Wyatt Robert "Bull" Ruther (February 5, 1923, Pittsburgh – October 31, 1999, San Francisco) was an American jazz double-bassist."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice). San Francisco, California: The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999, p. 17 (subscription required)."Elwood, Phil. "Jazzbeat." San Francisco, The San Francisco Examiner, February 5, 1999, p. 45 (subscription required)."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther." San Francisco, California: The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999, p. 18 (subscription required).Blumenthal, Bob. "Recalling those who were silenced during this year." Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, December 31, 1999, p. 101 (subscription required).

Formative years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 5, 1923, Ruther was known to family and friends as "Bull." A trombone student in high school before picking up the double-bass, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1947, where he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999.

In 1950, he returned to his hometown, where he pursued further studies at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999.

Performance career During the 1950s, Ruther performed in New York City with Dave Brubeck (1951–52) and Erroll Garner (1951-55).Blumenthal, "Recalling those who were silenced during this year," The Boston Globe, December 31, 1999. He also toured with Lena Horne in 1953 and recorded a split album under his own name along with Milt Hinton and Wendell Marshall in 1955 for RCA Records entitled Basses Loaded."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999."RIP." Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, December 3, 1999, p. 78 (subscription required).

Following this, he performed with Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1956, and then studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. While in Canada, he was a member of the Canadian Jazz Quartet (1956–57) and also performed with Peter Appleyard (1957). In addition, he performed in the United States during the same period, taking the stage with Ray Bryant, Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, and Chico Hamilton."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999.

In 1959, he toured with George Shearing and then embarked on a world tour with Buddy Rich from 1960 to 1961. From 1962 to 1963, he was a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet; he then joined Count Basie from 1964 to 1965."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999."RIP," The Boston Globe, December 3, 1999.

Later in the 1960s, Ruther worked freelance in the San Francisco area and played at the Olympic Hotel in Seattle from 1971 to 1973. He then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and played with Fraser MacPherson from 1975 to 1979. He played at the Ankor Hotel in Vancouver during the early 1980s, and while there, worked with Sammy Price, Jay McShann, and Dorothy Donegan."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999.

Ruther returned to San Francisco in 1984, where he performed with Stan Getz, Lou Stein, John Handy, Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, and Jerome Richardson in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Late in life he played regularly at the Bix Supper Club."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999.

Death and funeral A working musician until the end of his life,"Elwood, "Jazzbeat," The San Francisco Examiner, February 5, 1999. Ruther died at his home in San Pablo, California, on October 31, 1999, from a heart attack at the age of seventy-six."Ruther, Wyatt R." (death notice), The San Francisco Examiner, November 10, 1999."Obituaries: Wyatt 'Bull' Ruther," The San Francisco Examiner, November 2, 1999."RIP," The Boston Globe, December 3, 1999.Blumenthal, "Recalling those who were silenced during this year," The Boston Globe, December 31, 1999. Memorial services were held at noon on Saturday, November 13 at the Wilson and Kratzer Funeral Home in Richmond, California.Ellwood, Phil. "Jazzbeat." San Francisco, California: The San Francisco Examiner, November 5, 1999, pp. C9, C12 (subscription required).

Discography With Ray Bryant Ray Bryant Trio (Epic, 1956) With Al Grey Shades of Grey (Tangerine, 1965) With Chico Hamilton The Chico Hamilton Quintet with Strings Attached (Warner Bros., 1958) Gongs East! (Warner Bros., 1958) The Three Faces of Chico (Warner Bros., 1959) That Hamilton Man (SESAC, 1959) With Erroll Garner Mambo Moves Garner (Mercury, 1954) With The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Brubeck-Desmond - 4 Tracks - Vogue LAE 12114 Recorded November 1951

References

John Curry, "Wyatt Ruther". Grove Jazz online.