- Ronnie Lane
Infobox musical artist
Name = Ronnie Lane
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Background = khaki
Birth_name = Ronald Frederick Lane
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Born = birth date|1946|4|1|df=y, in Plaistow, East London
Died = death date and age|1997|6|4|1946|4|1
Origin = East London,England
Instrument = Bass,Guitar ,Vocals
Genre =Rhythm and Blues Psychedelia Rock and Roll Folk rock
Occupation =Singer ,Songwriter ,Bassist
Years_active = 1965 – 1992
Label = A&MAtlantic Records
Associated_acts = FacesThe Small Faces
URL =
Current_members =
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Notable_instruments = ZemaitisRonald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane (
1 April 1946 -4 June 1997 ) was an Englishsinger ,songwriter and bass player (nicknamed "Plonk" while in the Small Faces and later "Three-Piece" in The Faces) best known for his membership in two prominent Englishrock band s, theSmall Faces (1965-69) and Faces (1970-75).Early life
Ronnie Lane was born in the
East End ofLondon . After quitting school at the age of 16, Lane metKenney Jones at a local pub and they formed the group they named "The Outcasts". Initially playinglead guitar , it was quickly decided that he should switch tobass guitar . While visiting the J60 Music Bar inManor Park, London with his father in order to buy a bass guitar, Lane metSteve Marriott who was working there. Lane bought the bass and went back to Marriott's house after work to listen to records, where Marriott introduced Lane to hisMotown andStax collection. Lane and Marriott set out to put together a band, and recruited friends Jones andJimmy Winston , who switched from guitar to the organ. Marriott was chosen to be thevocalist .The Small Faces
The Faces
Career
Lane retired from the Faces in late 1972 and formed his own band, Slim Chance, in 1973 to record the hit single "How Come" (UK No. 11) and "The Poacher" (UK No. 36), then the
album "Anymore For Anymore", showcasing his own blend of Britishrock music , folk, andcountry 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-livedringmaster (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 byRick Wills (who currently plays alongside the formerSmall Faces drummer ,Kenney Jones , in the Jones Gang). However, since Lane had already signed a contract withAtlantic 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 (withEric Clapton , among many others) and managed to release yet another album, "See Me", which features severalsongs written by Lane and Clapton.Around this time Lane travelled the highways and byways of
England and lived a 'passing show' modern nomadic life in full Gypsy Traveller costume and accommodation. Playing a lot of acoustic music in the open air for his adopted extended family, the sheep , the early morning and the rolling hillsides, in retrospect it could be said that he became the firstNew Age traveller/performer of theBritish Isles , at least a decade before the term was commonly used.In 1983, his girlfriend, Boo Oldfield, contacted
record producer Glyn Johns in the hopes of getting aconcert going to help fundAction for Research into Multiple Sclerosis , a London-based organization. Johns was already arranging Clapton's Command Performance forPrince Charles , so they decided to book theRoyal Albert Hall for another couple of nights and hold abenefit concert . The resulting A.R.M.S. Concerts featured Eric Clapton,Jimmy Page ,Jeff Beck ,Bill Wyman ,Charlie Watts , Kenney Jones,Andy Fairweather-Low , and more. With the addition ofJoe Cocker andPaul Rodgers , they toured the U.S. It was during this time that Rodgers and Page started the band, The Firm.Move to Texas and death
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 availablemusician s. For much of the time, membership includedAlejandro Escovedo . For close to a decade, Lane enjoyed his rock royalty status in the Austin area, and even touredJapan . Still, his health continued to decline, and his last performance was in 1992 at aRonnie Wood gig. Also in the band that night wasIan McLagan . In 1994, Ronnie and his last wife, Susan, moved to the small town of Trinidad,Colorado .Jimmy Page andRod Stewart generously continued to donate money for his medical care because there were yet noroyalties 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 onJune 4 ,1997 , Lane had succumbed topneumonia .Tributes
The
Ocean Colour Scene songTravellers Tune on their 1997 studio albumMarchin' Already was inspired by and written in the memory of Ronnie Lane, who had been a strong influence on the group and its members withOcean Colour Scene appearing at the tribute concert for Ronnie Lane . In 2000, Paul Weller recorded "He's the Keeper", a song dedicated to Lane's memory. An album of liveBBC 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, "The Passing Show", 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 onBBC Two .olo 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
* "Happy Birthday" (with
Pete Townshend ) (1970)
* "I Am" (withPete Townshend ) (1972)
* "Mahoney's Last Stand " (withRonnie Wood ) (1976)
* "With Love" (withPete Townshend ) (1976)
* "Rough Mix " (withPete Townshend ) (1977) US #45
* "The Legendary Majik Mijits" (withSteve Marriott ) (1980)
* "Victory Gardens" (withJohn & Mary ) (1992)References
External links
* [http://www.ronnie-lane.com www.ronnie-lane.com] The Official Web Site
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvRYMMqmLmY Video tribute to Ronnie Lane]
* [http://www.makingtime.co.uk/rfr/index1.htm Small Faces on Room for Ravers]
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