Ronnie Lee Milsap
(born January 16, 1945 in Robbinsville, North Carolina) is an American country music singer and musician. He was one of country’s most popular and influential artists in the 1970s and 1980s. He became country music’s first blind superstar. He was also one of the most successful country crossover singers of his time, appealing to both country and pop markets. Milsap’s biggest crossover hits include "It Was Almost Like a Song", "Smoky Mountain Rain", "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me", "I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World", "Any Day Now", and "Stranger in My House", among others. He is credited with forty #1 hits in country music, third to George Strait and Conway Twitty.
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RONNIE MILSAP TICKETS
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Biography
Early Life & Rise to Fame (1963-1971)
Ronnie Milsap was born with a
congenital defect, leaving him almost completely
blind. Soon after his very first birthday, he was cast off and given to his grandmother to raise. At the age of six, he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in
Raleigh, North Carolina, where he received a quality education and skills that would be beneficial to him for the rest of his life. Throughout the span of his childhood, he lost what vision he was born with. A rumor surfaced that he lost his sight because he had been punched in the face by the school's headmaster. Afterwards, his "good eye" (along with the other) were both removed due to a developing
blood clot. Throughout it all, he took refuge in music- particularly the late night broadcasts of country music,
gospel, and
rhythm and blues. He has often said that he was inspired by the likes of
Ray Charles,
Little Richard, and
Patsy Cline as great influences.
When he was just seven, his instructors began to notice his musical talents; shortly afterwards, he began studying
classical music formally. Within the next few years, he also grew a fond affection for
rock and roll music and formed his very own rock band called 'The Apparitions.' Milsap was awarded a full college scholarship and attended college briefly in
Atlanta, Georgia, until he decided to become a full-time musician. In the early 1960s, he got his first professional gig, as a member of
J. J. Cale’s band.
He released his first
single, "Total Disaster", in
1963. This was followed up by several
Ashford & Simpson compositions, including "Let’s Go Get Stoned," which unfortunately for Milsap, was relegated to a
B-side. A few months later, however, it became a million-selling single for the more popular Ray Charles. Around this same time, Milsap met and fell in love with a woman, Joyce, and the two were married in
1965.
A few years later, after moving to
Memphis, Tennessee, he frequently worked for
Chips Moman. During this time period, he worked on numerous projects; including two songs with
Elvis Presley. The first, "
Don't Cry Daddy", in
1969; and the second "
Kentucky Rain" in
1970. That same year, he enjoyed brief pop success with "Loving You Is a Natural Thing". He released his debut album,
Ronnie Milsap
, in
1971.
Breakthrough Success (1973-1975)
In
1973, Milsap moved to
Nashville to pursue his dream of country music stardom. He later began working with
Charley Pride's producer, Jack D. Johnson and was signed onto
RCA Records that year. He released his first single from RCA that year called "I Hate You", which became his first Country hit and also just breaking the Country Top 10. The next year,
1974, he had two #1 hits. His first was "
Pure Love" and then "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends". In
1975, he revived the
Don Gibson hit "(I'd Be) A Legend In My Time". That year, he scored another #1 hit with "Daydreams About Night Things". Milsap soon had a handful of Top tens, along with four #1 hits, that made him a star overnight.
It Was Almost Like a Song (1976-1978)
From
1976 to
1978, Ronnie Milsap scored seven #1 songs in a row. These included "(I'm a) Stand By My Woman Man" and "
What a Difference You've Made in My Life". Yet the most significant in this string was "
It Was Almost Like a Song" of
1977, Milsap's first crossover hit. In addition to topping the
Billboard
country charts, the song was Milsap's first entry on the
pop charts ever since "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" peaked at #95; "It Was Almost Like a Song", however, made it all the way to #16. It was also his first song to reach the
Adult Contemporary Charts, stopping at #2. Despite its huge success, the song was Milsap's only crossover hit of the 1970s. However, he returned to the pop charts just four years later with great success.
Meanwhile, Milsap would continue to achieve top hits on the country charts for the remainder of the 1970s.
Crossover Success (1979-1992)
In
1979, Ronnie Milsap had a #1 hit, Top 5 hit and a Top 10 hit. Then in
1980, things would change a lot for him. From this point on and up until
1983, he scored a streak of eleven #1 hits in a row. His fourth and final one of that year was "
Smoky Mountain Rain", which helped cement his name in country music history as one of its most successful artists of all time. The following year this single peaked in the Top 40 on the pop charts. It also became the first of two Milsap songs to top the Adult Contemporary charts. Other crossover hits included the Top 5 pop hit "
(There's) No Gettin' Over Me" and the Top 20 hits "
I Wouldn't Have Missed It For the World" and "
Any Day Now". He also had some success with "
He Got You".
Although the string of #1's came to an ebrupt end in 1983, the song which ended the streak- "
Stranger in My House"- was still very successful on all three charts; it peaked at #5 on the country charts, #23 on the pop charts, and #8 on the Adult Contemporary. Just a few months later, "Don't You Know How Much I Love You" was released. It was this song that would be Milsap's last significant entry on the pop charts, stopping at #58. However, it along with some other songs still became major hits on the Adult Contemporary charts. Of these hit singles include "Show Her", "
Still Losing You", and finally, "
Lost in the Fifties Tonight" (his last crossover hit) in
1985.
Between 1985 and 1987, Milsap enjoyed a string of uninterrupted country #1 hits, enjoying his biggest success at this time. The big #1 hits were "
She Keeps the Home Fires Burning", "In Love", "Snap Your Fingers", and "Where Do the Nights Go", as other
Country Pop singers were beginning to fade away from the
Country Music charts.
In 1989, Milsap had his last #1 hit with "
A Woman in Love". Although he had his last #1 hit, he still remained successful on the charts. Other Top Tens between 1989 and 1990 include "Turn The Radio On" and "Houston Solution". In 1992, he had his last major hit, "All Is Fair In Love and War". The song just missed making the Top Ten, peaking at #11. By 1992, Milsap's chart success faded away, but he didn't stop
touring the country. He has remained as one of
Country Music's most popular concert attractions.
1993-Present: Life Today
Ronnie Milsap has remained one of Country Music's greatest influences. In 1993, he released another single called "True Believer". In 2000, Milsap released another single called "Time, Love, and Money". It was evident that by this time Milsap's chart success days were over, but in 2006, he released another single called "Local Girls", which went to #54.
His biography has been featured on
A&E Networks's
Biography television series. He has been featured on
CMT's numerous shows, including
40 Greatest Men of Country Music
.
His latest 2009 release is a 2 CD set entitled "Then Sings My Soul" which features 24 Favorite Hymns & Gospel Songs. His current single from that project is the song "Up To Zion".
Discography
Industry Awards & Honors
Academy of Country Music
Country Music Association
- 1974 Male Vocalist of the Year
- 1975 Album of the Year - "A Legend in My Time"
- 1976 Male Vocalist of the Year
- 1977 Album of the Year - "Ronnie Milsap Live"
- 1977 Entertainer of the Year
- 1977 Male Vocalist of the Year
- 1978 Album of the Year - "It Was Almost Like a Song"
- 1986 Album of the Year - "Lost in the Fifties Tonight"
Grammy Awards
- 1975 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends"
- 1977 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "(I'm a) Stand By My Woman Man"
- 1982 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me"
- 1986 Best Male Country Vocal Performance - "Lost in the Fifties Tonight"
Notes
See also
- List of best selling music artists
References