Ruth Hamilton (singer)

Ruth Esther Hamilton (1921 – October 29, 2001) was a leading contralto singer from Boston. Called "one of the most important singers in Boston" by the Boston Globe, in 2001 the Hamilton-Garrett Center for Music & Arts in Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA was named after Hamilton, and another prominent member of the historic Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, Elta Garrett.[1]

In 2023, she was recognized as one of "Boston's most admired, beloved, and successful Black Women leaders" by the Black Women Lead project.[2]

Early life

Hamilton was born in Atlanta in 1921 the youngest of 10 children to John Russell and Reacie Hamilton.[3]

After Pearl Harbor, Hamilton joined the WAACs while husband Henry Ellison was enlisted. She began as a motor corps driver, but once her singing talent was discovered Hamilton began performing with the WAAC band.[1]

Career

Hamilton moved to Boston in 1943 with her husband who found work as a Pullman porter. They formed a musical group known as "the Ellison Duo".[1] Together they performed for the duration of their marriage, including a performance in their hometown at St. Paul AME Church in 1948.[4] Upon arriving in Boston, Hamilton joined the Charles Street A.M.E. Church. As she developed her renown, Hamilton took a few lessons with African-American composer Roland Hayes and performed with at the Temple Ohabei Shalom and Temple Shalom in Brookline, MA.

In 1994 Hamilton contributed contralto vocals to Watch and Pray: Spirituals and Art Songs, a recording of songs by African-American women composers, which was her first nationally distributed recording.[1][5]

Ruth Hamilton died on October 29, 2001 in Cambridge, at the age of 79. The funeral was held at her Charles Street church.[3]

Legacy

Described as a Cambridge icon, Hamilton was awarded the Cambridge Peace Commission and Justice Award in 1997.[6]

Hamilton received the 25th Annual Sacco-Vanzetti Memorial Award for Contributions to Social Justice on Sunday, June 23, 2001, at the Community Church in Boston.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dyer, Richard (January 24, 1997). "A voice of Amazing Grace: Boston celebrates singer Ruth Hamilton for a lifetime of making spirits soar (part 1)". p. C1 - 41. Retrieved June 3, 2026."A voice of Amazing Grace: Boston celebrates singer Ruth Hamilton for a lifetime of making spirits soar (part 2)". Boston Globe. p. C16 - 56 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Black Women Lead". Black Women Lead Project. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2026. Directory entry number 183.
  3. 1 2 "Ruth E Hamilton, at 79, a noted spiritual contralto (obituary)". Boston Globe. November 1, 2001. p. C20 - 60. Retrieved June 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Atlanta daily world. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1932-current, April 25, 1948, City Edition, Page 3, Image 3 « Georgia Historic Newspapers". gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Watch and Pray: Spirituals and Art Songs". Videmus. 1994. Archived from the original on June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Ruth Hamilton: She had the vision". Hamilton-Garrett Center for Arts and Music. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ Adams, Carol; Olson, Rev. David Carl (2003). "Community Church of Boston Sacco-Vanzetti Memorial and Award Since 1976". Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
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