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Mick Ronson (May 26, 1946 – April 29, 1993) was an English guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is probably best known for his work with David Bowie from 1970 to 1974, Bowie's glam rock period.
Early life
Born Michael Ronson in Hull, Yorkshire, as a child he played piano, recorder, violin, and harmonium. He initially wanted to be a cello player, but moved to guitar when he got hooked on Duane Eddy and The Yardbirds. He joined his first band, The Mariners, in November 1963 at the age of seventeen. His stage debut with The Mariners was in support of the Keith Herd Band at Elloughton Village Hall, a gig for which the band travelled 35 miles and got paid 10 shillings. While Ronson was working with The Mariners, another local Hull group - The Crestas - recruited him on the advice of The Mariners' bassist Johnny Griffin. With Ronson on board the Crestas gained a solid reputation, making regular appearances at local halls: Mondays at the Halfway House in Hull, Thursdays at the Ferryboat Hotel, Fridays at the Regal Ballroom in Beverley, and Sundays at the Duke of Cumberland in North Ferriby.
In 1965, Ronson left The Crestas to try his luck in London. He took a part time job as a mechanic, and before long teamed up with a band called The Voice, replacing Miller Anderson. Soon afterward, Crestas drummer Dave Bradfield made the trip down to London when the Voice's drummer left. After playing just a few dates with the group, Ronson and Bradfield returned from a weekend in Hull to find their gear piled at their flat and a note explaining that the rest of the group had gone to the Bahamas. Ronson stayed in London and teamed up briefly with a soul band called The Wanted, before eventually returning to Hull.
In 1966, Mick Ronson joined Hull's top local band, The Rats, joining singer Benny Marshall, bassist Jeff Appleby, and drummer Jim Simpson (who was subsequently replaced by Clive Taylor and then John Cambridge). The group played the local circuit, and also made a few unsuccessful trips to London and Paris.
In 1967 The Rats recorded the one-off psychedelic track, "The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone" at Fairview Studios in Hull. 1968 saw the band change their name briefly to Treacle and book another recording session at Fairview Studios in 1969, before reverting to their original name. Around this time, Ronson was recommended by Rick Kemp to play guitar on Michael Chapman's Fully Qualified Survivor LP.
When John Cambridge left The Rats to join his former Hullabaloos bandmate Mick Wayne in Junior's Eyes, he was replaced by Mick "Woody" Woodmansey. In November 1969, the band recorded a final session at Fairview, taping "Telephone Blues" and "Early In Spring".
The glory years
Early in 1970, John Cambridge came back to Hull in search of Mick Ronson, intent upon recruiting him for a new David Bowie backing band called The Hype. He found Ronson marking out a rugby pitch, one of his duties as a gardener for the Hull City Council. Having failed in his earlier attempts in London, Ronson was reluctant but eventually agreed to accompany Cambridge to a meeting with David Bowie. Two days later, on February 5, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel's Sunday Show. The Hype played their first gig at The Roundhouse in support of Noel Redding's band, Fat Mattress with a lineup that included Bowie, Ronson, Cambridge, and producer/bassist Tony Visconti. The group dressed up in superhero costumes, with Bowie as Rainbowman, Visconti as Hypeman, Ronson as Gangsterman, and Cambridge as Cowboyman. John Cambridge soon departed, again replaced by Woody Woodmansey. In April 1970, Ronson, Woodmansey, and Tony Visconti commenced recording Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World album, with Ronson's Jeff Beck-influenced guitar work to the fore.
During the sessions for The Man Who Sold The World, the trio of Ronson, Visconti, and Woodmansey - still under the The Hype moniker - signed to Vertigo Records. The group recruited Benny Marshall from The Rats as vocalist, and entered the studio to record an album. By the time a single appeared, The Hype had been re-christened Ronno. "The Fourth Hour of My Sleep" was released on Vertigo to an indifferent reception in January 1971. The song was written by Tucker Zimmerman, a friend of Visconti's, and not Bob Dylan as many sources have suggested. The B-side was a Ronson/Marshall composition called "Powers of Darkness". The Ronno album was never completed.
David Bowie's backing ensemble, which by now included Trevor Bolder who had replaced Tony Visconti on bass duties and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, were used in the recording of Hunky Dory. The departure of Visconti also meant that Ronson, with Bowie, took over the production chores. Very different from the heavy rock of the preceding album, Ronson's orchestral arrangements showcased a far more melodic batch of Bowie compositions. Hunky Dory was perhaps their most collabrative album, which the sleeve notes acknowledge.
It was this band, minus Rick Wakeman, that became known as The Spiders From Mars from the title of the next Bowie album. Again, Ronson was a key part of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album, providing string arrangements and various instrumentation, as well as handling the lead guitar duties. This album returned to the rock oriented music of the earlier album, with Ronson's guitar heroics providing the perfect frame for Bowie's doomed rock star role. Ronson and Bowie achieved some notoriety over the concerts promoting this album, when Bowie would suggestively kiss Ronson's guitar as he played.
During this time Ronson also co-produced Lou Reed's album Transformer with Bowie, and played piano on the song "Perfect Day". Again with Bowie, he recut the track "The Man Who Sold The World" for Lulu, released as a single in the UK, and played on a few tracks on the Dana Gillespie album Weren't Born a Man.
His guitar work was next heard on Bowie's Aladdin Sane and 1973's covers album Pin Ups. Many people had begun to believe that Ronson's contribution to Bowie's output was becoming indispensable, so it was quite a surprise that he was absent from the Diamond Dogs album (although he played on the "1980 Floor Show", featuring songs which appeared on the record).
After leaving Bowie's entourage after the "Farewell Concert" in 1973, Ronson later released three solo albums. His solo debut Slaughter On 10th Avenue, featured a brave version of Elvis Presley's song, "Love Me Tender", as well as Ronson's most famous solo track - "Only After Dark". In addition, his sister, Margaret Ronson, provided the backing vocals for the set. Between this and the 1975 follow-up, Ronson had a short-lived stint with Mott The Hoople. He became a long-time collaborator with Ian Hunter, commencing with the album Ian Hunter and featuring the UK singles chart hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", including a spell touring as the Hunter Ronson Band. In 1980 the live album Welcome to the Club was released, including a couple of Ronson showcases, which curiously also had a few new studio tracks - one being a Hunter/Ronson song. Much later, in 1990, Ronson appeared on Ian Hunter's solo album, Yui Orta. In 1993 he again appeared on a David Bowie album; Black Tie White Noise playing on the track "I Feel Free", originally recorded by Cream.
His second and third solo albums were Play Don't Worry - 1975, and, much later still, Heaven And Hull - 1994. The latter set was only partly completed at the time of Ronson's demise, and was released posthumously.
The latter years
Besides Bowie and Hunter, Mick Ronson went on to work as a musician, writer and record producer with many other acts including Morrissey, The Wildhearts, The Rich Kids (featuring Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and pre-Ultravox Midge Ure), Elton John, John Cougar Mellencamp and Dalbello. But he did not restrict his influence behind the recording desk to just established acts. His production work appears on albums by obscure artists, such as The Payolas, Phil Rambow and Los Illegals. He had a lifetime passion for helping unheralded artists get a chance to shine, and he assisted many local bands along the way.
Ronson was also a member of Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue" live band, and can be seen both on and off-stage in the film of the tour. Fans of trivia may note that it was on this tour that Dylan began experimenting with the use of stage make-up, another possible Ronson influence.
His last, high profile, live performance was his famed appearance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992. Poignantly, he played on "All The Young Dudes" with David Bowie and Ian Hunter, and "Heroes" and "The Lords Prayer" with Bowie.
Ronson's last ever recorded session was as a guest on the 1993 Wildhearts album Earth Vs The Wildhearts, where he played the guitar solo on the song "My Baby Is A Headfuck".
Ronson was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but had grown disenchanted with the faith before his untimely death.
Ronson died of liver failure on April 29, 1993. He was just 46. Not forgotten in his home town, his memory lives on via a specially constructed outside stage, in a city centre park in Hull, known as the Mick Ronson Memorial Stage.
Discography
- Slaughter On 10th Avenue (1974 - UK Chart High - No. 9)
- Play Don't Worry (1975 - UK Chart High - No. 29)
- Heaven And Hull (1994)
The latter set contained the song "Don't Look Down". It utilised the vocal efforts of Def Leppard's Joe Elliott. It was released as a single in May 1994, spending one week at number 55 in the UK Singles Chart.
External link
1946 births | 1993 deaths | Entertainers who died in their 40s | Guitarists | English guitarists | Latter Day Saints | People from Hull | Pre-punk groups | Songwriters
"Mick Ronson"