 30 on Billboard Heatseeker charts and #4 on iTunes R&B charts with single “My Dear”
Starbucks “Pick of the Week” with 7-inch single “Heartlite,” featured globally on Starbucks screens
10th Anniversary Re-release of It’s About Time (2022) remastered and signed vinyl available directly from the band
Opened for The Temptations, Motown legends and soul royalty Mavis Staples
Shared stages with icons like Lee Fields, Fred Wesley, Bernard Purdie, Morris Day & The Time, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, Yola and Gary Clark Jr.
CONTACT & BOOKING
Management : Kristin Juel, Juel Concepts
Email: kristin@juelconcepts.com
Email for booking : rvsbooking@gmail.com
Phone: 917-294-9884
rubyvelleandthesoulphonics.com
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RISING FROM ATLANTA’S RED CLAY SOUL TRADITION, TO BRANCH OUT GLOBALLY
Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics have forged a sound that honors soul music's foundational power while carving their own DIY path through modern music. Their 2012 debut It's About Time exploded with half a million downloads, (and would go onto earn 7M+ streams), Billboard chart success, and a sold-out performance at New York's legendary Blue Note.
Fronted by Toronto-born Velle, whose voice carries raw honesty and cathartic qualities, and co-founded by Scott Clayton (guitar/co-writer/co-producer) leading the the eight-piece band - they simply channel Georgia's musical heritage through their own embodied, slow-crafted and fine tuned creations for over 2 decades. This is evident in the record itself, recorded in Atlanta with renowned producer Thom "TK" Kidd (Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Whitney Houston), at John Driskell Hopkins’ (co-founder of Zach Brown Band), studio Brightershade Studios, as well as some sessions at Rogers St. Studios with Alex "Mistermind" Morgan as co-writer/co-producer/engineer.
Lovesick & Feverish serves as a love letter to all souls creating art and having positive impact amid uncertainty. Like the band itself, this album is also for those souls who still spin vinyl and have dance party Sundays to honor the legacy of greats who came before us. Greats from this same southern soil like Sharon Jones, James Brown, and Gladys Knight.
The Deed
A definitive step forward for the band exercising their big band roots and soulful wisdom. Inspirations came through like Curtis Mayfield and even Bobby Bland. The resulting record is powerful in it’s secrecy, and dripping in a new found confidence. The band knows there is a production seeking this tune as their muse for many seasons to come.
Writers Clayton, Velle, Collier and Morgan all fell in behind Morgan’s bass line, created on a keyboard and then translated to bass by long time Soulphonic Jacob Lawson. This was a tune where everyone contributed to the lyrics, and Ruby and Jason sing in duet.
The Deed is a timeless song about betting on yourself first and not looking back. The band is proud to bring it to our SoulFam just ahead of our album at a time where more courage in our whole selves (good, bad and ugly) is much needed.