Ronnie McNeir

Last updated
Ronnie McNeir
Born
Lewis Ronald McNeir

(1951-12-14) December 14, 1951 (age 70)
Camden, Alabama, United States
OccupationSinger, songwriter
Years activec. 1968-present
Known for The Four Tops

Lewis Ronald McNeir (born December 14, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter.

Contents

Biography

McNeir was born in Camden, Alabama. As a solo artist, he recorded for the De-to, RCA, Prodigal, Motown, Capitol, Expansion and Motor City labels, recording his first song when he was seventeen. His friendship with Kim Weston, for whom he was musical director, led to his recording for RCA, then for moonlighting Motown Vice-President Barney Ales, the owner of the Prodigal label. When Ales went back to Motown, McNeir became a Motown artist, recording the 1976 album "Love's Comin' Down". He would later duet with Teena Marie on the song "We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This" from her 1984 Epic album, Starchild and serve as the musical director for The Four Tops for several years. He became an official member of the Tops in 1999 when lead singer Levi Stubbs was too ill to continue singing with the group. [1] He has been with the group ever since. He also was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Gospel Music category in 1981 for his collaboration with Rance Allen and in 2007, he released Ronnie Mac & Company, which featured collaborations with Kirk Whalum, Kathy Lamar and fellow Four Top Theo Peoples. Throughout his career, Ronnie has also worked with Bobby Womack, David Ruffin, Smokey Robinson, Angela Winbush, the Whispers, Carrie Lucas and Eddie Kendricks.

Discography

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.

Rare Earth (band) American rock band

Rare Earth was an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan. According to Louder, "Rare Earth’s music straddles genres and defies categorisation, [sic] slipping seamlessly between the two seemingly disparate worlds of classic rock and R&B." The band was signed to Motown's Rare Earth record label. Although not the first white band signed to Motown, Rare Earth was the first big hit-making act signed by Motown that consisted only of white members.

The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers, among others. It is estimated they appeared on 20,000 recordings.

The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans on additional leads and background vocals.

Kim Weston American soul singer, and Motown alumna (born 1939)

Kim Weston is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and "Take Me in Your Arms ", and with her duet with Marvin Gaye, "It Takes Two".

I Cant Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) 1965 single by the Four Tops

"I Can't Help Myself " is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label.

<i>Elvis Country (Im 10,000 Years Old)</i> 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis Country is the thirteenth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records in January 1971. Recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, it reached number 12 on the Billboard 200. It peaked at number six in the United Kingdom, selling over one million copies worldwide. It was certified Gold on December 1, 1977 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Charlene Marilynn Oliver, better known mononymously as Charlene, is an American easy-listening and R&B singer best known for the song "I've Never Been to Me", which, initially being a commercial flop upon its original release in 1977, became a worldwide hit upon a re-release in 1982 and has remained an enduring adult contemporary music staple. Charlene is also a songwriter, record producer and author.

Victor Feldman English jazz musician

Victor Stanley Feldman was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as an adult. Feldman emigrated to the United States in the mid-1950s, where he continued working in jazz and also as a session musician with a variety of pop and rock performers.

Bud Brisbois American trumpeter (1937-1978)

Austin Dean "Bud" Brisbois was a jazz and studio trumpeter. He played jazz, pop, rock, country, Motown, and classical music.

<i>Harvest for the World</i> 1976 studio album by The Isley Brothers

Harvest for the World is the fourteenth studio album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on May 29, 1976.

Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.

Things (Bobby Darin song)

"Things" is a song which was written and recorded by Bobby Darin in 1962. Released as a single, it reached No.3 in the U.S.and Canada, No.2 in the U.K., and No.3 in the first-ever official Irish Singles Chart, published by RTÉ in October 1962. It was later covered by Ronnie Dove and became a Top 30 country hit for him.

Four Tops American vocal quartet

The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes.

"Whole Lot Of Shakin' In My Heart " is a 1966 R&B song by Motown Records group The Miracles, issued on Motown's Tamla Records subsidiary. Written by Motown staff songwriter Frank Wilson, it was one of only two singles the group released in 1966, taken from their album Away We A Go-Go.

Paul Riser is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the "Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of the other "Brothers", as his career has been overlooked and overshadowed by the stars of Motown that became household names. Some of the Funk Brothers he worked with include: Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina, Dennis Coffey, Wah Wah Watson, James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Eddie Watkins, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones, Andrew Smith, Jack Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Benny Benjamin, Cornelius Grant, Joe Hunter, Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, Marcus Belgrave, Teddy Buckner and Stevie Wonder.

"Just One Last Look" is a 1966 song written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, and recorded by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, and The Four Tops for the main Motown label. Intended for release as a single for both, it was blocked from doing so and shelved.

Joe Stubbs was an American R&B/soul singer who became the lead singer of four different groups throughout his recording career. He was the younger brother of The Four Tops' lead Levi Stubbs.

Carter Family discography

This is a discography of the Carter Family - Sara Carter, her husband A.P. Carter, and their sister-in-law Maybelle Carter - often cited as "the most influential group in country music history":

"Bermuda" is a song written by Cynthia Strother and her father Eugene Rex Strother, which was originally performed by 16-year-old Cynthia and her younger sister Kay Strother, who performed together under The Bell Sisters moniker for RCA Records. Their recording of the song featured Henri René and His Orchestra.

References

  1. Hoffmann, Frank (2006). Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop, Volume 6. Infobase Publishing. pp. 94–95. ISBN   9780816053155 . Retrieved 15 November 2010.