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Guitarist,
arranger, songwriter, producer and perennial sideman, Mick Ronson made
his mark during glam-rock's early '70s heyday but worked consistently
with frequent collaborators David Bowie and Ian Hunter till his death
in 1993. From 1967-68 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 others on Hunky Dory (1972) and was Bowie's flamboyant guitarist
in the Spiders from Mars during the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
(1972) album and tours.
It has remained a mystery as to how much of Bowie's material Ronson
wrote in exchange for "arrangement" credits, but his stamp is on some
important records of the era: He co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer
(RCA, 1972) with Bowie and 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
Thunder 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 and in 1990, Ronson
was diagnosed with cancer. He was reunited with Bowie for Black Tie
White Noise(1993) and that same year appeared at the Freddie Mercury
Tribute Concert with Hunter and Bowie. 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, and Showtime, a collection of live material, arrived the next
year.
This
bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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