We’re sad to hear of the passing of Ruba Say suddenly over this weekend (July 16 & 17, 2022). Ruba came to Columbia from his hometown of Florence and made his indelible mark on the local music scene through decades of performances with his band, the Cosmic Rays.
Ruba was a character that added color of the music community and his music added depth to a scene that could have easily been overshadowed by the national success of Columbia’s best known act.
Since 2005, Ruba’s “Mental Onslaught” was the theme for WXRY Discovery (and earlier, WXRY Unsigned). It’s high energy, raw electric guitar licks signalled for decades that listeners were about to hear the latest from Columbia, South Carolina, and the Southeast.
Ruba will be missed. He and his music will not be forgotten.