Meet Ann Ruckert
- Meet Ann's many friends on MySpace
- Browse through her photo album
- Learn about Ann's life
- Read stories about her
Artistic movements start when talented people are able to congregate and communicate, support one another and offer each other critiques. It's no coincidence, for example, that many of the impressionist artists were friends, or that James Baldwin, Chester Himes, and Richard Wright were all living as expatriates in Paris at the same time. It's often the presence of a salon that allows these artists to meet one another and exchange ideas. The "salon" could be an art studio, a restaurant, a cafe, or someone's house. In this case, the salon is wherever Ann happens to be.
Members of her Saturday class claim that it is a hotbed of up-and-coming artists, a supportive atmosphere that nurtures students while pushing them to be the best that they can be.
More advanced artists insist that Ann's songwriter community is like no other in terms of talent, technical expertise, and encouragement. They are not only extremely well versed in the intracacies of making music, but have a solid foundation in their rights and know how to navigate their way through the music business. They also go out of their way to support each other as artists.
Finally, Ann's brunch guests have no doubt that her dining room functions as a modern day salon. Music business greats congregate around her table and talk politics while munching on her famous deviled eggs. Where there is an artistic movement in the recording industry, look closely, and you will most likely find Ann's pot roast behind it.
Ann Ruckert has a special talent for picking out people with that special spark. Among her friends are both talented artists with bright futures and experienced veterans in the business.
Biography of Ann Johns Ruckert
When Ann Ruckert was born, she likes to say, she left skidmarks.
She was walking by nine months old and was off to The Juilliard School by age fifteen. There was never a question that she was a musician. Her family considered The Juilliard a trade school. Ann married as a teenager to a great musician, Burt Collins, who was playing jazz trumpet in Quincy Jone’s band the year they got married. Ann practiced and went to school, while Burt opened the doors that Ann would need to go through later. While it’s important “who you know,” if you know everybody and didn’t practice, it wouldn’t do you any good, so Ann practiced. She sang with various jazz groups, recorded with a lot of great musicians, toured with several bands (including T. Rex in England), and became a studio musician and jingle singer. Now Ann is producing recordings and concerts and consulting with many clients.
Stories of Ann
Barrett Zinn: his many years in the Saturday class, the Tuesday class, and his thoughts about why Ann's teachings are as relevant today as they were twenty years ago.
Britt Neal: how Ann's "tough love" has helped changed her life and give her the skills she needed to succeed in music.
Lisa Lost tells how Ann helped her stop comparing herself to others and stay true to herself.