Exclusive Interview: Bryan Ruby Talks “Centerfield”, Creating an Impact in Sports and Music, and More

Professional baseball player and musician Bryan Ruby is knocking it out of the park in all areas of his career. The trailblazer is revolutionizing both industries with his authenticity, spreading a message of inclusivity. Earlier this summer, the acclaimed artist dropped his latest single, “Centerfield”, a unique take on John Fogerty’s beloved classic. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Bryan about his career, “Centerfield”, and more!

PC: There are so many different facets to your talent. How did you discover your passion for music?
Bryan: Music is always on at the ball field. Growing up in baseball, I was always exposed to country music. I had a knack for it. I would put it on in my truck. In high school, I worked for my hometown radio station. All those things fueled this passion for music. Here we are decades later!

PC: What have you learned from your experience as a professional baseball player that you’ve been able to bring to your career as a full-time artist?
Bryan: It’s a lot of failure. You show up every day in baseball and you get three hits out of maybe ten; you fail seven out of ten times. It’s the same thing with music. You have to write a lot of songs in order to get one good one. So, it’s continuing to show up and get in the batter’s box, so to speak.

You have to get your notebook out and write. You never know what could happen until you try. You never know where a song could go. You have no idea of knowing. So, we just do the best we can each day. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s the idea of showing up every day and doing the work. That’s been the biggest life lesson that’s crossed over from baseball to music.

PC: How did you discover John Fogerty’s song, “Centerfield”? You put such a unique twist on it. What was that process like?
Bryan: We were in the studio in Nashville recording my debut single, “Left Field”. The producer in Nashville, Smith Curry, was joking around and he said, “You did ‘Left Field’ maybe you should do ‘Center Field’.” Everybody had a laugh. Then, we sat down and it turned from this joke into a great idea. I love the song. We got a great group of musicians together in the studio to record it with my band. The guys knocked it out of the park.

PC: You’ve released a handful of originals so far in your career. If you had to pick one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Bryan: It’s between two songs. The first is my debut single “Left Field”. The lyrics are: “Be who you are. Do what you can. Don’t miss a livin’ just making plans. Keep an eye on the horizon. You know the deal.”

All the best things in my life have come from left field. The most amazing things have come from the most unexpected of places. That’s part of the journey, and the enjoyment is the surprise that you didn’t know it was going to work out because if we all knew what the path was and that it was going to work out, it wouldn’t be as fun. That song sums me up in three minutes. It’s about going out and working hard and not knowing what was going to come out of it. But sometimes the surprises are the most amazing things. That’s why I picked it as my debut single.

The other one is this duet that I did in June for Pride Month called “The Standouts” with Ty Herdon, who is one of the first out country singers. That song had a deeper meaning. It’s about not being afraid to stand out from the crowd. It’s the message that I wish that my younger self would have been able to hear in country music. That’s a huge part of me.

PC: There’s so much authenticity that comes across when listening to your music. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career as a songwriter and artist?
Bryan: As a writer, I love Shane McAnally. He’s a great out country songwriter who writes all these hits. He’s faced a lot of adversity but worked his way into the room. Also, John Fogerty because he had to battle for decades to win back his rights to his music. He didn’t own the rights, even though he wrote it. He was battling his old record label. I feel connected to people who have persevered through different challenges and have come out on the other side as winners. Someone else who’s influenced me is Desmond Child who wrote “Livin’ on a Prayer’ for Bon Jovi and a bunch of Aerosmith songs.

PC: You’ve been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community. Can you tell us a bit about Proud to Be in Baseball and why that’s been so important to you?
Bryan: I started it because it was the thing that I wish I had when I was younger. I never saw anybody like me out in baseball and actively playing. That made me feel so alone as a kid. I wanted to start a nonprofit organization that would help grow LGBTQ+ acceptance in baseball. We’re a year and a half old, so we’re really a tiny little charity right now, but we’re doing amazing things. We’ve been all around the country this summer doing different events with Major League Baseball teams, minor league, colleges, and high schools, trying to build that environment that I wish I could have had in my sport.

PC: This has been a banner few years for you. As we look ahead to the rest of 2023 into 2024, what can fans expect from you?
Bryan: Definitely more gigs. I have my debut EP coming out this fall, which is really exciting. There is also some holiday music coming out later this year. That’ll be fun. I want to end the year on a high note. Then, as soon as baseball season starts next year, we’ll be getting back out there and going to all these ballparks to make an impact. I’m really passionate about making an impact. That’s the plan.

To keep up with Bryan, follow him on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Photo Credit: Stasi Photography