Ruth Gerson, born and raised in New York City, is an American singer and songwriter. She attended the High School of Performing Arts and graduated from Princeton University, magna cum laude, studying Jewish existentialism. Gerson began her music career as a self-supporting musician, releasing her debut album Fools and Kings in 1997, produced by Don Dixon. She opened for acts such as Dave Matthews Band, Suzanne Vega, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Roger McGuinn, and performed at festivals including the Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In 1997, she was named the second-best female vocalist of the year by Italy's largest music magazine, Buscadero, and collaborated with Italian singer Massimo Bubola on the song "Mio Capitano." She appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. After teaching at Princeton, Gerson moved to San Francisco in 2009 following her divorce, where she founded San Francisco Vocal Coaching and developed the Singingbelt. She released her album This Can't Be My Life in 2010, detailing her emotional experiences while living in New York.