Ronald & Ruby were an American interracial

Interracial

Interracial is an adjective related to a supposed racial group. It can have different connotations in different contexts:* Interracial marriage is marriage between two people of different races....

 pop vocal duo, best known for their 1958 hit single

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 "Lollipop".

The duo's members were the black

Black people

The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

 Ronald Gumm (or Ronald Gumps) and the white

White people

White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...

 Beverly "Ruby" Ross; interracial pop groups were a rarity at this time, and the group did not appear in public or in major press and television outlets. They had previously worked together as songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

s; among their credits are "Young and Hungry for Love", "Frankenstein Rock", "Fat Pat", "Soul Mates", "Don't Come to My Party", and "The Ghost of Love". In 1958, they released a single together entitled "Lollipop". It became a hit in the U.S., reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. The song would be covered by The Chordettes

The Chordettes

The Chordettes were a female popular singing quartet, usually singing a cappella, and specializing in traditional popular music. The Chordettes were one of the longest lived vocal groups with beginnings in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early 1950s...

 and The Mudlarks

The Mudlarks

The Mudlarks were an English pop vocal group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. They had two Top 10 UK hit singles in 1958.-Career:They were a family group from Luton, Bedfordshire, originally comprising Jeff Mudd , Fred Mudd , and Mary Mudd...

.

They released several further singles, including "Love Birds", none of them hits. Ross continued as a songwriter, registering nearly 200 songs with BMI

Broadcast Music Incorporated

Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...

, including "Candy Man" and "Judy's Turn to Cry

Judy's Turn to Cry

"Judy's Turn to Cry" is a song written by Beverly "Ruby" Ross and Edna Lewis that was originally released by Lesley Gore in 1963. The song was produced by Quincy Jones, who also produced Gore's prior hit "It's My Party"...

".