Many local readers have no doubt been to concerts featuring Ruth and Max Bloomquist. She writes most of what they sing, and he is the backup singer. Ruth has written many memorable songs featuring white pine and porcupine, a bicycle ride or something seen in her rear-view mirror. Song writers, and other writers, are often listening or watching for a tidbit they can develop into a song or story.
In 1976, Ruth answered the call for a folk singer to entertain a group of golfers on a boat cruise from Holland to Saugatuck and back. She brought Max, her boyfriend at the time, along. At some point, a man came forward and asked if she could sing “The Red River Valley,” a song that was special to him. She thought that odd, since he had a bit of a foreign accent.
He explained he was in the Italian Resistance during World War II, fighting in Italy with soldiers from other countries, including American GIs. At night, they dug foxholes, staying close to those from the same country. The Americans were in the far back. One GI had a guitar and would play and sing. In the still night air, his voice carried a long way. A favorite was the one about a cowboy “who loved her so true”.
Thirty years later, Ruth and Max had a gig with the Oat Bran Boys. The guys sang “The Red River Valley.” Memories of the encounter with the Italian “all came flooding back,” Ruth said.
After that, she wrote “Sing Me the Red River Valley.” The lyrics include:
I was singing in a bar, and he put money in my jar
And asked if I could play for him a love song
There was one he had in mind of a cowboy and his bride
That he heard the first time on the wind
Won’t you sing me “The Red River Valley”
It brings back memories of a time that has gone by
Won’t you sing it so sweetly, just as I remember
When lying on the ground near my hole
In a place far away long ago yet yesterday
When we were bold and young it made a difference
There was blood and there was fear alone at night there were tears
And a voice that could be heard in the distance
Won’t you sing me “The Red River Valley?”
It brings back memories of a time that has gone by
Won’t you sing it so sweetly, just as I remember
So for a moment friends long gone will seem alive
From this valley they say you are going
I will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile
For they say you are taking the sunshine
That has brightened our pathway a while
Come and sit by my side if you love me
Do not hasten to bid me adieu
But remember the Red River Valley
And the cowboy who loves you so true.
Won’t you sing me “The Red River Valley?”
This song, including remarks on how it came to be, has become a part of the Bloomquists’ concerts. It is appreciated by many, especially military veterans and those who had military family members. A singer knows when a piece connects with people; “You can tell,” she said.
In 2018, the Bloomquists were in concert at the Farmer’s Market in Grand Haven. Before the event, a woman named Jill approached Ruth and asked if they were going to do “Sing Me The Red River Valley.”
Ruth said, “Sure, we can do that.”
Jill said, “Good. My sister needs to hear it because that’s our Uncle Johnny.”
“Who’s your Uncle Johnny?"
“The guy you sing about in the song. He carried a guitar and a mandolin around Italy while serving in WWII.”
Ruth said, “It was then the hairs on my arms stood up. It was sort of a Twilight Zone moment.”
Before joining the army, Johnny (John Van Zwieten) had a country band in Chicago, the Circle J Ranch, and “The Red River Valley” was their theme song. He was killed in 1944. Jill hopes one day a relative of the Italian who inspired the song may hear it and make the connection.
“That would make a great ending to our family story,” she said.
The Bloomquists see Jill from time to time, a friendship created by the song. Jill told Ruth, “You wrote an amazing song,”
While Ruth has stories to tell about her songs, Max has a story about his upright bass. He was looking for a used one in the 1990s when a newspaper want ad listed one for sale in North Muskegon.
“Even though it had only three strings, a bent nail for one string peg and needed other repairs, I bought it,” Max said.
The bass is a Kay student model made in 1941.
“My bass is older than I am,” he said.
Another musician repaired it to like-new condition. Max said he paid as much for the repair as he did when he bought it, "but it was still a good deal.”
Ruth and Max will be performing at The Playhouse at White Lake Nov. 15 with the Blue Water Ramblers. They will be singing some of the 200 songs Ruth has written. Ruth will be strumming guitar and singing while Max adds harmony while playing his old bass.
For more information, visit their website: www.ruthbloomquist.com.
