Ronnie Dawson
Encyclopedia
Ronald F. "Ronnie" Dawson (born 11 August 1939 in Dallas
, Texas
— 30 September 2003, Dallas) was an American
rockabilly
musician
, although he was more popular in the United Kingdom
than the United States
. He was nicknamed "The Blond Bomber."
Born in Dallas, Texas August 11,1939, moving two (2) years later to Waxahachie, Texas. After two (2) years in Waxahatchie the Dawsons moved to Corsicana, Texas where young Ronnie went into the 1st grade at the Robert E. Lee School. After a year in Corsicana, the family moved again. This time to Navarro, Texas for four (4) or five (5) years until finally moving back to Waxahachie. Ronnie said "There I remained for the rest of my school years in a typical small Texas town."
"My music really started with my family. My father was a bass fiddle player with his own western swing band and radio program back in the '30s in and around Dallas. I barely remember hearing dad on the radio, early in the mornings on radio station WRR and KRLD in Dallas."
"Later in my life I started to play the bass fiddle and guitar myself in the Assembly of God church services in Waxahachie. later in high school I formed my own group called Ronnie Dee & the D Men. After playing the usual high school hops and parties I entered the Big D Jamboree Talent Program. After winning that several times I was offered a regular spot on the show."
"After about six months a record contract was offered and I signed my first contract with Back Beat Records in Houston, Texas."
"While not performing and writing music, I've made a comfortable living singing, playing and announcing commercials for such products as Aunt Jemima and Hungry Jack."
"It's really wild at times when my work is kinda leveling off here in Texas, I have albums selling all over Europe and London, England. It's all about a style of music we did here 30 or 35 years ago called Rockabilly, R&B or Texas Rock & Roll. All very popular with the age group from about 15 to 25. These fans dress exactly like kids did here in the fifties." His first Rockabilly classic, "Rockin' Bones" (Rockin' 1), came out in 1959.
Dawson was the son of a big band
leader and started working in music in his teens
. He was signed to the Swan
label
, and made two records for them: "Hazel" (Swan 4047) and "Decided By the Angels" (Swan 4054).
Ronnie also recorded under these pseudonyms: Ronnie Dee, Commonwealth Jones (Columbia Records), and the Levee Singers in Dallas.
As a studio
musician
, he can be heard playing drum
s on the hit record
s "Hey! Baby
" by Bruce Channel
and "Hey Paula" by Paul and Paula.
Dawson died from throat cancer
at the age of 64 in 2003.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
— 30 September 2003, Dallas) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, although he was more popular in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
than the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was nicknamed "The Blond Bomber."
Biography
<1988 - from Ronnie Dawson, for school report>Born in Dallas, Texas August 11,1939, moving two (2) years later to Waxahachie, Texas. After two (2) years in Waxahatchie the Dawsons moved to Corsicana, Texas where young Ronnie went into the 1st grade at the Robert E. Lee School. After a year in Corsicana, the family moved again. This time to Navarro, Texas for four (4) or five (5) years until finally moving back to Waxahachie. Ronnie said "There I remained for the rest of my school years in a typical small Texas town."
"My music really started with my family. My father was a bass fiddle player with his own western swing band and radio program back in the '30s in and around Dallas. I barely remember hearing dad on the radio, early in the mornings on radio station WRR and KRLD in Dallas."
"Later in my life I started to play the bass fiddle and guitar myself in the Assembly of God church services in Waxahachie. later in high school I formed my own group called Ronnie Dee & the D Men. After playing the usual high school hops and parties I entered the Big D Jamboree Talent Program. After winning that several times I was offered a regular spot on the show."
"After about six months a record contract was offered and I signed my first contract with Back Beat Records in Houston, Texas."
"While not performing and writing music, I've made a comfortable living singing, playing and announcing commercials for such products as Aunt Jemima and Hungry Jack."
"It's really wild at times when my work is kinda leveling off here in Texas, I have albums selling all over Europe and London, England. It's all about a style of music we did here 30 or 35 years ago called Rockabilly, R&B or Texas Rock & Roll. All very popular with the age group from about 15 to 25. These fans dress exactly like kids did here in the fifties." His first Rockabilly classic, "Rockin' Bones" (Rockin' 1), came out in 1959.
Dawson was the son of a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
leader and started working in music in his teens
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. He was signed to the Swan
Swan Records
Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States based record label, founded in 1957, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, and made two records for them: "Hazel" (Swan 4047) and "Decided By the Angels" (Swan 4054).
Ronnie also recorded under these pseudonyms: Ronnie Dee, Commonwealth Jones (Columbia Records), and the Levee Singers in Dallas.
As a 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...
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...
, he can be heard playing drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on the hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
s "Hey! Baby
Hey! Baby
"Hey! Baby" is a song written by Margaret Cobb and Bruce Channel, who recorded the song in 1961. Channel co-produced the song with Major Bill Smith and released it on Mercury Records' Smash label...
" by Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel is an American singer, known for his 1962 million selling number one hit, "Hey! Baby".-Career:...
and "Hey Paula" by Paul and Paula.
Dawson died from throat cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
at the age of 64 in 2003.