| Mick Ronson | |
| |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael Ronson |
| Also known as | Ronno |
| Born | 26 May 1946 Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Glam rock |
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instrumentals | Guitar, vocals, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, clavinet, sythesizer |
| Years active | 1966-1993 |
| Associated acts | David Bowie Lou Reed Bob Dylan |
| Musician | |
Mick Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer.
Biography[]
Mick made his mark during glam rock's early-1970s heyday but worked consistently with frequent collaborators David Bowie and Ian Hunter until his death in 1993. From 1967-1968 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 other songs on the Hunky Dory album released in 1972 and was also Bowie's flamboyant guitarist in Spiders from Mars during the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972) album and tours. Mick co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer in 1972 with Bowie, which included "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day". He 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 Stone 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. In 1990, Ronson was diagnosed with cancer and was later reunited with Bowie for Black Tie White Noise (1993), followed by an appearance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert with Hunter and Bowie at same year. 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.
Duran Duran connections[]
In 1995 Duran Duran covered Lou Reed's "Perfect Day", originally co-produced by Ronson in 1972. The radio show A Night at the Rum Runner included Mick Ronson's songs "Only After Dark" and "Billy Porter", with the later 2006 Only After Dark album compiled from the show by John Taylor and Nick Rhodes also featuring Ronson.