PAMELA RUBY RUSSELL's  
HIGHWAY OF DREAMS

Songs, Stories and Photos

Email:  Highwayofdreams@gmail.com      

   “Life’s an adventure, it goes by fast.

Life's very short but your dreams will last, years how we’ll fly!”

This wild woman artist generously shares her photos, stories

BOSTON, MA – Mark Baxter, vocal coach for Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as many other great contemporary singers, says, "Highway of Dreams" is a journey into Pamela Ruby Russell's technicolor dreams. Exotic, lush, intimate, passionate & fun! A joy to listen to from beginning to end." 

These words echo feelings voiced by Pamela’s appreciative collectors and music audiences alike. A photographer, independent songwriter-recording artist and writer, she was born in New York City. During the early 1970’s Pamela learned about the camera from the gifted photographer, Myron Ehrenberg  (Photographer - Infinity Magazine, IBM Corp). At the same time she studied drama, writing and jewelry making at Elizabeth Seton College and the New School of Social Research, NYC. After a two year adventure in the French West Indies, Pamela settled in Boston to study music and voice with Dante Pavone, Mark Baxter and pianist Michael Dooner. She participated in master classes including the “On Spontaneity” seminar on Lake Champlain led by famed pianist, Keith Jarrett.  As she honed her musical skills Pamela documented her wild woman adventures in exotic far off lands, photographing the many colorful sights and inspiring people she encountered along the way. Pamela learned even more about photography while being photographed and/or working for Boston photographers, Roger Farrington, Edward Slamen, Shelburne Thurber and CJ Allen. Renowned photographers Annie Leibovitz and Richard Avedon have both photographed Ms. Ruby.

In Ms. Ruby’s own words, "To have the ability to be present and observe, to really see and hear with all the senses and then capture with a camera more than just form, but also a subject's relationship with its form, its essence, that for me is the photographer's job.  Life is beautifully profound and joyous and at the same time, painfully fragile and tragic.  Intimately recording the authentic center of a subject, be it a large crowd, a simple portrait, a still life or landscape, even the candid shot… I find the experience completely exhilarating! This is something I can do, with love, gratitude, compassion and hopefully, more and more expertise.”

Pamela’s otherworldly landscapes and portraits have captivated viewers for years. Her photographic work has been published and featured in:

v The Boston Sunday Globe: ”UNFORGETTABLE YOU” Self Esteem Boston event at Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel
v  Jamaica Hills Association, JP, MA: Directory Front / back covers
v CD covers & Promo/press Photos for New England artists: Marlene Del Rosario, jazz pianist (2 CD’s); Elizabeth Reian Bennett, shakuhachi flautist; Diane Edgecomb, storyteller; Ernesto Diaz, percussionist; Eric Linter, astrologer
v  Winning Entry, AOL Online Contest
v Teamster’s Union Local 25 Quarterly Bulletin - Documenting New England Katrina Aid 
v  Norfolk, MA Community and Norfolk Cable Access TV Websites
v  Spirit of Change Magazine, Musings Section
v  Integral Yoga Institute Website, for Scott Attaway, Master Yoga Instructor
v “HIGHWAY OF DREAMS” photos for CD: Pamela’s independently produced album of original songs
v  Book jacket, front / back for published book by Elizabeth Reian Bennett: Travels to Afghanistan
v “Ring My Bell” Cable TV Show hosted by SELF ESTEEM BOSTON’s founder, Marion Davis
v “About the Arts”: BNN Cable TV show with documentary about Pamela, her music and photography, by James Brown
v The R.O.S.E. Fund 2007 Awards Celebration Official Photographer, Fairmont Plaza, Boston, MA event
v  West Roxbury Transcript: Diane Edgecomb promo shot
v  One Woman Shows: “JP’s First Thursdays 2007, 2008 & 2009-Best Place to See Art" events, COBWEBS, Fine Antiques & Art
v Norfolk Public Library Gallery [October, 2008]  “FOUR WOMEN: Colors - An Artists’ Exhibition”
v Norfolk Democratic Town Committee website photos, Dem. Convention 2008: Gov. & Ms. Patrick; Sen. & Ms. Kerry;
Congressman Barney Frank photos, NDTC Town Hall Meeting in Norfolk, MA
v Arnold Arboretum’s “SILVA” publication: Photos, Diane Edgecomb’s “In the Groves: A Summer Solstice Journey”
v His Holiness The 14th The Dalai Lama: Photos, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, published in Spirit of Change Magazine
v Cover & all content photographs: "The Norfolk Quill, Literary Journal 2009"
v Zullo Gallery Center for The Arts: 2009 15th Annual Juried Exhibition, Medfield, MA. "Friends By the River"

In 1970 Pamela presented her first photo exhibit. She spent a year driving along the Hudson River coast, Westchester up to Albany, NY and back down New Jersey’s Palisades to the tip of Manhattan. She photographed the river in all four seasons, from every vantage point. Ms. Russell photographed polluters, trains, the many hidden nooks and crannies long forgotten. Arduous hours in the darkroom were spent learning the magic of black and white film processing and printing, while making the Hudson River come alive on paper. Her first show entitled, “As the River Flows, So Flows the Man” documenting her year long journey, was at a Westchester college art gallery in 1970.

Pamela Ruby Russell, a dedicated and gifted songwriter as well as photographer, captivates audiences with her original songs. Her performance venues have included:  NYC's revered LaMama Galleria; Boston’s infamous Rat; Kendall Café, Borders’ Downtown Books & Music Store, Bella Luna’s Milky Way, Boston City Hall’s ‘Plaza Performing Artist Series’ and ‘Plantings In the Parks Day’; Newburyport’s ‘Yankee Homecoming’ Festival; ‘Norfolk Day’ in Norfolk, MA; Martha’s Vineyard’s Wintertide Café; Passim's, the Middle East, Jack's and Ryle's in Cambridge, MA; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Martinique, FWI, and France. WCVB-5 TV's Peter Mehegan interviewed Ms. Ruby on the popular newszine, “Chronicle.” Ms. Ruby, a guest host on Boston/Cambridge's TV Visual Radio as well as Self Esteem Boston's weekly TV show has featured her photographic art alongside her musical performances with her "Highway of Dreams" band.  

A community activist for most of her adult life, she has performed at a MoveOn.org concert and the 2004 People’s Party during the National Democratic Convention. Vice-Chairman of her town's Democratic committee, she's also served as elected Neighborhood Council member in Boston, board member of neighborhood associations and a delegate to four state Democratic conventions. Ms. Russell helped organize the “Citizen Action Team”, a massive hurricane aid and relief campaign with an independent volunteer group and database, still active in assisting disaster victims. Besides marketing and performing her songs, Pamela is delving into the art of film making. There are a few other wild women in her family whose stories need telling.

Complementing her many achievements, including four time Billboard Song Contest award winner and Featured Local Artist on Boston’s WBCN radio with the beloved Carter Alan as DJ, Ms. Ruby was featured in a 1/2-hour documentary about her work on the weekly New England Cable TV program, “About the Arts.” Created by the Boston filmmakers James Brown and Yssa Santos to provide exposure and visibility to New England artists, “About the Arts” went behind the scenes with Pamela, from a rehearsal with her "Highway of Dreams" band, a session with her long time vocal coach Mark Baxter, to an interview in which she shared poignant personal memories and stories. Besides performing live on her 125 year old piano for her TV audience, an entire segment was dedicated to her personal photographs, going back to before she was even able to hold a camera. This filming experience has led to Pamela’s producing and hosting her own Cable Access TV talk show entitled, "Ruby's Round Up."

          
     PAMELA RUBY RUSSELL  &  SAM HOOPER PERFORMING IN BOSTON

  "Highway of Dreams", Ms. Russell’s independently produced CD now available on iTunes and other online sites, was co-produced by her along with the brilliant producer and guitarist extraordinaire, Peter Calo (records/performs with Carly Simon, Linda Eder, Andrea Bocelli & “Hairspray”, etc.  See his website!)  “Highway of Dreams” features backing vocals by Robert Holmes (guitarist/ writer/vocalist with Love Bomb, Ultra Blue & Aimee Mann’s band 'til Tuesday) and musicians from nine other countries including the brilliant Bolivian musician and composer, Miguel U. Jiménez. Pamela’s lyrics and melodies are interwoven with images from her many incarnations as: photographer; writer; performer; producer/ band manager; vocal coach; political/community activist; budding film maker and TV talk show host; Mexican circus elephant rider; cantina Tarot card reader; jewelry designer and poet in the French West Indies; Cape Cod restaurateur; last but not least, singing alone at midnight atop a sacred Mexican temple on Aug. 15, 1987, the eve of the internationally observed “Harmonic Convergence.” Pamela's song, "Avenue of Tears" was written about that magical night. Ask her about it sometime! 

    "There are common truths and we are not strangers. It is through the creation, sharing and teaching of honest thoughts and art that long lasting, meaningful friendships, connections and communication between people are made possible. Making art that uplifts and heals is what I strive for. Life is short, the blink of an eye, and sometimes it deals not so easy hands. The playing of those cards wisely, with compassion and gratitude, helps to overcome our many challenges, teaching us to appreciate our gifts and move through time on this lovely Earth in a more graciously profound and useful way. It’s about joy! With all I’ve seen in this life, what I’ve learned thus far must be worth sharing! That’s why I am!" she says. Pamela has most certainly dedicated her life’s energy and spirit to these principles.
    
 Pamela Ruby Russell’s photographs and her independently produced original CD, "HIGHWAY OF DREAMS" are available for purchase. Please feel free to visit Pamela online and hear her music at the following web pages: www.sonicbids.com/pamelarubyrussell, www.cdbaby.com/Rubytunes, iTunes  (listed on iTunes as: "HIGHWAY OF DREAMS"), and many other international online digital music stores.  Ms. Russell is available for art exhibitions and musical performances.  For more information and to purchase Ms. Russell’s photographic images and/or to schedule portraits, photographic shoots, special events and musical performances, please email her at:  Highwayofdreams@gmail.com and at:  www.facebook.com/pamela.ruby.russell.

Simple.
Thank you.

Ms. Russell's updated artist website is in the works.

PLEASE NOTE:  Radio testing research of the "Highway of Dreams" CD was done within Commercial Mainstream and Modern Radio markets by Loggins Public Relations, Inc., LA, CA. Participating stations: NMW, Billboard, FM Quarterback, R & R and Gavin commercially reporting stations.  Five songs on the CD have received:
“very strong recommendations as potential standards for target audiences.”