Biography
Named after a lane running through Chicago’s NorthWest suburbs, Rue Royale’s musical journey has taken in a lot of sights in these past four years.
In March 2008 Ruth and Brookln Dekker made the full-time touring band plunge, moving out of their house, in with some friends and selling all their belongings… save for a kick drum, shakers, guitar and a sat nav named Shelley. Straight in at the deep end, with a 20-date European tour, which set president for the next 2 years…
Rue Royale developed from Ruth and Brookln’s over-the-pond relationship. Influenced by Fleetwood Mac, Nick Drake, Zero 7 and the northern UK soul of Elbow and The Doves, they began writing together and gradually developed the candle-lit Rue Royale sound, honed through acoustic gigs and home-recorded demos.
Brookln grew up in St Louis, to church-music leading parents before moving to Chicago in 1998. Ruth was raised in Midlands county Staffordshire in the UK with teenage years sound-tracked by 90's Brit-pop and folk-rock, she met Brookln when touring Stateside. They wed in England seven years ago and settled in Chicago soon after.
Brookln and Ruth started performing together in March 2006, and have since gigged extensively, clocked up hours of radio play, had two of their tunes on MTV and amassed over 300,000 plays on myspace. A lovingly illustrated EP, The Search For Where To Go (May 2006), was the first fruit with copies dispatched to intrigued music fans throughout the world.
Rue Royale unveiled their debut long-player at the start of 2008 – following a year that saw them firmly establish themselves on the musical map. The eponymous Rue Royale was recorded in December 2007 and independently released in February 2008.
Not content with playing in all corners of Europe, Rue Royale left their Chicago base in 2008 to set up home in the UK. Their plans for world domination continue with a plan to begin recording a new record in the Spring, followed by what’s sure to be another intensive tour schedule for the back half of 2010 and into 2011.Now’s the time to join the journey...