Ruth Wallis - Obituary

Ruth Wallis, hailed as the Queen of the Party Records, whose naughty musical numbers between the 1940s and 1960s inspired a recent musical revue, Boobs! The Musical, died Dec. 22, 2007, according to the show's producer, Lawrence Leritz. Ruth studied dancing, voice and piano, so it was only natural that she would pursue a career in show business. After high school, the teenager sang in both the Isham Jones and Benny Goodman (briefly) orchestras.

Ruth Wallis composed the words and music to all of her (150+) songs. Typecast as a risqué singer during the Eisenhower era, her diverse catalogue of music was prohibited from airplay and her records were confiscated by Australian customs during the 60’s. Nonetheless, her career spanned over two decades and four continents. Ruth was a veteran of 10 comedy albums, which sold worldwide for over two decades. She traveled extensively, as an international star doing her own songs and appeared in top supper clubs in Las Vegas, Miami and was a sensation and sell out on her tours of Australia, London and New Zealand. In the '60s, her albums enjoyed great success and were released on her own Wallis Originals label. 'The Dinghy Song' sold 250,000 copies. She has also turned her vast talents to creating several scripts for the musical comedy stage.

Shortly after her 83rd birthday, ‘Boobs ! The Musical’ (subtitled: The World According to Ruth Wallis) opened at the Triad Theater in New York City and later transferred to Dillion's. Cast members included J. Robert Spencer (Jersey Boys), Robert Hunt (Les Miz), Kristy Cates (Wicked) and Gennifer Flowers. Praised by the New York critics, ‘Boobs’ ran for nearly 300 performances with subsequent runs in New Orleans and Wichita. Boobs! The Musical is a Best Musical winner/nominee for many awards, including New York's Mac Award, Wichita's Teall Awards and New Orleans' Big Easy and Ambie Awards.

Ruth re-released “Ruth Wallis’ Greatest Hits” (1998) and “Love is for the Birds” (2006)

Recently, Ruth Wallis was honored by the National Archives of Australia, her memorabilia included in ‘Memory of a Nation’, a permanent exhibition that opened in Canberra in March of 2007.

The above sent to me on Dec 26th, 2007, by Lawrence Leritz, the producer of "Boobs, The Musical"