I can't help but think how appropriate that last listing is for this label. A young woman from Finland recording an album of Blues music back in one of the birthplaces of the sound, could anything be more appropriate for the label that is doing it's best to cross over the boundaries that have separated the music from people.

With that recording there is the feeling perhaps the process of repayment and recognition for all the years of neglect that the originators of the music suffered is finally beginning. Ruff had previously released a CD recorded in studios in Mississippi and Memphis with three of his young European stars hoping to recapture the spirit that resided there when the music was first recorded.

Coming back like that with respect and a willingness to learn, listen, and try to understand may seem like small recompense for lost royalties and income. But it is a small step in the right direction as they show an appreciation for who is responsible for there even being music for them to play.

Erija had been part of the label's inaugural Blues Caravan Tour in 2006 with Ian Parker and Aynsley Lister. The three joined forces to make the album Pilgrimage: Mississippi To Memphis which took them through studios across the south, to experience making the music they love where it began and with the people to whom it's second nature.

As you might have already been able to tell Ruf Records doesn't seem to have the difficulties other labels do in believing that a woman can be a guitar player just as easily as she can be a vocalist. This year's Blues Caravan Tour will feature three of the labels women guitar players, Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman, and Roxanne Potvin.

Crossing over this barrier may not seem like as big a deal as other, but even with people like Bonnie Raitt proving that a woman can play a guitar as well if not better than a man, acceptance of a woman playing lead guitar is still far from universal. Ruf records are out to break the stereotype of "chick" lead singer and keyboardist with a vengeance. These women are only a small representation of those who are out there but hopefully there example will encourage other players and perhaps other labels.