Gary Rue
Inducted 2010
Originally from Tracy, Minnesota, at age five Gary took the stage as Johnny in the play Johnny and the Magic Carpet Ride while in kindergarten. In third grade he started piano lessons and discovered his compositional leanings. Gary wrote his first real song “Moonshine” in 1966. Rue led the 1960s rock and roll band The Sensational Sleepers (with MMHF inductee Dennis Morgan) in Southern Minnesota. After fronting rock bands throughout the 1970s, in 1981 his true path revealed itself and he was commissioned to write the musical score for John Olive’s play Careless Love. This was the first of 89 and counting musical scores for the theater. Gary also led the arty new-wave rock band Rue Nouveau in Minneapolis during the mid-1980s. He performed with duo Nip n’ Tuck after that. Throughout his career Rue has written a variety of music for local, national, and international artists and remains active as a composer/lyricist, producer, performer, session musician, and educator.
