Ronnie Lee Milsap (born January 16, 1943) is an American
country music singer and pianist.
He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the
1970s and 1980s.
He became country music's first successful blind singer, and one of the most successful and versatile country "
crossover"
singers of his time, appealing to both country and pop music markets
with hit songs that incorporated pop, R&B, and rock and roll
elements.
His biggest crossover hits include "
It Was Almost Like a Song", "
Smoky Mountain Rain", "
(There's) No Gettin' Over Me", "
I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World", "
Any Day Now", and "
Stranger in My House".
He is credited with six
Grammy Awards and forty No. 1 country hits, third to
George Strait and
Conway Twitty. He was selected for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014.
[1][2]
Career
Early life (1943–71)
Abandoned by his mother as an infant, he was raised by his grandparents
in the Smoky Mountains until the age of five, when he was sent to the
Governor Morehead School for the Blind in
Raleigh, North Carolina.
During his childhood he lost his remaining vision, and both his eyes were eventually removed.
[citation needed]
Throughout his childhood, he was interested in music—particularly the late-night broadcasts of country music,
gospel music, and
rhythm and blues.
When he was seven years old, his instructors began to notice his
musical talents. Soon afterward he began studying classical music
formally and learned several instruments, eventually mastering the
piano.
Within the next few years he also developed a passion for
rock and roll
music and formed a rock band with classmates in high school, The
Apparitions.
Milsap was awarded a full college scholarship and briefly
attended
Young Harris College in
Young Harris, GA,
until leaving to pursue a full-time career in music. In the early
1960s, he auditioned for and played his first professional gigs as a
member of
J.J. Cale's band.
Milsap released his first single, "Total Disaster", in 1963 which
enjoyed some local success in the Atlanta area.
In 1965, Milsap signed
with New York-based
Scepter Records, recording eight obscure singles for the label and working briefly with other soul musicians like Ray Charles,
Stevie Wonder, and
James Brown.
Also in 1965, Milsap had Top 20 success with the
Ashford & Simpson-penned single, "Never Had It So Good", which peaked at No. 19 on the R&B chart.
[3]
It would be his only successful single during his time with Scepter. Another Ashford & Simpson tune named "
Let's Go Get Stoned", was relegated to a
B-side.
A few months later, however, it became a million-selling single for
Ray Charles. About this same time, Milsap met Joyce Reeves at a dinner party, and the two were married in 1965.
A few years later, after moving to
Memphis, Tennessee, he worked for producer
Chips Moman
while performing weekly at the popular Memphis nightclub T.J.'s. During
this time, Milsap worked as a session musician on numerous projects
including two songs with Elvis Presley: "
Don't Cry Daddy" in 1969 and "
Kentucky Rain"
in 1970.
That same year, Milsap had a minor success on the pop charts
with the single "Loving You Is a Natural Thing".
He recorded and
released his debut album,
Ronnie Milsap,
on Warner Brothers in 1971. Milsap's R&B recordings from this
period are so obscure that all but the most diehard Milsap fans remain
largely unaware of them.
Breakthrough success (1973–75)
In December 1972, Milsap relocated to
Nashville after a chance meeting with country music star
Charley Pride who was in the audience for a Milsap gig at the nightclub Whiskey A-Go-Go.
[4]
Pride was impressed with Milsap's singing and encouraged him to change
course and focus on country music.
Milsap began working with Pride's
manager, Jack D. Johnson, and was signed to
RCA Nashville
in 1973. He released his first single from RCA that year, "I Hate You",
which became his first country music success, peaking at No. 10 on the
country chart.
In 1974, he toured with Pride as an opening act and had
two No. 1 singles: "
Pure Love" [written by Eddie Rabbitt] and the
Kris Kristofferson composition "
Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" which won Milsap his first Grammy.
In 1975, he revived the
Don Gibson song "
(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time" and scored another No. 1 hit with "
Daydreams About Night Things".
"It Was Almost Like A Song" (1976–78)
From 1976 to 1978, Milsap became one of country music's biggest
stars. He scored seven No. 1 singles in a row, including the
Grammy-winning "
(I'm a) Stand by My Woman Man" and "
What a Difference You've Made in My Life".
The most significant of this series was "
It Was Almost Like a Song" in 1977, a dramatic piano-based song that showcased his soaring vocal range
[citation needed] and became his most successful single of the 1970s.
In addition to topping the
Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the song was his first entry on the
Billboard Hot 100
pop music chart since "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" reached
No. 95; "It Was Almost Like a Song," however, reached No. 16.
It was
also his first song to make the
Adult Contemporary Chart,
stopping at No. 7. Despite its success, the song was Milsap's only
crossover success of the 1970s.
Milsap continued to achieve hits on the
country music charts for the remainder of the 1970s.
Crossover success (1979–92)
Milsap's sound shifted toward string-laden pop during the late 1970s
which resulted in crossover success on the pop charts beginning in the
early 1980s.
In 1979, Milsap had a No. 1 single, a Top 5 single, and a
Top 10 single on the country charts. From 1980 until 1983, he scored a
series of eleven No. 1 singles.
Milsap's Greatest Hits album, released
in 1980, included a new single, "
Smoky Mountain Rain",
which became a No. 1 smash on the country charts.
The single peaked in
the Top 40 on the pop music chart and also became the first of two
Milsap songs to score No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Other crossover successes included the Top 5 pop single, "
(There's) No Gettin' Over Me", and two Top 20 songs in "
I Wouldn't Have Missed It For the World" and "
Any Day Now", the latter which lasted five weeks at No. 1 on
Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart.
He also had some success with "
He Got You". All four songs reached No. 1 on the country music charts.
In the
Philippines, ironically, his biggest hit was the country ballad "
Is It Over", which came from his 1983 album "
Keyed Up".
However, this was never released as a single in the U.S.
Although the series of No. 1 hits ended in 1983, the last song of the series, "
Stranger in My House",
was still successful on all three charts, peaking at No. 5 on the
country music chart, No. 23 on the pop music chart, and No. 8 on the
Adult Contemporary chart.
Just a few months later, "
Don't You Know How Much I Love You"
was released. It was this song that would be Milsap's last significant
entry on the pop music chart, stopping at No. 58.
However, it along with
others still became major successes on the Adult Contemporary chart.
These successful singles include "
Show Her", "
Still Losing You", and finally, the Grammy-winning song "
Lost in the Fifties Tonight" (his last crossover success) in 1985.
Like other artists of the same era such as
Linda Ronstadt,
Glen Campbell,
Marty Robbins,
and Ray Charles, Milsap's albums during the 1980s often featured songs
in a variety of musical styles that showcased his remarkable range and
versatility as a singer.
In his 1990 autobiography, Milsap explains:
"
I'm
a singer, not a vocal stylist. My breathing is correct; my enunciation
is precise. Because of that, I can sing anybody's music. Yet there are
stylists whose technical skills are so underdeveloped they can sing only
their own songs their own way. They might be remembered for their hits
longer than I am. I'll probably be working longer than they are. I can
sing whatever the times and the trends demand."
Between 1985 and 1987, Milsap enjoyed a series of uninterrupted No. 1
country singles, enjoying his greatest success at this time with "
She Keeps the Home Fires Burning", "
In Love", "
Snap Your Fingers", "
Where Do the Nights Go", and the grammy-winning duet with Kenny Rogers, "Make No Mistake, She's Mine".
In 1989, Milsap had his last No. 1 song with "
A Woman in Love",
although he still remained successful on the charts. Other Top 10
singles between 1989 and 1991 include "Houston Solution", "Stranger
Things Have Happened", "Turn That Radio On", and "Are You Loving Me Like
I'm loving You".
With the help of writer Tom Carter, Milsap wrote and
released his autobiography titled "Almost like a Song" in 1990.
In 1992, he had his last major success, "
All Is Fair in Love and War".
The song featured Mark Knopfler on lead guitar and peaked at No. 11.
By
that time, however, Milsap's chart success began to decline as a new
generation of younger performers began to dominate the country charts
with a more traditional country sound.
1993–present: Life today
Milsap has remained one of country music's best-loved and most
successful artists despite the lack of radio airplay since the
mid-1990s.
In 1993, he left RCA for Liberty and released the album
True Believer
which failed to achieve significant radio airplay, although the title
track song scored No. 30 on the country chart.
In 2000, Milsap
resurfaced with a two-CD set,
40 No. 1 Hits, featuring a new
single entitled "Time, Love, and Money". The new collection earned a
gold record although the single failed to score on the charts.
In 2000, Milsap's biography was featured by
A&E Networks's
Biography television series. Milsap has also been featured by
CMT's numerous shows, including
40 Greatest Men of Country Music and a 2005 episode of Crossroads with Tex-Mex rock group
Los Lonely Boys.
During 2004, Milsap worked with producer
Jerry F. Sharell to record his first non-country album since the early 1970s,
Just for a Thrill.
The project was a collection of American popular/jazz music standards
which earned Milsap a Grammy award nomination that year.
In 2006, Milsap
signed with his former company RCA and returned to a mainstream,
contemporary country music style with the album
My Life.
The first single was "Local Girls" which reached No. 54.
In 2009, Milsap released a two-CD set entitled
Then Sings My Soul
which featured 24 hymns and gospel songs, including "Up To Zion".
"Up
To Zion" was co-written by Gregory James Tornquist and Noreen Crayton
and became a No. 1 hit on the southern gospel charts.
On May 12, 2010,
he was part of a Gaither Video Taping.
Milsap released a new studio album
Country Again in July 2011.
The CD was a return to a more traditional country sound. The first
single, "If You Don't Want Me To", is a previous Milsap recording from
1980.
On May 2, 2013, Milsap performed at the memorial service of country
legend George Jones, singing the Jones classic "When the Grass Grows
Over Me".
The service was broadcast live on CMT, GAC, RFD-TV, The
Nashville Network, and Family Net as well as Nashville stations.
SiriusXM and WSM 650AM, home of the Grand Ole Opry, broadcast the event
on radio.
On December 27, 2013, it was announced that Milsap would release a new album.
Summer #17 was released in March 2014.
The album features new recordings of classic pop and R&B songs from Milsap's generation.
[5]
On June 1, 2014,
Rolling Stone magazine ranked "
Smoky Mountain Rain" #96 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.
[6]
In November 2014, Milsap announced he would embark on a final concert
tour. "You get to a place where you still have your health, but you
know it's not given," explained Milsap.
"I've been blessed with so many
great songs, so many wonderful memories and stories -- and some of the
very best fans in the business. Before I get to a place where it's not a
celebration of the music, I want to go out and play all these hits for
the people who love them as much as I do."
Capitol Records Protest
Ronnie Milsap recorded a new song "My First Ride" in 2009 as a
fundraiser to benefit firefighters and police officers in the US and
Canada. The song features
Trace Adkins
on vocals and 70 percent of all proceeds are donated to the fund.
Then,
after the song's release, the recording company allegedly reneged on
promotion of it without explanation. On September 24, 2009, Milsap and a
group of Tennessee firefighters and volunteers picketed the office of
Capitol Records because the company refused to service the record to
radio and
iTunes
four weeks after its release.
Ronnie marched with the group of 50
people to the front steps of the office, then sang the new single from
atop a vintage fire truck.
The demonstration was peaceful and after the
performance the group was asked to leave by building security. Ronnie
said: "We came here to raise awareness about this worthy cause... What
record label wouldn't want to be part of raising money for this much
needed fund that helps firefighters and police officers who desperately
need it?"
[citation needed]
Amateur Radio Operator
Milsap is an Advanced class
amateur radio operator. His call sign is WB4KCG.
[7]
Source: Wikipedia.org
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