At one point, Lesley Rankine was a part of an English band called Grizzelders, a group that played sixties punk music. Later, she became the female voice behind British punk act Silverfish, until eventually departing to go her own way. After she left Silverfish, she tried to figure out what she wanted to do musically; she was tired of the same old type of music, and was looking for a new way to approach it. So she got to thinking.

She finally meet up with Mark Walk from Pigface, and in the next 7 months, they put together Ruby, Lesley's first solo album. She finally had something that she pleased with; she had enjoyed what she had done in the other bands, but Ruby gave her what she needed: the freedom to explore and try something new. And it was a success.

Lesley was originally offered the position of lead vocalist for the band Garbage, but turned it down to remain with Ruby. Garbage instead found Shirley Manson, who has several Rankine-like vocal qualities. When Lesley was later asked if she regretted this decision, based on the humongous success of Garbage, and the fact that Ruby was still rather "underground," she stated that she was very pleased with Ruby, and had never regretted turning down the Garbage position.

Ruby's music is mysterious and errie at the same time. From the slow "Heidi," which she says represents a perfect example of what she wanted to do with Ruby, and then onward to "Carondelet." Each album is a roller coaster through a mind aware of its place in a world full of confusion.