Mick Ronson
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English
guitarist
, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
, arranger
and producer
. He is best known for his work with David Bowie
, as one of The Spiders from Mars
. Ronson was a busy session musician
who recorded with artists as diverse as Bowie and Morrissey
, as well as engagements as a sideman in touring bands with performers such as Van Morrison
.
He also recorded several solo albums, the most notable example of which was Slaughter on 10th Avenue, which reached #9 on the UK Albums Chart
. Ronson played with various bands after his time with Bowie. He was named the 64th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone
.
, Hull
, East Riding of Yorkshire
, in 1946, then moved to Greatfield, Hull. As a child he was trained classically to play piano
, recorder
, violin
, and (later) the harmonium
. He initially wanted to be a cellist
, but moved to guitar
upon discovering the music of Duane Eddy
, whose sound on the bass notes of his guitar sounded to Ronson similar to that of the cello
. He joined his first band, The Mariners, in November 1963, when he was just 17. His stage debut with The Mariners was in support of the Keith Herd Band at Brough
Village Hall, a gig for which the band traveled 35 miles and got paid 10 shillings (50p). While Ronson was working with The Mariners, another local Hull group – The Crestas – recruited him on the advice of The Mariners' bassist John Griffiths. 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, he 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, Ronson joined Hull's top local band, The Rats
, joining singer Benny Marshall, bassist Geoff Appleby, and drummer Jim Simpson (who was subsequently replaced by Clive Taylor and then John Cambridge). The group played the local circuit, and 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, and can be heard on the 2008 release Front Room Masters – Fairview Studios 1966–1973. 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 album.
When John Cambridge left The Rats to join his former Hullaballoos
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".
In March 1970, during the recording sessions for Elton John
's album Tumbleweed Connection
, Ronson played guitar on the track "Madman Across the Water
". This song however was not included in the original release. The recording featuring Ronson was released on the 1992 compilation album
, Rare Masters, and the 1995 reissue of Tumbleweed Connection.
backing band called The Hype. He found Ronson marking out a rugby pitch, one of his duties as a Parks Department gardener for Hull City Council
. Having failed in his earlier attempts in London, Ronson was reluctant, but eventually agreed to accompany Cambridge to a meeting with Bowie. Two days later, on 5 February, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel
's national BBC Radio 1
show.
The Hype played their first gig at The Roundhouse
on 22 February with a line-up 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. Also on the bill that day were Bachdenkel
, The Groundhogs
and Caravan
. The following day they performed at the Streatham Arms in London under the pseudonym of 'Harry The Butcher'. They also performed on 28 February at the Basildon Arts Lab
experimental music club at the Basildon Arts Centre in Essex
, billed as 'David Bowie's New Electric Band'. Also on the bill were High Tide, Overson and Iron Butterfly
. Strawbs were due to perform but were replaced by Bowie's New Electric Band. John Cambridge departed on 30 March, again replaced by Woody Woodmansey. In April 1970, Ronson, Woodmansey, and Visconti commenced recording Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World album.
During the sessions for The Man Who Sold The World, the trio of Ronson, Visconti, and Woodmansey – still under 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 renamed Ronno. "4th Hour of My Sleep" was released on Vertigo to an indifferent reception in January 1971. The song was written by Tucker Zimmerman. The B-side
was a Ronson/Marshall composition called "Powers of Darkness". The Ronno album was never completed.
Bowie's backing ensemble, which now included Trevor Bolder
who had replaced Visconti on bass guitar
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 arrangements, whilst Ken Scott
co-produced with Bowie. Hunky Dory was perhaps their most collaborative album, which the sleeve notes acknowledged.
It was this band, minus 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
, providing string arrangements and various instrumentation, as well as playing lead guitar
. Ronson and Bowie achieved some notoriety over the concerts promoting this album, when Bowie would simulate fellatio
on Ronson's guitar as he played. Ronson's guitar and arranging during the Spiders from Mars era provided much of the underpinning for later punk rock
musicians.
In 1972 Ronson provided a strings-and-brass arrangement for the song "Sea Diver" on the Bowie-produced All The Young Dudes
album for Mott The Hoople
, and co-produced Lou Reed
's album Transformer
with Bowie, playing lead guitar and piano on the song "Perfect Day". Again with Bowie, he re-recorded and produced 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.
Ronson appeared on the 1972 country rock
album Bustin' Out
by Pure Prairie League
, where he undertook string ensemble arrangements and contributed guitar and vocals on several tracks most notably "Angel #9" which reappeared on his solo LP "Play Don't Worry."
His guitar work was next heard on Bowie's Aladdin Sane
and 1973's covers
album Pin Ups
. However, he was absent from the subsequent Diamond Dogs
album.
Bowie said in a 1994 interview that "Mick was the perfect foil for the Ziggy character. He was very much a salt-of-the-earth type, the blunt northerner with a defiantly masculine personality, so that what you got was the old-fashioned Yin and Yang thing. As a rock duo, I thought we were every bit as good as Mick and Keith or Axl and Slash. Ziggy and Mick were the personification of that rock n roll dualism."
's, "Love Me Tender
", as well as Ronson's most famous solo track, "Only After Dark". In addition, his sister, Margaret (Maggi) 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 then became a long-time collaborator with Mott's former leader Ian Hunter
, commencing with the album Ian Hunter
(UK #21) and featuring the UK Singles Chart
#14 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 contributions, although it also contained a few studio
-based tracks – one of which was a Hunter/Ronson composition.
In 1974, Ronson secured the #2 spot from a reader's poll in Creem
magazine as the best guitarist that year (with Jimmy Page
taking first place, and Eric Clapton
in third place after Ronson.
Ronson contributed guitar to the title track of the 1976 David Cassidy
release Getting It in the Street.
Roger Daltrey
employed Ronson's guitar on his 1977 solo release One of the Boys
.
In 1979 Ronson and Hunter produced and played on the Ellen Foley
debut album, Night Out
, with "We Belong To The Night" and the hit single "What's a Matter Baby."
In 1982, Ronson worked with John Mellencamp
on his American Fool
album, and in particular the song "Jack & Diane"
charts
.
In 1990, Ronson again collaborated with Hunter on the album Yui Orta
, this time getting joint credit, as "Hunter/Ronson". In 1993, he again appeared on a Bowie album, Black Tie White Noise
, playing on the track "I Feel Free
", originally recorded by Cream
. Ronson and Bowie had already covered this track live twenty years earlier, whilst touring as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
His second and third solo albums were Play Don't Worry
in 1975, and Heaven and Hull
in 1994. The latter set was only partly completed at the time of Ronson's death, and was released posthumously. Artists involved with the album included John Mellencamp, Joe Elliott
, Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Chrissie Hynde
, and Martin Chambers
.
Besides Bowie and Hunter, Ronson went on to work as a musician, songwriter and record producer with many other acts including Slaughter & The Dogs
(who took their name from the Ronson album Slaughter on 10th Avenue), Morrissey
, The Wildhearts
, The Rich Kids
, Elton John, John Mellencamp, T-Bone Burnett
, Dalbello
, Benny Mardones
, Iron City Houserockers
and the Italian
band Moda. He did not restrict his influence behind the recording desk to just established acts. His production work appears on albums by more obscure artists, such as Payolas, Phil Rambow and Los Illegals
and The Mundanes
. Ronson produced The Visible Targets, a Seattle based group, on their 1983 five track EP
, "Autistic Savant".
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. He also made a connection with Roger McGuinn
during this time, which led to his producing and contributing guitar and arrangements to McGuinn's 1976 solo album Cardiff Rose
.
In 1982, he participated on lead guitar in a short lived band with Hilly Michaels
on drums
and Les Fradkin
on bass guitar
. One of their recordings from this group, Spare Change, appeared on the Fradkin's 2006 album, Goin' Back.
In 1987, Ronson made an appearance on a record by The Toll
. Ronson played lead on the band's song, "Stand in Winter", from the album The Price of Progression.
In 1992 he produced Morrissey's album, Your Arsenal
. The same year, Ronson's final high profile live performance was his appearance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
. He played on "All the Young Dudes
" with Bowie and Hunter; and "Heroes" with Bowie. Ronson's final 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 died of liver cancer
on 29 April 1993 at the age of 46, survived by his wife Suzy, and his children Nicholas, Lisa (with wife, Suzi Ronson), and Joakim (with Carola Westerlund). Ronson was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His funeral was held in a Mormon chapel in London on 6 May.
In his memory, the Mick Ronson Memorial Stage was constructed in Queens Gardens in his hometown of Hull. There is also a street named after him on Bilton Grange Estate, not far from where he lived.
customised "Black Beauty". In the post-Bowie era, Ronson tended towards a blue, rosewood-board Fender Telecaster
; he did not, however, limit himself to these two guitars. Ronson also used Marshall 200 amps (not to be confused with a Marshall Major) that he nicknamed "The Pig". Ronson also used a MKI Tone Bender for his signature sound during the Spiders from Mars era.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He is best known for his work with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, as one of The Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie 's backing band in the early 1970s, and consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums....
. Ronson was a busy session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
who recorded with artists as diverse as Bowie and Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, as well as engagements as a sideman in touring bands with performers such as Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
.
He also recorded several solo albums, the most notable example of which was Slaughter on 10th Avenue, which reached #9 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Ronson played with various bands after his time with Bowie. He was named the 64th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
.
Early life
Michael Ronson was born in Beverley RoadBeverley Road
Beverley Road is one of several major roads that run out of the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It runs North from Hull city centre and carries the designation of A1079. Upon leaving the city boundaries, Beverley Road continues north towards the town of Beverley becoming the...
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, in 1946, then moved to Greatfield, Hull. As a child he was trained classically to play piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and (later) the harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
. He initially wanted to be a cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, but moved to guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
upon discovering the music of Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
, whose sound on the bass notes of his guitar sounded to Ronson similar to that of the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. He joined his first band, The Mariners, in November 1963, when he was just 17. His stage debut with The Mariners was in support of the Keith Herd Band at Brough
Brough
Brough may mean or refer to:-Products:*Brough Motorcycles, made in England from 1908 to 1926*Brough Superior, a brand of English motorcycles and automobiles were made from 1919 to 1940...
Village Hall, a gig for which the band traveled 35 miles and got paid 10 shillings (50p). While Ronson was working with The Mariners, another local Hull group – The Crestas – recruited him on the advice of The Mariners' bassist John Griffiths. 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
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, and Sundays at the Duke of Cumberland in North Ferriby
North Ferriby
North Ferriby is a village and civil parish in the Haltemprice area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-Geography:It is situated on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, approximately to the west of Hull city centre. To the north, atop a hill, lies Swanland via the B1231. South Ferriby is...
.
In 1965, Ronson left The Crestas to try his luck in London. He took a part time job as a mechanic, and before long, he 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
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. Ronson stayed in London and teamed up briefly with a soul band called The Wanted, before eventually returning to Hull.
In 1966, Ronson joined Hull's top local band, The Rats
The Rats (UK group)
The Rats were a rock band, first established in 1963, from Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.In May 1998, the independent record label, Angel Air released a CD compilation of their work, entitled The Rats' Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone and the Rats From Hull.-Band members:Members...
, joining singer Benny Marshall, bassist Geoff Appleby, and drummer Jim Simpson (who was subsequently replaced by Clive Taylor and then John Cambridge). The group played the local circuit, and made a few unsuccessful trips to London and Paris.
In 1967 The Rats recorded the one-off psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
track, "The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone" at Fairview Studios in Hull, and can be heard on the 2008 release Front Room Masters – Fairview Studios 1966–1973. 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
Rick Kemp
Rick Kemp is an English bass player, songwriter, vocalist and record producer, best known for his work with the pioneering electric folk band, Steeleye Span.-Projects:...
to play guitar on Michael Chapman's Fully Qualified Survivor album.
When John Cambridge left The Rats to join his former Hullaballoos
The Hullaballoos
The Hullaballoos were one of the original British Invasion bands. They are best known for their 1965 cover of Buddy Holly's, "I'm Gonna Love You Too".-Biography:...
bandmate Mick Wayne in Junior's Eyes
Junior's Eyes (band)
Junior's Eyes was a British group led by guitarist Mick Wayne , which recorded one album and is notable for acting as David Bowie's backing band during 1969.-Beginnings:...
, he was replaced by Mick "Woody" Woodmansey
Mick Woodmansey
Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey is an English rock drummer from Driffield, Yorkshire, best known for his work with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars...
. In November 1969, the band recorded a final session at Fairview, taping "Telephone Blues" and "Early in Spring".
In March 1970, during the recording sessions for Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's album Tumbleweed Connection
Tumbleweed Connection
Tumbleweed Connection is the third album by English international recording artist Elton John. It is a concept album based on the Country and Western/Americana themes. All songs are written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan. It was recorded at...
, Ronson played guitar on the track "Madman Across the Water
Madman Across the Water
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM/Uni Records. The title song, "Madman Across the Water", was set to be released on Elton John's previous album Tumbleweed Connection. However, it was set aside and would...
". This song however was not included in the original release. The recording featuring Ronson was released on the 1992 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Rare Masters, and the 1995 reissue of Tumbleweed Connection.
Bowie era
Early in 1970, Cambridge came back to Hull in search of Ronson, intent upon recruiting him for a new David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
backing band called The Hype. He found Ronson marking out a rugby pitch, one of his duties as a Parks Department gardener for Hull City Council
Hull City Council
Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation....
. Having failed in his earlier attempts in London, Ronson was reluctant, but eventually agreed to accompany Cambridge to a meeting with Bowie. Two days later, on 5 February, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's national BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show.
The Hype played their first gig at The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
on 22 February with a line-up that included Bowie, Ronson, Cambridge, and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
. The group dressed up in superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
costumes
Costume party
A fancy dress party or a costume party , mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume.-Fancy dress parties in Britain:...
, with Bowie as Rainbowman, Visconti as Hypeman, Ronson as Gangsterman, and Cambridge as Cowboyman. Also on the bill that day were Bachdenkel
Bachdenkel
Bachdenkel were an English rock group which came to life in and around the King's Heath area of Birmingham in the late 1960s, evolving out of a combo called "U No Who"....
, The Groundhogs
The Groundhogs
Groundhogs are a British rock band founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s and continued sporadically into the 21st century.-Career:...
and Caravan
Caravan (band)
Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
. The following day they performed at the Streatham Arms in London under the pseudonym of 'Harry The Butcher'. They also performed on 28 February at the Basildon Arts Lab
Arts Lab
The Arts Lab was an alternative arts centre, founded in 1967 by Jim Haynes at 182 Drury Lane. Although only active for two years, it was influential in inspiring many similar centres in the UK and continental Europe, including the expanded I.C.A...
experimental music club at the Basildon Arts Centre in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, billed as 'David Bowie's New Electric Band'. Also on the bill were High Tide, Overson and Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
. Strawbs were due to perform but were replaced by Bowie's New Electric Band. John Cambridge departed on 30 March, again replaced by Woody Woodmansey. In April 1970, Ronson, Woodmansey, and Visconti commenced recording Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World album.
During the sessions for The Man Who Sold The World, the trio of Ronson, Visconti, and Woodmansey – still under The Hype moniker – signed to Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...
. 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 renamed Ronno. "4th Hour of My Sleep" was released on Vertigo to an indifferent reception in January 1971. The song was written by Tucker Zimmerman. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was a Ronson/Marshall composition called "Powers of Darkness". The Ronno album was never completed.
Bowie's backing ensemble, which now included Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder is an English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars, the one-time backing band for David Bowie, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the...
who had replaced Visconti on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and keyboardist Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, were used in the recording of Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
. The departure of Visconti also meant that Ronson, with Bowie, took over the arrangements, whilst Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
co-produced with Bowie. Hunky Dory was perhaps their most collaborative album, which the sleeve notes acknowledged.
It was this band, minus Wakeman, that became known as The Spiders From Mars
The Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie 's backing band in the early 1970s, and consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums....
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
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
, providing string arrangements and various instrumentation, as well as playing lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
. Ronson and Bowie achieved some notoriety over the concerts promoting this album, when Bowie would simulate fellatio
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on Ronson's guitar as he played. Ronson's guitar and arranging during the Spiders from Mars era provided much of the underpinning for later punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
musicians.
In 1972 Ronson provided a strings-and-brass arrangement for the song "Sea Diver" on the Bowie-produced All The Young Dudes
All the Young Dudes
All the Young Dudes is an album by Mott the Hoople, released in 1972. Their initial album for the CBS Records label , it was a turning point for the then-struggling British band. They were about to break up when David Bowie stepped in and gave them the song "All the Young Dudes"...
album for Mott The Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
, and co-produced Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's album Transformer
Transformer (album)
Transformer is the second studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in November 1972.-Background:Unlike its predecessor, Lou Reed, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material...
with Bowie, playing lead guitar and piano on the song "Perfect Day". Again with Bowie, he re-recorded and produced the track "The Man Who Sold The World
The Man Who Sold the World (song)
"The Man Who Sold the World" is a song by David Bowie. It is the title track of his third album, released in the U.S. in November 1970 and in the UK in April 1971. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, notably by Lulu in 1974, and Nirvana in 1993.-Inspiration and explanation:The...
" for Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
, released as a single in the UK, and played on a few tracks on the Dana Gillespie
Dana Gillespie
Dana Gillespie is an English actress and singer.-Career:Gillespie was born to the Baron De Winterstein Gillespie, an Austrian radiologist, and his wife. She grew up in England and her family's villa in Maccagno, a village on Lake Maggiore, Italy...
album Weren't Born a Man.
Ronson appeared on the 1972 country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
album Bustin' Out
Bustin' Out
Bustin' Out is the second album by American country rock band Pure Prairie League, released in 1972 . It features the hit song "Amie," which is segued into by "Falling In and Out of Love" ....
by Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League
Pure Prairie League, sometimes abbreviated PPL, is an American country-rock band whose roots began between 1964 and 1969 in Waverly, Ohio with Craig Fuller, George Powell, Tom McGrail, Jim Caughlan and John David Call. In 1970 McGrail named the band after a 19th century temperance union mentioned...
, where he undertook string ensemble arrangements and contributed guitar and vocals on several tracks most notably "Angel #9" which reappeared on his solo LP "Play Don't Worry."
His guitar work was next heard on Bowie's Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
and 1973's covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
album Pin Ups
Pin Ups
- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
. However, he was absent from the subsequent Diamond Dogs
Diamond Dogs
Diamond Dogs is a concept album by David Bowie, originally released by RCA Records in 1974. Thematically it was a marriage of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Bowie's own glam-tinged vision of a post-apocalyptic world...
album.
Bowie said in a 1994 interview that "Mick was the perfect foil for the Ziggy character. He was very much a salt-of-the-earth type, the blunt northerner with a defiantly masculine personality, so that what you got was the old-fashioned Yin and Yang thing. As a rock duo, I thought we were every bit as good as Mick and Keith or Axl and Slash. Ziggy and Mick were the personification of that rock n roll dualism."
Later work
After leaving Bowie's entourage after the "Farewell Concert" in 1973, Ronson released three solo albums. His solo debut Slaughter on 10th Avenue, featured a version of Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's, "Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender (song)
"Love Me Tender" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music, adapted from the tune of "Aura Lee" , a sentimental Civil War ballad.- History :...
", as well as Ronson's most famous solo track, "Only After Dark". In addition, his sister, Margaret (Maggi) Ronson, provided the backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for the set. Between this and the 1975 follow-up, Ronson had a short-lived stint with Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
. He then became a long-time collaborator with Mott's former leader Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (singer)
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
, commencing with the album Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (album)
Ian Hunter is the first solo album by Ian Hunter, recorded following his departure from Mott the Hoople. It's also the first of many solo albums on which he collaborates with Mick Ronson....
(UK #21) and featuring the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#14 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", including a spell touring as the Hunter Ronson Band. In 1980, the live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Welcome to the Club
Welcome to the Club (Ian Hunter album)
Welcome to the Club is the first live album by Ian Hunter. After the unexpected success of You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, Chrysalis wanted to keep the momentum by releasing another album. Because Hunter never wrote when he was on the road, it became a live album which was recorded at the...
was released, including a couple of Ronson contributions, although it also contained a few studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
-based tracks – one of which was a Hunter/Ronson composition.
In 1974, Ronson secured the #2 spot from a reader's poll in Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
magazine as the best guitarist that year (with Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
taking first place, and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
in third place after Ronson.
Ronson contributed guitar to the title track of the 1976 David Cassidy
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
release Getting It in the Street.
Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
employed Ronson's guitar on his 1977 solo release One of the Boys
One of the Boys (Roger Daltrey album)
One of the Boys is the third solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1977. The sessions were recorded at The Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976 , and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational...
.
In 1979 Ronson and Hunter produced and played on the Ellen Foley
Ellen Foley
Ellen Foley is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer Meat Loaf.- Early life and career :Foley was born in St....
debut album, Night Out
Night Out (album)
- Track listing :-Personnel:*Ellen Foley - vocals*Mick Ronson - guitar, keyboards, percussion, string arrangements, background vocals*Ian Hunter - keyboards, guitar, percussion*Martin Briley - bass*Tom Mandel - keyboards*Kerryn Tolhurst - slide guitar...
, with "We Belong To The Night" and the hit single "What's a Matter Baby."
In 1982, Ronson worked with John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
on his American Fool
American Fool
American Fool is the sixth album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. This was Mellencamp's last album to be released under the name John Cougar. His next album, Uh-Huh, would be released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was Mellencamp's commercial...
album, and in particular the song "Jack & Diane"
"I owe Mick Ronson the hit song, Jack & Diane. Mick was very instrumental in helping me arrange that song, as I'd thrown it on the junk heap. Ronson came down and played on three or four tracks and worked on the American Fool record for four or five weeks. All of a sudden, for 'Jack & Diane', Mick said 'Johnny, you should put baby rattles on there.' I thought, 'What the fuck does put baby rattles on the record mean? So he put the percussion on there and then he sang the part 'let it rock, let it roll' as a choir-ish-type thing, which had never occurred to me. And that is the part everybody remembers on the song. It was Ronson's idea." (John Mellencamp, Classic RockBoth "Jack & Diane" and American Fool topped their respective US BillboardClassic Rock (magazine)Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
magazine, January 2008, p.61)
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
In 1990, Ronson again collaborated with Hunter on the album Yui Orta
Yui Orta
YUI Orta is the seventh solo album of Ian Hunter. He reunites again with longtime collaborator Mick Ronson, as The Hunter Ronson Band.It was intended as a sort of comeback for both men, but record company did only little promotion and eventually they were dropped from the label.There were plans for...
, this time getting joint credit, as "Hunter/Ronson". In 1993, he again appeared on a Bowie album, Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
, playing on the track "I Feel Free
I Feel Free
"I Feel Free" is a song first recorded by British rock group Cream. The song's lyrics were written by Pete Brown, its music by Jack Bruce. It was the first track on the US issue of their debut album, Fresh Cream , and the band's second hit single...
", originally recorded by Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
. Ronson and Bowie had already covered this track live twenty years earlier, whilst touring as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
His second and third solo albums were Play Don't Worry
Play Don't Worry
Play Don't Worry is the second album by former member of The Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson. It contains mainly covers arranged by Ronson for his own sound, covering everyone from Pure Prairie League, The Velvet Underground and Little Richard...
in 1975, and Heaven and Hull
Heaven and Hull
Heaven and Hull was the final solo album by Mick Ronson, released in 1994, following Ronson's death the previous year. With collaborations by long time friends of Ronson including: David Bowie, Joe Elliott, and Ian Hunter. Other artists include: Peter Noone, Martin Chambers and Chrissie Hynde,...
in 1994. The latter set was only partly completed at the time of Ronson's death, and was released posthumously. Artists involved with the album included John Mellencamp, Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...
, Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
, and Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
.
Besides Bowie and Hunter, Ronson went on to work as a musician, songwriter and record producer with many other acts including Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs
Slaughter & The Dogs is an English punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s in Manchester, England. They were one of the first UK punk bands to sign for a major label, Decca Records.-Career:...
(who took their name from the Ronson album Slaughter on 10th Avenue), Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, The Rich Kids
The Rich Kids
Rich Kids were a short-lived, seminal new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from The Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure, and Rusty Egan, who later went to found Visage.-Career:...
, Elton John, John Mellencamp, T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
, Dalbello
Lisa Dalbello
Dalbello is a Canadian recording artist, songwriter, and voice actress. She released three albums in the pop and pop/rock genre in her late teens, from 1977 through 1981 under her full name...
, Benny Mardones
Benny Mardones
Benny Mardones is an American pop singer and songwriter who is best known for his hit single "Into the Night", which hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 and again in 1989.-Career:...
, Iron City Houserockers
Iron City Houserockers
The Iron City Houserockers were an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, led by singer/guitarist Joe Grushecky, that existed from 1976 until 1984...
and the Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
band Moda. He did not restrict his influence behind the recording desk to just established acts. His production work appears on albums by more obscure artists, such as Payolas, Phil Rambow and Los Illegals
Los Illegals
Los Illegals is an American Chicano punk band from Los Angeles, California.- History :The band struck a deal with the local order of radical Catholic nuns to open & run the legendary Club Vex at the Catholic Youth building where they booked & introduced Eastside to Westside groups Los Illegals is...
and The Mundanes
The Mundanes
The Mundanes were an early-1980s Rhode Island-based New Wave band featuring future They Might Be Giants member John Linnell. They released one single called Make it the Same, featuring three songs, "Make it the Same," "Funnier Than Love," and "Empty Boulevards."The band had six members: John...
. Ronson produced The Visible Targets, a Seattle based group, on their 1983 five track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, "Autistic Savant".
Ronson was also a member of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "Rolling Thunder Revue
Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a famed U.S. concert tour consisting of a traveling caravan of musicians, headed by Bob Dylan, that took place in late 1975 and early 1976; the prevailing theory was that the tour was named after the Native American shaman Rolling Thunder. Others maintained that tour...
" live band, and can be seen both on and off-stage in the film of the tour. He also made a connection with Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
during this time, which led to his producing and contributing guitar and arrangements to McGuinn's 1976 solo album Cardiff Rose
Cardiff Rose
Cardiff Rose is a solo studio album by American singer/songwriter and ex-The Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn, released in 1976. The album, produced by Mick Ronson, was recorded on the heels of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue 1975 tour in which McGuinn had participated...
.
In 1982, he participated on lead guitar in a short lived band with Hilly Michaels
Hilly Michaels
Hilly Michaels, also known as Hilly Boy Michaels is an American drummer and musician, best known for playing drums with Sparks in the 70's and his two solo albums from the early 80's, Calling All Girls and Lumia .- History :His first music experience came with playing in a band called Joy,...
on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and Les Fradkin
Les Fradkin
Les Fradkin is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania...
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. One of their recordings from this group, Spare Change, appeared on the Fradkin's 2006 album, Goin' Back.
In 1987, Ronson made an appearance on a record by The Toll
The Toll
The Toll was a rock band from Columbus, Ohio in mid 1980s to early 1990s. It consisted of vocalist Brad Circone, guitarist Rick Silk, bassist Greg Bartram, and Brett Mayo on drums. Many of their songs contained spoken narratives....
. Ronson played lead on the band's song, "Stand in Winter", from the album The Price of Progression.
In 1992 he produced Morrissey's album, Your Arsenal
Your Arsenal
Your Arsenal is a 1992 album by British singer Morrissey, which was released through HMV Records. The album was regarded by many fans and critics as his strongest and heaviest effort yet upon its release...
. The same year, Ronson's final high profile live performance was his appearance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992 at London's Wembley Stadium, for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis and broadcast live on television and radio to 76 countries around the...
. He played on "All the Young Dudes
All the Young Dudes (song)
"All the Young Dudes" is a song written by David Bowie, originally recorded and released as a single by Mott the Hoople in 1972. NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have described the track as "one of that rare breed: rock songs which hymn the solidarity of the disaffected without...
" with Bowie and Hunter; and "Heroes" with Bowie. Ronson's final recorded session was as a guest on the 1993 Wildhearts album Earth vs the Wildhearts
Earth Vs The Wildhearts
-Track listing:All Songs Written By Ginger.-Japanese Bonus Tracks:Released: August 1993 · Label: East West · UK Chart: No. 46Formats: CD , LP , Cassette ....
, where he played the guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
on the song "My Baby is a Headfuck".
Ronson died of liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
on 29 April 1993 at the age of 46, survived by his wife Suzy, and his children Nicholas, Lisa (with wife, Suzi Ronson), and Joakim (with Carola Westerlund). Ronson was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His funeral was held in a Mormon chapel in London on 6 May.
In his memory, the Mick Ronson Memorial Stage was constructed in Queens Gardens in his hometown of Hull. There is also a street named after him on Bilton Grange Estate, not far from where he lived.
Equipment
Throughout his career with Bowie, Ronson used a 1968 Gibson Les PaulGibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
customised "Black Beauty". In the post-Bowie era, Ronson tended towards a blue, rosewood-board Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
; he did not, however, limit himself to these two guitars. Ronson also used Marshall 200 amps (not to be confused with a Marshall Major) that he nicknamed "The Pig". Ronson also used a MKI Tone Bender for his signature sound during the Spiders from Mars era.
Albums
- Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1974 – UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#9) - Play Don't WorryPlay Don't WorryPlay Don't Worry is the second album by former member of The Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson. It contains mainly covers arranged by Ronson for his own sound, covering everyone from Pure Prairie League, The Velvet Underground and Little Richard...
(1975 – UK #29) - Heaven and HullHeaven and HullHeaven and Hull was the final solo album by Mick Ronson, released in 1994, following Ronson's death the previous year. With collaborations by long time friends of Ronson including: David Bowie, Joe Elliott, and Ian Hunter. Other artists include: Peter Noone, Martin Chambers and Chrissie Hynde,...
(1994) - Just Like ThisJust Like ThisJust Like This is a studio album of previously unreleased material recorded between 1976 and 1977 by Mick Ronson.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Mick Ronson; except where indicated# "Just Like This" # "I'd Give Anything"...
(recorded in 1976, released in 1999) - ShowtimeShowtime (Mick Ronson album)Showtime is a live album by British guitarist Mick Ronson, released in 1999. It is a compilation of two live shows from 1976 and 1989, and the album was released six years after Ronson's death.- Track listing :# "Crazy Love"...
(live in 1976 and 1989, released in 1999) - Indian SummerIndian Summer (Mick Ronson album)Indian Summer is a posthumous Mick Ronson soundtrack album for a film never made. It contains previously unreleased material, most of it recorded around 1981. Many of the songs are instrumentals...
(recorded in 1981-2, released in 2001)
Singles
- "Don't Look Down" (1994 – UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#55) – credited to Mick Ronson with Joe Elliott
With David Bowie
- The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
- Hunky DoryHunky DoryHunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
(1971) - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
(1972) - Aladdin SaneAladdin SaneAladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
(1973) - Pin UpsPin Ups- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
(1973) - Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983)
- Black Tie White NoiseBlack Tie White NoiseBlack Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
(1993) - Bowie at the BeebBowie at the BeebBowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three CD set, the third, bonus CD being a recording on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre...
(2000) - Live Santa Monica '72Live Santa Monica '72Live Santa Monica '72 is a live album by David Bowie. It was released on in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It is the official release of the bootleg album Santa Monica '72.-Track listing:...
(2008)
With Ian Hunter
- Ian HunterIan Hunter (album)Ian Hunter is the first solo album by Ian Hunter, recorded following his departure from Mott the Hoople. It's also the first of many solo albums on which he collaborates with Mick Ronson....
(1975) - You're Never Alone with a SchizophrenicYou're Never Alone with a SchizophrenicYou're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic is the fourth solo album by Ian Hunter. The album features members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as the backing band. It is considered by many to be Hunter's best recording....
(1979) - Welcome to the ClubWelcome to the Club (Ian Hunter album)Welcome to the Club is the first live album by Ian Hunter. After the unexpected success of You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, Chrysalis wanted to keep the momentum by releasing another album. Because Hunter never wrote when he was on the road, it became a live album which was recorded at the...
(1980) - Short Back 'n' SidesShort Back 'n' SidesShort Back 'n' Sides is the fifth solo album of Ian Hunter. Unsure of which direction he should take, Ian Hunter finally decided to collaborate with Mick Jones who gave Hunter's songs a tougher and heavier touch...
(1981) - Yui OrtaYui OrtaYUI Orta is the seventh solo album of Ian Hunter. He reunites again with longtime collaborator Mick Ronson, as The Hunter Ronson Band.It was intended as a sort of comeback for both men, but record company did only little promotion and eventually they were dropped from the label.There were plans for...
(1990) - BBC Live in Concert (1995)
With Bob Dylan
- Hard Rain (1976)
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder RevueThe Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder RevueThe Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue is a live album by Bob Dylan released by Columbia Records in 2002. It documents the Rolling Thunder Revue, led by Bob Dylan prior to the release of the album Desire...
(2002)
Further reading
- Weird; Gilly, Mick Ronson: the spider with the platinum hair, London Independent Music/Imp Publishing (27 January 2003). ISBN 9780953994236