Ruth Welcome

Ruth Anneliese Welcome (April 24, 1919 – March 6, 2005)[1] was a German-born American zither player. During her 30-year career (1945-1975) she distinguished herself as America's only professional zitherist, and, as a recording artist for Capitol Records, producing 18 albums and several singles.

Ruth Welcome
Born(1919-04-24)April 24, 1919
Germany
DiedMarch 6, 2005(2005-03-06) (aged 85)
Peoria, AZ
GenresEasy Listening, Light Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, Recording Artist
InstrumentsZither
Years active1953–1975
LabelsCapitol

Background and Career

Welcome learned to play zither as a child, and was familiar with the instrument at age 8, when in 1927, her family emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. There she took lessons on piano and zither, and upon graduation from high school she was accepted at the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied piano and violin; she later taught piano at the School for several years.[2]

During the second world war she joined the USO and entertained troops overseas, finding the zither more portable than the piano, and more suitable for solo work than the violin. After the war she continued to volunteer in military hospitals for several years.[3]

In 1949 Anton Karas' theme music for the British film noir The Third Man had a vogue in the United States, and reintroduced the sound of the zither to an American public which hadn't paid it much notice since the turn of the previous century. The popularity of Karas' zither-based score helped set the stage for Welcome's professional debut as a zitherist, in 1953. Her performance, in Manhattan's famous Hampshire House, was well-received, and she became a regular attraction there for the next five years.

At the end of her run at the Hampshire House, Welcome took her zither on the road, touring the US and Canada with such success, that Capitol Records signed her to an exclusive recording contract that same year (1957). She recorded eighteen zither albums for Capitol, which became popular all over the world, and started something of a "zither revival" in North America.[4] A number of manufacturers began producing concert zithers again in such numbers that today (2016) if you buy a used zither it is most likely to come either from the period 1895-1910, or from 1955-1965.[5]

Her first album, Hi-Fi-Zither, was released in 1958, and over the next fifteen years she recorded seventeen zither albums for Capitol, as well as a number of singles. Her repertory consisted primarily of standards and showtunes, in a style that came to be known as "mood music" or "easy listening" in the mid-1960s.[6]

Welcome retired from touring and recording in 1975, and relocated from Connecticut to Sun City, Arizona, where she spent most of the remainder of her life. She died in Peoria, Arizona, on March 6, 2005, and is buried in Sunland Memorial Park.[7]

During her career, Welcome recorded more zither albums than any other zither player. While the zither has again waned in popularity since the 1960s, Welcome's albums continue to sell briskly as collectors items, and several have been re-released on CD. In 2013 the Guardian released an article noting the continued popularity of her music on on-line sharing services such as Spotify.[8]

Discography

Albums

TitleFormatLabelIssue NumberDate of Issue
Ruth Welcome, Dick Marta - Cafe ContinentalLP?Cook Laboratories, Inc.103261950
Hi-Fi ZitherLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT-9421958
Third Man Theme and other Zither HitsLP, AlbumCapitol RecordsDT-9421958
Third Man Theme And Other Zither Hits(LP, Album, RECapitol RecordsSM-9421958?
Zither MagicLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT-12791959
Zither MagicLP, Album, StereoCapitol RecordsST-12791959
Welcome To ZitherlandLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT-14711960
Welcome To ZitherlandLP, Album, StereoCapitol RecordsST-14711960
Ruth Welcome and the Buffalo Zither ClubLP, Album, StereoF&B1960?
Zither South Of The BorderLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsC-802041960
Zither South Of The BorderLP, Album, MonoCapitol Records, Codiscos MundialC-80204, T-13971960
Zither South Of The BorderLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT-13971960
Zither South Of The BorderLP, Album, StereoCapitol RecordsST 13971960
Zither In Three Quarter TimeLPCapitol RecordsT 13181960
Romantic ZitherLP, MonoCapitol RecordsT-15271961
Romantic ZitherLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT 1527, T-1527Unknown
Romantic ZitherLP, Album, StereoCapitol RecordsST 1527Unknown
Ruth Welcome And Klaus Ogerman's Orchestra - CarnivalLP, Album, StereoCapitol RecordsST 15511961
Zither Goes WestLP, MonoCapitol RecordsT 16721962
Zither Goes WestLP, StereoCapitol RecordsST 1672Unknown
Christmas In ZitherlandLP, StereoCapitol RecordsST 17821962
Latin ZitherLP, MonoCapitol RecordsT 18631963
Latin ZitherLP, StereoCapitol RecordsST 18631963
Zither Goes HollywoodLP, MonoCapitol RecordsT-19861963
Zither Goes HollywoodLP, StereoCapitol RecordsST-19861963
Sentimental ZitherLPCapitol RecordsST 20641964
The Concert ZitherLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsP 86021964
Ruth Welcome And The Milt Shaw Trio - At A Sidewalk CafeLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT 12091964?
Ruth Welcome And The Milt Shaw Trio - At A Sidewalk CafeLP, AlbumCapitol RecordsST 1209Unknown
Continental ZitherLP, Album, MonoCapitol RecordsT 24721965?
Continental ZitherLP, StereoCapitol RecordsST2472Unknown
Sounds Of The Time - Cafe ContinentalLP, CleCook103261966
Zither In 3/4 TimeLP, RECapitol RecordsST-13181967

Singles & EPs

TitleFormatLabelIssue NumberDate of IssueB-Side
Ruth Welcome, Dick Marta - The Zither / The Cimbalom10"Cook1032Unknownn/a
Themes From "The Third Man"7", Single, RECapitol Records6086UnknownB: Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)
Allison's Theme7", SingleCapitol Records4562UnknownB: Hank's Tune
Ruth Welcome Con El Conjunto De Earl Shelton7", SingleCapitol RecordsCC - 3303UnknownB: Welcome In Colombia

References

  1. Social Security Death Index
  2. Ruth Welcome
  3. Fitzpatrick, Rob (September 4, 2013). "The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Ruth Welcome – Romantic Zither". theguardian.
  4. Bundy, June. "Diskeries' Talent Search Make for Artists Market", Billboard, 20 May 1957.
  5. Musical instruments and their history: the Concert Zither …
  6. Lanza, Joseph (1994). Elevator Music: a Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong. St. Martin's. ISBN 0-312-10540-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  7. Ruth Anneliese Welcome Obituary
  8. Fitzpatrick, Rob (September 4, 2013). "The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Ruth Welcome – Romantic Zither". theguardian.
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