Ruby Rendall
Ruby Rendall Mackay (born March 1955), better known as Ruby Rendall, is a Scottish country singer-songwriter. Born on the island of Stronsay, she has recorded several albums and remains one of Orkney’s most popular musical artists.
Ruby Rendall | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1955 Stronsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland |
| Genres | Country • country pop • country rock |
| Occupations | Musician • songwriter • record producer • broadcaster • music teacher |
| Instruments | Vocals • piano |
| Years active | 1971-present |
Early life
Ruby Rendall was born on the island of Stronsay in Orkney. Rendall and her family moved to Stromness when she was aged five, where she attended Stromness Academy.[1] Rendall was musically involved from a young age, starting piano lessons aged nine.[2] At the age of 18, she left school to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, in Glasgow. She was also trained at Aberdeen Northern College in 1976 to become a teacher of music, which she worked as in schools around Orkney in the 1980s, along with fellow musician and songwriter Elaine Grieve, the current Lord-Lieutenant of Orkney. [1]
Career
At the age of 16, Rendall joined the Orcades, a local dance band in Orkney[2], who were active until the early 1980s. At home and away, her talent became recognised, and one year, she was contacted by the Drew Taylor Organisation, with the offer of a nationwide tour with Kenny Serratt. Following this tour, she joined Golspie band Colorado, and later formed the Ruby Rendall Band, which toured for six years around the UK, including Northern Ireland.[1]
1982 saw the release of Rendall's debut studio album, Ruby Red Wine, on the Attic label[3]. To promote the album, concerts were held around Orkney, including a gig held at the Phoenix Cinema (now demolished) in Kirkwall.[4] Her next two albums were recorded away from Orkney, and were released by Turriff-based Ross Records; Straight from the Heart and Never Look Back, in 1985 and 86 respectively. Two more studio albums were to come in the late 80s: In Portrait (1987), her second out of two albums recorded by Attic, and No More Broken Promises (1988), originally a cassette only album, and her first Roadside release.
In 1986, during the Ruby Rendall Band era, she appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with Jean Shepard.[1] The Ruby Rendall Band disbanded by the end of 1988, following the arrival of her daughter, Deborah, a year earlier.[2]
The 1990s saw the release of two studio albums, Captured (1991), recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and Liverpool, England. She recorded an album within Orkney in 1994, titled Nostalgia. In this album, Rendall does not sing any country songs; instead she covers rock and pop songs that she performed in the 1970s and early 80s with the Orcades. It was to be her only studio album released on the Mariner Music label.
Rendall has recorded a self-penned[lower-alpha 1] Christmas single, Distant Star, originally released in 1987 by Attic Records. It was re-released under the title Far Distant Star in November 2025, with the original vocals, taken from the original multitrack master tape, and a new instrumental accompaniment by Phil Anderson in place of the original accompaniment. The 2025 version was released in aid of the Peedie Retreat, a charity who have the ambition of building a safe haven for Orkney residents affected by cancer or multiple sclerosis, and their families, so they can spend some time away from the troubles of treatment and relax. Far Distant Star peaked at #8 on the Hotdisc top 40 country chart, and #2 on the Hotdisc British and Irish top 10 country chart.[5]
She founded the Chalmers Mackay Music School in Inverurie, which provides musical tuition to all ages and abilities across a range of instruments.[6]
During the winter months, Rendall presents Back to the Country, a monthly country music programme on BBC Radio Orkney, featuring a range of country music and guest appearances from other country musicians. She has continued to record EPs, albums and, occasionally, singles, into the 2020s. One single, From A Distance, was released in aid of CLAN Cancer Support in 2021.
Personal life
Rendall is married to Sandy Mackay. They married in 1986 and had two children, Deborah and Robbie, who have been involved in the making of her most recent recordings.
Her hobbies include playing golf and fundraising for charity.[2]
Discography
Studio albums
Ruby Red Wine (Attic AT 001, 1982, re-released 2007)
Straight from the Heart (Ross (C)WGR 079, 1985)[lower-alpha 2]
Never Look Back (Ross (C)WGR 095, 1986)
In Portrait (Attic AT 013, 1987)
No More Broken Promises (1988, re-released 2020)
Captured (Roadside CDR 004, 1991, re-released 2019)[lower-alpha 3]
Nostalgia (Mariner Music MMCD 9401, 1994)
The Early Years (Roadside CRD 005, date unknown)
Once Upon a Time (Roadside, 2017)
EPs[7]
Dimming of the Day (Self-released, 2022)
Just My Luck (Self-released, 2023)
This Time Around (Self-released, 2024)
Singles
Distant Star/Mary's Boy Child (Attic AT 017, 1987)
From A Distance (Self-released, 2021)[7][lower-alpha 4]
The Ballad of Linsey Morgan (Self-released, 2025)[7]
Far Distant Star (Self-released, 2025)
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Ruby Rendall - Ruby Rendall Mackay at Chalmers Mackay Music School". Retrieved 11th August 2025. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ruby Red Wine, 2007 re-release sleeve notes.
- ↑ Ruby Rendall - Ruby Red Wine, 1982, retrieved 2025-11-19
- ↑ "BBC Radio Scotland - Orkney Country Music, 18/11/2025". Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ↑ "Hotdisc Country Charts, 7th December 2025".
- ↑ "Music Tuition - Chalmers Mackay Music School - Aberdeenshire, Scotland". Chalmers Mackay. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Ruby Rendall". Ruby Rendall. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
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