MEET THE BAND: Ralph Ruiz - Bass

Meet Ralph R. Ruiz, our bass player.

My passion for playing music started at the first sight of the red Mickey Mouse guitar, and did what any 6 or 7 year old would do to satisfy a want, threw a tantrum. It was then, my parents exposed me to playing in front of a crowd, family and family friends actually, with same guitar shouldered with a string, I lip synced “whole lot of shaking going on”, thinking I was doing Elvis. I was hooked. Got my first box guitar and a Mel Bay chord book at 11, by 13, my little surfer band was a regular at school assemblies and birthday parties. I then decided that I would like try playing keyboards……got a Farfisa compact ,and after a year of self-learning, I performed at school assemblies and parties. Then at 16, an older, working band asked me to try and play bass guitar with them. I have never played anything with less than 6 strings nor the type of music they were playing, Tejano, oldies and R&B. I did not even own a bass guitar. They handed a regular electric guitar, told me just to use four 4 top strings and try to follow. Long story short, That O.B.G’s band lasted for 3+ years and played all venues from prisons to parks, large hall to basements, with a bass guitar that I purchased earlier of course. When that disbanded, I was playing with the house band at a biker bar; the coolest folks to play music for. Honky Tonk Woman would always knock them dead. That was short lived, but a whole lot of fun. I got serious, went to school with the intention of being a juvenile probation counselor. I was close to finishing 2nd year of CCSF, and ready to transfer to Berserkly. I auditioned to play bass in a latin jazz, rock band with all original music. Well, I got the gig, and because we go to play places like the “The Lions Share”, Longshoremans Hall, The Village, Kabuki Theater, Cesars…opened for recording artists, and all this was in the early 70’s era when the latin music just exploded in the Mission district, an experience that I never regretted not returning to school. Of course, all good (fun) things must end, returned to Pittsburg around 1975 and actually stopped playing, thinking those days are behind me, until recently 2015, and old friend came to my house asking me if I would be interested in playing again. Well, kinda…..we rehearsed off and on with the only gig was a recent car show. I was fortunate enough to be contacted by a band from Clayton called 19 Hand Horse and asked me to jam. Not only did I enjoy the jam, it was a comfortable feeling being “laid back” and easy going. Their music genre and was new to me, and playing with this level of musicians, is a learning experience in itself. I am finally able to extend my musical experience to playing songs I grew up with and listened to. Enjoying this time around...