Av Dianne Scott (The Continental Club Austin/Houston)
This is shaping up to be one for the books. The Friday, February 6 show will get underway at 9:00 pm with The Cornell Hurd Band, The Derailers, Toni Price with the Leroi Brothers, Doyle Bramhall, and Nick Curran & the Nitelifes. The show for Saturday, February 7 will start at 9:00 pm with The Horton Brothers featuring Shaun Young, The Ronnie Dawson Band (Lisa Pankratz, Kevin Smith, Shaun Young, Tjarko Jeen and Nick Curran) with guests: Bobby Rambo, Teisco Del Rey, Mike Barfield, Ted Roddy, Marti Brom, and Ray "Linda Lu" Sharpe. Special guest headliner Jimmie Vaughan will also appear with the Ronnie Dawson Band. There will be a $15 cover charge each night. Larger donations will gladly be accepted. All proceeds will go toward the debt incurred for Ronnie's treatments.
Bobby Rambo is a guitarist who played with Ronnie in the Steelrail band during the late '60s and '70s, after a stint with The Five Americans. Bobby also played on many of the classic Dallas rock 'n' roll and rockabilly records from the '50s and early '60s. He was one of Ronnie's closest friends, and favorite guitar players. Ronnie used to say that nobody sounded more Texas than Bobby - from country to blues it's all there. Bobby is best known for playing guitar with Jerry Jeff Walker for many years. Ray "Lind Lu" Sharpe is a texas blues legend that defies classification. There's as much rock 'n' roll as there is blues or country in his music. He recorded the classics "Linda Lu", "Monkey's Uncle", "Oh My Baby's Gone", and "T.A. Blues". Beginning in the '50s, Ronnie and Ray developed a friendship and mutual respect that they maintained throughout their lives. Ray used to take Ronnie to some of the blues clubs around Dallas. They even played together as a duo for a while called The Oreo Cookies with Ray singing country and Ronnie singing blues. For every artist participating in this Tribute there is a story, more likely a hundred, of how Ronnie influenced them as a friend, a performer, and a human being. Some of you may not know who Ronnie Dawson is or why we would be doing this tribute. Or you may recognize Ronnie's name, but not know of his extensive background and influence. The Cramps, Southern Culture On The Skids, White Stripes, Izzy Stradlin, and Cindi Lauper are among Ronnie's self-professed fans and some of them have even covered Ronnie Dawson songs.
Ronnie Dawson was born in Dallas, Texas on August 11, 1939; raised as an only child in Waxahachie, Texas by Pinky and Gladys Dawson. Pinky had a swing band that was heard on Dallas' KRLD-AM radio. Realizing how much Ronnie liked music, Pinky borrowed a guitar and taught him the basics. Soon after, Ronnie formed his own band, Ronnie Dee & The D Men, and within two months entered the talent contest at the "Big D Jamboree" in Dallas. Ronnie won ten weeks in a row and Ed MacLemore, who at the time was Gene Vincent's manager, signed the band. Ronnie's first single, "Action Packed" was on Backbeat Records, backed with "I Make The Love", followed by the now legendary "Rockin' Bones", which came out on MacLemore's Rockin' label with the new moniker The Blonde Bomber -- Ronnie Dawson. Both singles sold respectably in regional markets and in Texas, but it wasn't until Dick Clark called to offer Ronnie a recording deal with his Swan Records label along with an appearance on "American Bandstand", that Ronnie's career appeared to be set. Then the Payola scandal hit, dragging Clark and other prominent DJs into extensive legal battles and leaving Ronnie without a record or much of a career. In the interim, Ronnie toured with the Lightcrust Doughboys, played drums on recording sessions for Paul and Paula's "Hey Paula" and Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby", as well as later releasing tracks for Columbia Records under the names Snake Munroe and Commonwealth Jones.
Throughout the '60's Ronnie performed with a Dallas based group called The Levee Singers, touring nationally and appearing on such notable TV shows as: "The Danny Kaye Show", "The Jimmy Dean Show", "Hootenanny", and "Hollywood Palace". During the '70's and '80's he formed a country-rock band called Steelrail which he still refers to as one of his proudest accomplishments and regrets that they were unable to achieve more recognition. He also continued to do commercial jingles for radio and TV, i.e. Hungry Jack Pancakes, Jax Beer and CiCi's Pizza. The Ronnie Dawson story might have ended there but in 1986 Ronnie received a call from British record collector Barney Koumis telling him that some of his old recordings had become legendary and were collectors items in England and asking if he had any other material that he might be willing to release on Koumis' indie label, No Hit Records.
Subsequently, No Hit put out Rockin' Bones, a compilation album of early hits, followed by Monkey Beat and Rockinitis, and Just Rockin' and Rollin', all three recorded in England and issued in the US. Ronnie accomplished something few artists in the rock and roll genre have with his performances at New York City's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In 1995 he acquired many new fans as well as pleasing many old fans when he blew the roof off the studio during his appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". 1998 proved to be a landmark year for Ronnie. On January 16th and 17th, in Austin, Texas, Ronnie's first ever live recording was made --- Live! At The Continental Club -- on Continental Records and was released in April of 1998 and is available through RD & CD Enterprises Inc. in Dallas or The Continental Club in Austin.
His recording of "Yum, Yum, Yum" (Rockinitis/Crystal Clear Sound) was featured in Mike Nichols' movie Primary Colors starringJohn Travolta, which opened in theaters across America in March of 1998. Izzie Straddlin, (Guns 'n' Roses lead guitarist) covered Ronnie's "Up Jumped The Devil" (Just Rockin' and Rollin'/Upstart/Rounder Records). Playing The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Willie Nelson's Annual 4th of July Picnic and Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender made an exciting 1998 touring year for The Blonde Bomber. A new recording, More Bad Habits, was completed in Maine in October of 1998 (his first recording in the US since the 1960's) and was released on March 16, 1999 on Yep Roc Records and distributed by RedEye Music in the US and vinyl by NoHit Records in England. The release coincided with the beginning of his 1999 touring year making each stop in each city a "CD Release Party" and included a second appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in July as well as a performance at Lincoln Center. Four cuts off the latest CD were picked to appear in two different motion pictures, most notably a picture entitled Simpatico, starring Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone, Albert Finney and other notables, released in December of 1999. As the year 2000 begins, Dawson plans to concentrate primarily on festivals and play very few club dates. This will also be his last year to tour playing Rockabilly, except for very special performances. He has decided to retire from that genre and concentrate his effort on other projects that have become dear to his heart. Dawson still proves that his live performances begin where all other performers finish! After all -- Ronnie doesn't run 10 miles a day and live on a concoction of carrot, apple and spinach juice for nothing! ... 2000, from RonnieDawson.com.
Our beloved Ronnie Dawson is gone now. Ronnie passed on Tuesday, September 31, 2003 at 4:30 p.m. in Dallas, Texas after battling the cancer that had ravaged his soft palate, tongue, throat and lungs since 2001. Ronnie's appearance at last spring's 2nd Annual Lone Star Rod & Kustom Round Up was to be his last stage performance. At the time, we all knew that it might be. Tears flowed freely from every eye around the stage, especially at the end of Ronnie's set when he had an emotional group hug with his band (Tjarko Jeen, Shaun Young, Kevin Smith, and Lisa Pankratz). Still, we continued to hope & pray that we could be a part of that magic one more time. Shortly after the Round Up, Ronnie entered an experimental gene therapy program that had an encouraging remission/recovery rate. Unfortunately there were other complications of the primary diagnosis of cancer, including an arterial wall that burst in his tongue in August creating a near fatal situation.
There will never be another like Ronnie Dawson. He attributed his energy and his glow of good health to the fact that he ran 10 miles a day several days a week, nourished his body with fresh vegetable juices and didn't use tobacco, alcohol or drugs. He led the proverbial clean life. And what an attitude! The positive energy that went into each and every show was amazing. And he would perform with the same joy and enthusiasm whether there were 10 people or 10,000 people. When asked why he worked so hard on stage to a small crowd, he said, "There might be someone out there that's never heard me before." He wanted to make sure that everyone got the best he had to give. They could leave knowing what Ronnie was all about; and he was all about quality, and dignity, and respect, and an unending love and appreciation for life and for his loved ones. With this tribute we hope to give some of that back.
"Conquering the world one city at a time"
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Throughout the '60's Ronnie performed with a Dallas based group called The Levee Singers, touring nationally and appearing on such notable TV shows as: "The Danny Kaye Show", "The Jimmy Dean Show", "Hootenanny", and "Hollywood Palace". During the '70's and '80's he formed a country-rock band called Steelrail which he still refers to as one of his proudest accomplishments and regrets that they were unable to achieve more recognition. He also continued to do commercial jingles for radio and TV, i.e. Hungry Jack Pancakes, Jax Beer and CiCi's Pizza. The Ronnie Dawson story might have ended there but in 1986 Ronnie received a call from British record collector Barney Koumis telling him that some of his old recordings had become legendary and were collectors items in England and asking if he had any other material that he might be willing to release on Koumis' indie label, No Hit Records.
Subsequently, No Hit put out Rockin' Bones, a compilation album of early hits, followed by Monkey Beat and Rockinitis, and Just Rockin' and Rollin', all three recorded in England and issued in the US. Ronnie accomplished something few artists in the rock and roll genre have with his performances at New York City's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In 1995 he acquired many new fans as well as pleasing many old fans when he blew the roof off the studio during his appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". 1998 proved to be a landmark year for Ronnie. On January 16th and 17th, in Austin, Texas, Ronnie's first ever live recording was made --- Live! At The Continental Club -- on Continental Records and was released in April of 1998 and is available through RD & CD Enterprises Inc. in Dallas or The Continental Club in Austin.
His recording of "Yum, Yum, Yum" (Rockinitis/Crystal Clear Sound) was featured in Mike Nichols' movie Primary Colors starringJohn Travolta, which opened in theaters across America in March of 1998. Izzie Straddlin, (Guns 'n' Roses lead guitarist) covered Ronnie's "Up Jumped The Devil" (Just Rockin' and Rollin'/Upstart/Rounder Records). Playing The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Willie Nelson's Annual 4th of July Picnic and Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender made an exciting 1998 touring year for The Blonde Bomber. A new recording, More Bad Habits, was completed in Maine in October of 1998 (his first recording in the US since the 1960's) and was released on March 16, 1999 on Yep Roc Records and distributed by RedEye Music in the US and vinyl by NoHit Records in England. The release coincided with the beginning of his 1999 touring year making each stop in each city a "CD Release Party" and included a second appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in July as well as a performance at Lincoln Center. Four cuts off the latest CD were picked to appear in two different motion pictures, most notably a picture entitled Simpatico, starring Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone, Albert Finney and other notables, released in December of 1999. As the year 2000 begins, Dawson plans to concentrate primarily on festivals and play very few club dates. This will also be his last year to tour playing Rockabilly, except for very special performances. He has decided to retire from that genre and concentrate his effort on other projects that have become dear to his heart. Dawson still proves that his live performances begin where all other performers finish! After all -- Ronnie doesn't run 10 miles a day and live on a concoction of carrot, apple and spinach juice for nothing! ... 2000, from RonnieDawson.com.
Our beloved Ronnie Dawson is gone now. Ronnie passed on Tuesday, September 31, 2003 at 4:30 p.m. in Dallas, Texas after battling the cancer that had ravaged his soft palate, tongue, throat and lungs since 2001. Ronnie's appearance at last spring's 2nd Annual Lone Star Rod & Kustom Round Up was to be his last stage performance. At the time, we all knew that it might be. Tears flowed freely from every eye around the stage, especially at the end of Ronnie's set when he had an emotional group hug with his band (Tjarko Jeen, Shaun Young, Kevin Smith, and Lisa Pankratz). Still, we continued to hope & pray that we could be a part of that magic one more time. Shortly after the Round Up, Ronnie entered an experimental gene therapy program that had an encouraging remission/recovery rate. Unfortunately there were other complications of the primary diagnosis of cancer, including an arterial wall that burst in his tongue in August creating a near fatal situation.
There will never be another like Ronnie Dawson. He attributed his energy and his glow of good health to the fact that he ran 10 miles a day several days a week, nourished his body with fresh vegetable juices and didn't use tobacco, alcohol or drugs. He led the proverbial clean life. And what an attitude! The positive energy that went into each and every show was amazing. And he would perform with the same joy and enthusiasm whether there were 10 people or 10,000 people. When asked why he worked so hard on stage to a small crowd, he said, "There might be someone out there that's never heard me before." He wanted to make sure that everyone got the best he had to give. They could leave knowing what Ronnie was all about; and he was all about quality, and dignity, and respect, and an unending love and appreciation for life and for his loved ones. With this tribute we hope to give some of that back.
"Conquering the world one city at a time"