were an English folk rock/pop band of the late 1980s and
early 1990s. The original members of the band were Edinburgh friends Rebecca
Pidgeon and Roger Fife. By their 1990 album Down From Above, the band included
Erika Spotswood (later shortened to Erika Woods) and Anthony Coote.
In autumn 1986, Fife and Pidgeon sent a demo tape to Red
Flame Records—a small London-based indie record company owned by Dave Kitson.
At that time, the duo called themselves R'n'R. Kitson agreed to fund an album,
which became Glances Askances. After this first album, Ruby Blue released three
new singles on the Red Flame label: Because, Bloomsbury Blue, and Stand Together.
Coote was recruited to the band via an advertisement placed
in Melody Maker magazine. Woods, a friend of Pidgeon's from their time at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, was added to sing harmony vocals.
Between their first two albums the band released a flexidisc,
Easy, on the Fatea label, in conjunction with Fatea magazine, as a thank you
for the support the magazine provided during their early career.
The first album and early singles gained play on the UK indie
charts, leading to Ruby Blue signing a deal with Fontana Records and the August
1990 release of Down from Above, their best-known album.