| Ronnie Lane |
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Ronald Frederick Lane |
| Born |
1 April 1946, in Plaistow,
East London |
| Origin |
East
London, England |
| Died |
4 June 1997, Trinidad, Colorado, United
States |
| Genre(s) |
Rhythm
and Blues
Psychedelia
Rock
and Roll
Folk
Rock |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer, Songwriter, Bassist |
| Instrument(s) |
Bass, Guitar, Vocals |
| Years active |
1965 – 1992 |
| Label(s) |
A&M
Atlantic Records |
Associated
acts |
Faces
The Small Faces |
| Notable instrument(s) |
| Zemaitis |
Ronnie Lane (1 April 1946 - 4 June 1997) was an English singer, songwriter and bass
player (nicknamed "Plonk") best known for his membership in two
prominent English rock bands, Small
Faces (1965-69) and Faces (1970-75).
|
Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Move
to Texas
- 3 Solo
discography
- 4 Collaborations
- 5 References
- 6 External
links
|
Career
He quit Faces in 1973 and formed his own band, Ronnie Lane's
Slim Chance, in 1973 to record the hit single
"How Come" (UK
No. 11) and "The Poacher", then the album Anymore For Anymore,
showcasing his own blend of British rock
music, folk,
and country
music.
After initial success with the singles, he commenced a tour
called "the Passing Show", touring the UK as a carnival, complete with
tents, barkers, etc. Viv Stanshall, from the Bonzo
Dog Doo Dah Band, was a short-lived ringmaster
(of sorts).
Lane moved to Island Records and issued Ronnie
Lane's Slim Chance and One For The Road.
In late 1976, he joined a short-lived reformation of the Small Faces,
but quit after two rehearsals, to be replaced by Rick Wills (who
currently plays alongside the former Small Faces drummer, Kenney
Jones, in the Jones Gang). However, since Lane had already signed a
contract with Atlantic Records as part of the
reformed Small Faces, Atlantic informed him that he owed them an album.
Pete
Townshend recorded an album with Lane, titled Rough Mix,
which was released in 1977. Rough Mix was lauded as
contender for best album of the year by many critics, but the label did
not promote it, and sales were thereby lacklustre. Rough Mix
not only left Lane out of debt to the label, but it cemented his
credentials as a solid performer.
During the recording of Rough Mix, Lane
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (his mother
had also suffered, and died, from the disease). Nonetheless, he toured,
wrote, and recorded (with Eric Clapton, among many
others) and managed to release yet another album, See Me,
which features several songs
written by Lane and Clapton.
In 1983, his girlfriend, Boo Oldfield, contacted record
producer Glyn
Johns in the hopes of getting a concert going to help fund Action for
Research into Multiple Sclerosis, a London-based organization. Johns
was already arranging Clapton's Command Performance for Prince
Charles, so they decided to book the Royal
Albert Hall for another couple of nights and hold a benefit. The
resulting A.R.M.S. Concerts featured Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Jeff Beck, Steve
Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie
Watts, Kenney Jones, Andy Fairweather-Low,
and more. With the addition of Joe Cocker and Paul
Rodgers, they toured the U.S. It was during this time that
Rodgers and Page started the band, The
Firm.
Move to Texas
Lane moved to Texas in 1984, where the climate was more
beneficial to his health, and continued playing, writing, and
recording. He formed an American version of Slim Chance, which was, as
always, a loose-knit conglomeration of available musicians. For
much of the time, membership included Alejandro
Escovedo. For close to a decade, Lane enjoyed his rock royalty status
in the Austin area, and even toured Japan. Still, his health continued to decline,
and his last performance was in 1992 at a Ron Wood gig.
Also in the band that night was Ian McLagan. In 1994, Ronnie
and his last wife, Susan, moved to the small town of Trinidad, Colorado. Jimmy
Page and Rod Stewart generously
continued to donate money for his medical care because there were yet
no royalties from Small Faces' work. Through the efforts of Kenney
Jones and Ian McLagan, the Small Faces were eventually able to secure
ongoing royalty payments. By then, however, Steve
Marriott had died in a house fire, and on June 4, 1997, Lane had
succumbed to pneumonia.
In 2000, Paul Weller recorded "He's the
Keeper", a song dedicated to Lane's memory. An album of live BBC recordings was about
to be released to raise money for his care when Lane died. An album of
live and in-studio recordings from Lane's Austin days was later culled,
and released as Live in Austin. The place where he
was born, Plaistow (in East London) named a street after him, fittingly
called "Ronnie Lane", in 2001. In January, 2006, BBC Four
debuted an extensive documentary about Lane, which had
been in the works since 2000. They also aired vintage concerts by the
Faces and Slim Chance. In October 2006 the documentary was also shown
on BBC
Two.
Solo discography
- Anymore for Anymore
- Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance
- One for the Road
- See Me (album)
- You
Never Can Tell (The BBC Sessions)
- Kuschty
Rye (The Singles 1973-1980)
- Tin and Tambourine
(compilation)
- Rocket 69 (Live on
German TV)
- Live in Austin
- April Fool
(compilation 1999)
- Ain't No One Like
(compilation 2003)
- Just For a Moment
(compilation 2006)
Collaborations
References
External links
