Ronnie has long been one of my favourite Detroit artists and I was pleased to see a post this morning on Soulful Detroit telling everyone of a website dedicated to the man.
I first heard "My Baby" as a virtual new release played by my friend Martin Barnfather aka Soul Sam and which took me 20 plus years to find a copy! This 45 is missing from the excellent compilation "Rare McNeir" which collected together recordings from this period but for some reason didn't include this track. "My Baby" is in the long tradition of McNeir groovers which have a unique sound.
Ronnie is currently in the Four Tops and continues to tour with the group across the world. I was fortunate enough to see Ronnie back in the early 90's in the legendary Parker's in Manchester. The hotel basement was then home to weekly nights of soul music dished up by Richard Searling and Dean Johnson and which trail blazed more liberal and varied playlists on the UK rare soul scene. Ronnie came over to Parker's with a small combo and treated us all to his classics such as "Wendy Is Gone" and "Sitting in My Class". This night will be featured in my blog River Of Soul one day!
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I'd like to thank you for mentioning Ronnie McNeir and his web site in your blog. It's always great to hear the positive experiences of RonnieMac fans.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to stop by Ronnie McNeir's Neighbirhood anytime. There are updates and suprises to come in the future. Don't forget to sign the guest book.
Mr.McNeir,sends his love, best wishes and appreciation to you and all his fans.
Sincerly,
DivalaSoul
Site Manager