Columbia recording artist and MN Music Hall of Fame inductee Gary Rue
is a theatrical composer/lyricist and songwriter (There are 2 compilations of Rue material, with performances by The Honeydogs, Helen Reddy, Nick Lowe, Butch Thompson, Laura MacKenzie, Maria Jette, (members of) The Rose Ensemble, Leslie Ball, Dan Chouinard, Bradley Greenwald, Christina Baldwin, Rio Nido, Jennifer Baldwin-Peden, Debbie Duncan, Pat Donohue, Arne Fogel and many others) and creator and co-creator of 95 (and counting) music theater scores with over 2000 local, regional, national and international performances.
Founder of the internationally acclaimed pop quartet RUE NOUVEAU
COMMISSIONED COMPOSITION
Composer and co-producer (with Johnny Hagen/Absolute Music) of Mall of America’s “There’s a Place For Fun In Your Life”
Composer of Paul Wellstone’s 1996 campaign theme “We Can Do Better” (with lyricists Marian Moore and Leslie Ball)
Composer and co-producer (with Johnny Hagen/Absolute Music) of Isaac Misrahi’s Target campaign “Cross Country”
Composer and co-producer (with Johnny Hagen/Absolute Music) Hormel Co. of “Pam, Don’t Take My SPAM”
HISTORY
1965-present: Touring Musician (guitar, piano, vocal, arranger, music director)
1979-2015: Band leader: The Coasters, Platters, Marvelettes, Shirelles…
1986-2006: Music Director for Gene Pitney (Town Without Pity)
1989-present: Arranger, producer for electronic media.
1994-2014: Composer In Residence, SteppingStone Theatre, St Paul
2007-present: Songwriting Clinician and Educator
2007-2017: Adjunct Instructor of Composition, Music Theater and Music Business at
McNally Smith College of Music, St Paul
AWARDS
1985 Minnesota Music Award, Multi-Media (Rue Nouveau)
2010 Inductee Mid-America Music Hall of Fame (Sensational Sleepers)
2010 Inductee Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
2012 IVEY Award, Music Direction, “Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story”
AFFILIATIONS
BMI Loose Canon Music Group, Composition and Publishing
ASCAP New Music Arts Publishing
AIMP (Association of Independent Music Publishers)
MPN Minnesota Presenters Network
PERFORMANCE
OH BOY! Buddy Holly
MAGIC CARPET RIDE (1967 ‘Summer of Love’)
LUSH COUNTRY (classic country music 1945-1965, with former members of Guy’s All Star Shoe Band featuring Dan Chouinard)
“Rue & Sabien play Rue & Sabien” original music, Gary Rue and Randy Sabien
WORKS IN PROGRESS
“Chopin's Heart” (cabaret and politics in late 30s Warsaw, by Dan Pinkerton)
“Hard Times” (musical adaption of the Charles Dickens novel, by Dan Pinkerton)
“Crossing Circuits” (the Control Data Story, with Book and Lyric by Mark Jensen)
“The Yellowstone Trail” (musical adaption of the true story, with Randy Sabien)
BUSINESS
New Music Arts LLC (touring and production)
Loose Canon BMI (Tommy “Heartbreak Hotel” Durden)
DISCOGRAPHY
Worlds Away
Painting it Red
Show Up and Shoot!
No Picnic Being Cheeze
Craft Singles