Ruble Maxwell Blakey was an American singer born on April 4, 1911, in Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky. He passed away on May 13, 1992, in Oak Bluffs, Dukes County, Massachusetts. Blakey grew up in Chicago, where he began his career as a dancer in a cabaret in 1930. He later performed at the Ritz Lounge in Chicago, which was owned by a cousin. By 1940, Blakey was working at the famous Grand Terrace Cafe in Chicago. Between 1941 and 1945, he was a vocalist and recorded several tracks during this period.