Guitarist, arranger, songwriter, producer and perennial sideman, Mick Ronson made his mark during glam-rock's early '70s heyday but worked consistently with frequent collaborators David Bowie and Ian Hunter till his death in 1993. From 1967-68 he played with a hometown garage rock group, The Rats, in Hull. In 1969, he was discovered by fledgling folksinger and producer, Mike Chapman, who asked him to join his recording band. From there he was on to a collaboration with Bowie beginning with "Space Oddity" in 1969 and lasting through 1973's Pin-Ups. He arranged "Changes" among others on Hunky Dory (1972) and was Bowie's flamboyant guitarist in the Spiders from Mars during the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972) album and tours. It has remained a mystery as to how much of Bowie's material Ronson wrote in exchange for "arrangement" credits, but his stamp is on some important records of the era: He co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer (RCA, 1972) with Bowie and briefly joined Mott the Hoople after working as an arranger on All the Young Dudes (1972). As glam rock faded, Ronson continued to work with Hunter in the Hunter/Ronson band and as a songwriter, guitarist and producer on Hunter's solo work. He recorded two solo albums for MainMan, Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1974) and Play Don't Worry (1975). His identifiable wah-wah sound straddled genres outside his beloved glam and hard rock: From Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue to Morrissey's Your Arsenal(1992). Ronson consistently worked with divergent artists from Roger McGuinn and David Johansen to John Mellencamp ("Jack and Diane"). He and Hunter recorded YUI Orta in 1989 for Mercury and in 1990, Ronson was diagnosed with cancer. He was reunited with Bowie for Black Tie White Noise(1993) and that same year appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert with Hunter and Bowie. He made one final record with some help from his friends Hunter, Bowie, Chrissie Hynde and Mellencamp, Heaven 'n Hull, (Epic) which was released posthumously in 1994. Just Like This, a two-disc collection of unreleased material, followed in 1999, and Showtime, a collection of live material, arrived the next year.
Check out our cover of Roxy Music's Mother Of Pearl for the upcoming tribute CD. We enlisted David Bowie's Pianist, Mike Garson on piano. Take a listen- let us know what you think.
Just dropping by to say Hi and see what you’re up to and how you are doing.
As always, wishing you well. Stay positive, productive & purpose driven.
Peace
Michael
My Sweetest friend, Have a beautiful weekend. My PC got so slow. Sorry so late. I got very sick. . I have been hospitalized . But can go out when I can. Remember me. Tons of love , barbie R.I.P. David
My pal Woody Black runs a music store in St. Louise, plays in a band, & has this very cool social network for musicians on Ning ~ so I'm inviting all my musician friends to stop in for a visit ~ check out my page ~ hear one of my tunes ~ & maybe even consider setting up your own page to display your wears, it's free join & it's easy to create another unique & visible site for your music on the Internet.
My Sweetest friend, Have a beautiful weekend. My PC got so slow. Sorry so late. I got very sick. . I have been hospitalized . But can go out when I can. Remember me. Tons of love , barbie
My Sweetest friend, Have a beautiful weekend. My PC got so slow. Sorry so late. I got very sick. . I have been hospitalized . But can go out when I can. Remember me. Tons of love , barbie