MickRonson
The glam-rock guitar hero who made Ziggy Stardust soar
Mick Ronson
The glam-rock guitar hero who made Ziggy Stardust soar
Born in Kingston upon Hull in 1946, Mick Ronson grew up studying piano, recorder and violin before hearing Duane Eddy and turning to the guitar. Through the mid-1960s he cycled through local Hull bands such as the Mariners, the Crestas and the Rats, briefly trying his luck in London before returning home. By the end of the decade he was working as a gardener for the city's parks department, playing at night and wondering whether music would ever pay, when a call came from London that changed everything.
In 1970 Ronson joined David Bowie, first in the short-lived Hype and then on The Man Who Sold the World, whose heavy riffs owed much to his playing. On Hunky Dory he also revealed a gift for arranging, writing the orchestral parts that swell through Life on Mars?. With Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey he became one of the Spiders from Mars, and the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane records made him the glamorous, blond foil to Bowie's alien rock star until the band's abrupt farewell in July 1973.
Solo stardom beckoned next. Slaughter on 10th Avenue reached the UK top ten in 1974 and Play Don't Worry followed in 1975, but Ronson was never comfortable as a frontman. He found a longer-lasting partnership with Ian Hunter, joining the final lineup of Mott the Hoople and then anchoring Hunter's solo records. He also toured with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, produced Roger McGuinn's Cardiff Rose and, in 1982, lent his ear and his guitar to John Mellencamp's hit Jack & Diane.
The 1980s and early 1990s saw Ronson work mostly behind the scenes as a producer and sideman. In 1992 he produced Morrissey's Your Arsenal and stepped onto the Wembley stage at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert alongside Bowie and Hunter, despite having been diagnosed with liver cancer the previous year. He died in London in April 1993 at the age of 46. His unfinished album Heaven and Hull appeared in 1994, and his melodic, big-hearted playing has been rediscovered by generation after generation of guitarists.
The 10 greatest Mick Ronson solos
- 1David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1972
- 2David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1970
- 3David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1972
- 4David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1973
- 5Mick Ronson · solo by Mick Ronson · 1974
- 6David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1973
- 7David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1973
- 8David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1971
- 9Ian Hunter · solo by Mick Ronson · 1975
- 10David Bowie · solo by Mick Ronson · 1972
The sound
Ronson played like an arranger who happened to hold a guitar. His solos are singable, built from long sustained notes, wide expressive bends and carefully placed melodic hooks rather than rapid runs, and they often echo or answer the vocal line. He favoured a thick, overdriven Les Paul tone pushed through a loud Marshall, frequently shaping it with a wah pedal left partly open as a fixed filter, which gave his sound its throaty, singing midrange. His classical training showed in the way he stacked guitar harmonies and strings together, making every part serve the song's drama.
- Gibson Les Paul Custom (stripped to natural finish) (guitar) His main Ziggy-era guitar, with the black paint removed to reveal bare wood.
- Marshall Major 200W (amp) A very loud head that supplied the thick, saturated Spiders from Mars tone.
- Wah-wah pedal (used as a fixed filter) (effect) Often parked part-way open to push his tone into a nasal, vocal midrange.
- Tone Bender-style fuzz (effect) Added extra grit and sustain to his early-1970s lead sound.
- Fender Telecaster (guitar) Became a common sight in his hands during later work with Ian Hunter.
Covers
- Love Me Tender, originally by Elvis Presley He turned the tender ballad into a dramatic, guitar-led glam anthem.
- Slaughter on 10th Avenue, originally by Richard Rodgers A show-tune ballet piece reimagined as a sweeping rock instrumental.
- Growing Up and I'm Fine, originally by David Bowie A Bowie song handed to his former guitarist and delivered with warm, poppy energy.
- Sorrow, originally by The McCoys His delicate fills help turn a 1960s beat song into one of Bowie's loveliest singles.
- Let's Spend the Night Together, originally by The Rolling Stones A frantic, glam-charged overhaul full of slashing guitar.
- White Light/White Heat, originally by The Velvet Underground Played live by the Spiders as a raucous, stomping tribute to Lou Reed.
- I Feel Free, originally by Cream A final reunion with Bowie, recorded not long before Ronson's death.
Timeline
- 1946 Born in Kingston upon Hull, England
- 1966 Joins Hull band the Rats
- 1970 Joins David Bowie; records The Man Who Sold the World
- 1972 Releases Ziggy Stardust with Bowie and co-produces Lou Reed's Transformer
- 1973 Spiders from Mars play their farewell show at Hammersmith Odeon
- 1974 Solo debut Slaughter on 10th Avenue reaches the UK top ten
- 1975 Joins Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and begins partnership with Ian Hunter
- 1992 Produces Morrissey's Your Arsenal; plays the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
- 1993 Dies of liver cancer in London aged 46
- 1994 Posthumous album Heaven and Hull is released
Facts
- Before joining Bowie he worked as a gardener for Hull City Council's parks department.
- He had classical training on piano, recorder and violin before switching to guitar.
- Hearing Duane Eddy is what first drew him to the guitar.
- He wrote the string arrangement for Bowie's Life on Mars?.
- He co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer with Bowie in 1972.
- Readers of Creem magazine voted him the second-best guitarist in a 1974 poll.
- He played on John Mellencamp's 1982 hit Jack & Diane.
- He produced Morrissey's 1992 album Your Arsenal.
- He married Suzanne Fussey, who had worked as Bowie's hairdresser, in 1977 in Bearsville, New York.
- Rolling Stone ranked him 64th among the greatest guitarists in 2003 and 41st in 2012.