Steamin' Stan Ruffo

From his days in the school orchestra, playing clarinet and then saxophone in marching band, Stan has always been passionate about music! Although Stan spent many years as a long haul trucker, he knew it was inevitable that he would eventually play music for a living. And that’s just what he has been doing for more than 20 years.

Stan has also been blessed with the profound opportunity to perform and record on countless occasions, with legendary British guitarist, Martin Pugh. Stan’s other studio and stage encounters include John Ussery, Delaney Bramlett, Bob Newham, Hank Van Sickle, Jr. Watson, Rick Holmstrom, Henry Carvijal, San Pedro Slim, Kid Andersen, Vance Ehlers, and many other dedicated, and gracious musicians. Stan has also spent considerable time behind a microphone ‘on air’, having produced and hosted his own radio programs, Bastille Blues Party (’91-’93), and Blues On Tap, (’95-’98), both on KIOO 99.7 FM in Visalia, and also on the Internet at Audionet.com, Broadcast.com, and Yahoo Broadcast.

Unforgettable performance experiences:
Stan’s most bitter-sweet gig was when he went to see William Clarke at Club Fred in Fresno, CA. A message eventually came in that Clarke had become ill. Clarke’s band mates, bassist, Rick Reed, and guitarist, Henry Carvijal, (unaware of the severity of Clarke’s illness), approached Stan, and asked him to fill in for Clarke. The next morning Stan got the news that William Clarke had passed away. Stan could barely get those word’s out of his mouth when, later that evening, he had to tell ‘Blues On Tap’ listener’s of Clarke’s passing.

Stan produced a number of ‘special’ episodes of Blues On Tap, which featured interviews with great blues artists, like Johnny ‘Clyde’ Copeland, Fred Kaplan, and Barry Levenson. One show featured a live, in studio, interview with Mississippi bluesman, Robert ‘Bilbo’ Walker., which eventually led to ‘Bilbo’ insisting that Stan accompany him as his harmonica player on a tour of the southeast. The highlights of which included Stan performing with ‘Bilbo’ at the Sunflower Blues And Gospel Festival, and at the Crossroads in Clarkesdale, with Ike Turner, Frank Frost, and Sam Carr in the audience paying close attention to the performance.

In many of Stan’s performances, he sings and plays a broad variety of tunes from the world of blues, jazz, soul, and rock’n roll. However, Stan is most at home playing blues. While he still plays sax, he is best known for his incendiary harmonica playing! Stan has written more than two dozen songs, and has three CDs to his credit, including Live At The Bastille, Blues On Tap, and No Pork Tonight, all which are blues. Stan can be heard playing harmonica on CDs by Delaney Bramlett, John Ussery, and Bob “Pacemaker” Newham, as well as other imports on Taxim Records, and Double Trouble Records.

Stan’s extensive performance experience, unique ability to lead any band on a moments notice, and his demanding performance schedule, all keep him well tuned and poised to present a truly exciting, and entertaining performance any time you want the best!