In 1956 Tony formed his first band. In 1958, at 18, he began appearing on the BBC's Oh Boy, playing electric guitar. He was eventually offered a contract to perform at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany.
While performing in Hamburg between 1960 and 1963, Sheridan employed various backup bands. In 1961, one such band, who had met Sheridan during their first visit to Hamburg in 1960, and who worked with him on their second, was The Beatles (with their line-up at the time as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best). When German Polydor agent Bert Kaempfert saw the pairing on stage, he suggested that they make some recordings together. In 1962, after a series of singles (the first of which, "My Bonnie"/"The Saints" made it to #5 in the Hit Parade), Polydor released the album My Bonnie across Germany. The word Beatles was judged to sound too similar to the German Pidels (pronounced peedles), the plural of a slang term for penis, hence the album was credited to Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers. After The Beatles had gained fame, the album was re-released in Britain, with the credit altered to Tony Sheridan and The Beatles.
By 1967, Sheridan had become disillusioned with his Beatle-brought fame. As he was more concerned by the Vietnam War, Sheridan agreed to perform for the Allied troops. While in Vietnam however, the band that he had assembled was fired upon and one of the members was killed. Reuters reported that Sheridan himself had died. For his work entertaining the Allies, Sheridan was made an honorary Captain of the United States army.
In the early 1970s, Sheridan managed a West German radio programme of blues music, which was well-received. In 1978, the Star Club was reopened, and Sheridan performed there along with Elvis Presley's TCB Band.
On August 13, 2002, Sheridan released Vagabond, a collection largely of his own material, but also including a new cover version of "Skinny Minnie", a song he had years earlier recorded for his first album.
Ruby Baby
Tony Sheridan and The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rockin' Ruby
Here's how you sing it
Well now I gotta girl now and Ruby is her name
Let's see I need some beat boys
Well this girl don't love me, but I love her just the same
Pick it up boys
How I want you
Like a ghost I'm a gonna haunt you
Ruby Ruby, Ruby will you be mine
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Well now each time I see you, baby my heart cries
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Ah it does Ruby
Well now I'm gonna steal you away from all those guys
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
From the happy day I met you
I made a bet that I was gonna get you
Umm?
Ruby will you be mine
Let's oink awhile
Oink oink
Oink oink
Bow
Oink oink bow
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Bow
Oink oink
Woof woof
Well I gotta girl I said Ruby is her name
What's her name?
Ruby
Carol
When this girl looks at me she just sets my soul aflame
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Forgot it
What are you gonna do now?
Aba zaba aba zaba zaba doo
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
You always forget the words, every time
The song "Ruby Baby" by Tony Sheridan and The Beatles is a classic rock and roll love song that speaks of a man's unrequited love for a woman named Ruby. The lyrics convey his passionate desire for her despite her indifference towards him. The opening lines of the song are an apt description of the sound and style of rock and roll music, as the singer declares that this is how you do rock and roll.
The song follows a classic structure, with a steady and catchy beat that is emphasized by the interaction between the lead vocalist, backup singers, and the instrumentalists. The repeated refrain of "Ruby Ruby" adds emphasis to his fervent desire for Ruby, with the repeated use of onomatopoeic sounds like "woah", "oink", and "bow" adding an element of playfulness and humor to the lyrics. The song ends with the singer lamenting his forgetfulness, adding a relatable and human quality to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
No, rock and roll, this is how you do rock n' roll
Let me show you how to rock and roll
Rockin' Ruby
This song is called Rockin' Ruby
Here's how you sing it
I'll tell you how to sing this song
Well now I gotta girl now and Ruby is her name
I have a girl named Ruby
Let's see I need some beat boys
I need some musicians to play the music
Well this girl don't love me, but I love her just the same
Ruby doesn't love me back, but I still love her
Pick it up boys
Play the music faster
Woah oh oh Ruby Ruby
How I want you
Oh Ruby, how much I desire you
Like a ghost I'm a gonna haunt you
I'm going to pursue you relentlessly
Ruby Ruby, Ruby will you be mine
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Ruby, will you be my girlfriend?
Well now each time I see you, baby my heart cries
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Ah it does Ruby
Every time I see you, Ruby, my heart aches
Well now I'm gonna steal you away from all those guys
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
I'm going to take you away from all the other guys, Ruby
From the happy day I met you
I made a bet that I was gonna get you
Umm?
Ruby will you be mine
From the day I met you, I knew I would win your heart, Ruby
Let's oink awhile
Oink oink
Oink oink
Bow
Oink oink bow
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Bow
Oink oink
Woof woof
Let's make some animal sounds for fun
Well I gotta girl I said Ruby is her name
What's her name?
Ruby
Carol
I have a girl named Ruby, not Carol
When this girl looks at me she just sets my soul aflame
Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Forgot it
What are you gonna do now?
When Ruby looks at me, I feel a strong attraction
Aba zaba aba zaba zaba doo
Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby baby
You always forget the words, every time
Some nonsense lyrics for fun, and a reminder that you always forget the words to this song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ruby Dellas
When I was a little girl I used to dance on my Dad's feet to this song. Beautiful childhood I had. Miss you Dad.
Aspen Ashmore
Ruby Dellas I’m so late, but that is such a sweet story🥺❤️
Gary Kerns
How sweet! :)
Thundergirls
❤️
John Benn
WOW
Fantastic version of a great oldie by a wonderful group.
Kees Van Baaren
Wonderful and Superior👍👍
Great Sax👍👍
Rosie Barnes
The backing were the Beatbrothers, Roy Young on organ Colin Melander on bass, Tony Sheridan on vocals, Jimmy Doyle on drums, Rikki Barnes on tenor sax. How do I know, was there, married to saxplayer, still am!!! Tony also on lead guitar!!!
KT Lowe
Those are always my favorite stories - the backing musicians sometimes have cooler stories to tell than the lead act.
Carlos Dilorenzo
@KT Lowe With my friends, we have discussed for years if its Paul McCartney´s voice in the background vocals of Ruby Baby. We should ask Rosie Barnes.
William Bruce Wilhite
@Carlos Dilorenzo The Beatles were the original Beat Brothers. John Lennon created the name. And he did not care about it at all. He threw it away. Afterward, there were a bunch of no name nothings who called themselves the Beat Brothers, but they have been total zeros. JWL was the Beat Bros. And the Beatles. Nuff said. There is nothing else to know.