Covering Lee Ruth
More than 30 Columbia artists honor the lifeof this local music legend.

Rocket Kirchner put microphones on his shoes this spring to pay homage to one of Columbia's hometown music heroes.

Kirchner was recording a song written by KOPN/89.5 music extraordinaire Lee Ruth for a tribute CD to the community radio legend Kirchner's foot-stomping take on "Thief" is one of 37 Ruth songs covered by local musicians for the double-disc album due out in February, a celebration of Ruth's contributions to the Columbia music scene and KOPN's 30th anniversary. The Kavalcade of Stars, the last event planned forthis year, is on Sun,.Dec.7.

Known for his encyclopedic musical knowledge, Ruth has been interested in music since his first piano lessons at age 6. When he was given his first guitar at age 16, rock 'n' roll was just hitting its stride, and Ruth became interested in all the different forms of music that were being fused to make the new genre.

He began collecting vinyl both LPs and 45s, amassing a collection of over 5,000 albums. That KOPN's organizer Jeff Mintz called on when the radio station was being planned Ruth agreed to host a Sunday night show playing records from his collection.

While hosting the show, Ruth was also writing and performing his own folk music and teaching others to play the guitar, banjo and mandolin.

Those musical endeavors have continued for the past 30 years, including a studio album recorded in 1988 and benefit concerts for KOPN and other causes such as Earth Day.

"He's one of those people who has endeared himself to thousands of people over the years," says musician Jerome Wheeler, who recorded Ruth's " Scorpio Love Song" for the tribute album.

A Ruth tribute CD seemed like a perfect way to honor Ruth's dedication to Columbia music, says the project's initiator, Steve Donofrio. Known as the Radio Ranger on his Sunday KOPN/89.5 FM show, Donofrio came up with the album idea lin November 2002.

When he told Ruth about the concept, the tribute's subject was uncertain at first. "My initial reaction was rather skeptical that there'd be enough interest to make a go of it," Ruth says.

But as word got out to local musicians about the plan, the project grew"It started as one CD, but because of the interest of so many different musicians, it went to two," , Donofrio says..

Kirchner says he was one of the first to jump aboard."Anything with Lee Ruth and KOPN, let's do it," he says.

With all 37 songs recorded and the mixing process underway, Donofrio says the original release date set for November 2003 couldn't quite be met. Coordinating the schedules of the artists involved with the studio and the producers took longer than planned, but otherwise things are running smoothly for the new target of February.

The final product will showcase Ruth's folk melodies in a several of new ways. Kirchner says it's obvious the musicians involved picked songs they identified with and made them their own. "They rock them up or make it real technological, Just like Johnny Cash made a Nine Inch Nails song his own." He says.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of the album is that the creation has lured Ruth back into actively making music. It's re-energized him and gotten him playing live again and having fun," Wheeler says.

Ruth says Wheeler is right about that. "I was really in the doldrums musically, and this has gotten me moving and made me relearn and reconstruct many of those old songs," he says.

It's also brought him a new perspective on those songs. "It's been a revelation," Ruth says. "It reopened my eyes and ears to some of the possibilities in songs that I hadn't thought of in years. I've come to feel that there is more to some songs than I'd given them credit for."

-Emmy Thomas