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Mason Ruffner (born 1953) is an American blues and rock singer, guitarist and songwriter. He has worked with many musicians including Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Robert Ealey, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Page and Ringo Starr. From 1985 to the present, Ruffner has released six albums, including ''Gypsy Blood'' (1987) and ''You Can't Win'' (1999).〔 Ruffner's career has been inspired by Jimmy Reed,〔 Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Lightnin' Hopkins and Howlin' Wolf. In addition, he has drawn influences from the literary work of the French poets, Comte de Lautréamont, Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud.〔 ==Life and career== Ruffner was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in a strict Protestant home.〔〔 He initially relocated to California at the age of 17, but returned to Texas in the 1970s inspired to play music. His early musical experiences included playing at Fort Worth's Bluebird Lounge, playing alongside Robert Ealey in his backing ensemble known as the Five Careless Lovers. Moving on again he arrived in New Orleans in the late 1970s,〔 intending to travel across Europe. However he was enchanted by the music he heard there, particularly work by Smiley Lewis and Huey "Piano" Smith.〔 Ruffner formed the Blue Rockers and found regular employment at Club 544. There he backed visiting musicians such as John Lee Hooker and Memphis Slim. Spotted playing in 1985 by CBS Records' Tony Martell, Ruffner was offered a recording contract with the label.〔 His debut album, ''Mason Ruffner'' (1985), was produced by Rick Derringer, and earned critical acclaim from both ''Rolling Stone'' and ''The New York Times''. He went on to tour supporting Jimmy Page〔 and, in 1987, released ''Gypsy Blood'', which was produced by Dave Edmunds. The album reached No. 80 in the ''Billboard'' 200. The single, "Gypsy Blood" peaked at No. 11 in the ''Billboard'' Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.〔 His support work on tour at the back end of the 1980s included sharing the stage with Page again, plus later on with Crosby, Stills & Nash, U2 (The Joshua Tree Tour) and Ringo Starr.〔 In 1989, Ruffner played on Dylan's ''Oh Mercy'' album, and Daniel Lanois' ''Acadie''.〔 After this time, Ruffner bought a property in Wimberley, Texas, and largely withdrew from the music limelight for almost a decade. He then moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and performed at B.B. King's Blues Club.〔 In 1997, Ruffner's third album, ''Evolution'', was released in Europe but not in his homeland. In 1999, Ruffner issued ''You Can't Win'', which contained predominately self composed material.〔 The album was more blues orientated, and featured a horn section for the first time on Ruffner's work.〔 ''Mason Ruffner Live'' and ''So Far'' were released via CD Baby in 2007 and 2008.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mason Ruffner」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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