Ronnie Lane
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Ronnie Lane | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Ronald Frederick Lane |
Also known as |
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Born | Plaistow, Essex, England | 1 April 1946
Died | 4 June 1997 Trinidad, Colorado, US | (aged 51)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1964–1992 |
Labels | |
Formerly of | Small Faces, Faces |
Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997)[1] was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–69) and Faces (1969–73).
Lane formed Small Faces in 1965 after meeting Steve Marriott, with whom he subsequently wrote many of their hit singles including "All or Nothing", "Itchycoo Park" and "Lazy Sunday". After Marriott left Small Faces in 1968, band members Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones were joined by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to form Faces. Like Small Faces, the band achieved critical and commercial success. Lane quit the Faces in 1973 and subsequently collaborated with other musicians, leading his own bands and pursuing a solo career. In 1977, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was supported by charity projects and financial contributions from friends, former bandmates and fans. After living with the disease for 21 years, he died in June 1997, aged 51.[1]
For his work in both Small Faces and Faces, Lane was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
He had two children, and two stepchildren who took his name.
Early life
Lane was born in Plaistow Maternity Hospital,
After leaving school at the age of 16, Lane met
Career
Small Faces
The
Faces
Lane formed Faces with McLagan, Jones, Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart in 1969. He shared composing or co-composing duties with Stewart, Wood, and McLagan. By 1972, with the band's frontman Stewart focusing on his own solo career, Lane took a central role during the recording of their fourth and final album, Ooh La La. Unhappy due to poor reviews of the album and Stewart's lack of commitment, Lane quit[4] in 1973, making his last appearance on 4 June at the Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, London. He was replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi but tellingly the group made no further studio albums following Lane's departure, and split in 1975. According to McLagan, Lane would later regret leaving Faces.[5] "Debris" was one of his more famous vocalist songs.
Move to Wales
In 1973, Lane moved to Fishpool Farm in the village of Hyssington, Montgomeryshire, Wales, just over the border from England. In the late 1970s, already beginning to feel the effects of MS, he moved back to London.[6]
Slim Chance and later career
After leaving the Faces, Lane formed his own band, Slim Chance, who recorded the singles "
After initial success he toured the UK with "The Passing Show", a circus-type carnival complete with tents and
During the recording of Rough Mix, Lane's multiple sclerosis was diagnosed. Nonetheless, he toured, wrote and recorded (with Eric Clapton among others) and in 1979 released another album, See Me, which features several songs 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.
In 1983, his girlfriend Boo Oldfield contacted
Later life and death
Lane emigrated to Texas in 1984 first to Houston and then Austin, where the climate was more beneficial to his health, where he continued playing, writing, and recording. He formed an American version of Slim Chance, which continued to be a loose-knit conglomeration of available musicians. For much of the time Alejandro Escovedo was a constant member. For close to a decade Lane enjoyed rock royalty status in the Austin area. He toured Japan but his health continued to decline. His last performance was in 1992 with Ronnie Wood gig and also alongside Ian McLagan.
In 1994 Lane and his wife Susan moved to the small town of
Tributes
In 2000,
A street was named after him, "Ronnie Lane", in Manor Park in 2001. In January 2006 BBC Four broadcast an extensive documentary about Lane, The Passing Show that had been in preparation since 2000 and included footage of vintage concerts by the Faces and Slim Chance. In October 2006 the documentary was also shown on BBC Two. In 2012, former Small Faces bandmate Ian MacLagan interpreted some of Lane's best-known songs in a record entitled Spiritual Boy: In Appreciation of Ronnie Lane. McLagan died in 2014.
Longtime collaborator Charlie Hart compiled a six-CD set of Lane's composed, after his death, that included many unreleased songs.[10]
Discography
Solo
Studio albums
- Anymore for Anymore with Slim Chance (1974) UK No. 48
- Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance with Slim Chance (1975)
- One for the Road with Slim Chance (1976)
- Mahoney's Last Stand with Ronnie Wood (1976) Atlantic
- Rough Mix with Pete Townshend (1977) US No. 45 UK#44
- See Me(1979)
- The Legendary Majik Mijits with Steve Marriott (2000)
Live albums
- You Never Can Tell (The BBC Sessions) (1997)
- Live in Austin (2000)
- Rocket 69 (Live on German TV) (2001)
- Ronnie Lane Memorial Concert (remastered edition) (2021)
Compilations
- Kuschty Rye (The Singles 1973–1980) (1997)
- Tin and Tambourine (compilation) (1999)
- April Fool (album) (1999)
- How Come (2001)
- Ain't No One Like (2003)
- Just for a Moment (2006)
- Ooh La La: An Island Harvest (2014)
- Just for a Moment: Music 1973–1997 (6CD box set) (2019)
Other appearances
Single
- "How Come?"/"Done This One Before"[11]
Various artist albums
- Happy Birthday (1970)
- I Am (1972)
- With Love(1976)
Participation
- Never a Dull Moment by Rod Stewart – Lane bass on two songs (1972)
- Victory Gardens by John & Mary – vocal on one song (1991)
with Small Faces
Studio albums
- Small Faces (1966)
- Small Faces (1967)
- Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968)
with Faces
Studio albums
- First Step (1970)
- Long Player (1971)
- A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse(1971)
- Ooh La La (1973)
References
- ^ a b c "Faces' Ronnie Lane Dead at 51". Rolling Stone magazine. 5 June 1997. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Loder, Kurt (5 August 1982). "Ronnie Lane's lonely battle: Former Face fights multiple sclerosis". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "The Official UK Charts Company". The Official UK Charts Company 2007. 2007. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
- ^ "Ronnie Lane | Rock's Backpages Writers' Blogs". Rocksbackpagesblogs.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-8230-7842-4.
- ^ "Rock star Ronnie's old home for sale". Shropshire Star. 1 September 2016. p. 10.Report by Lucy Todman.
- ^ Denberg, Jody (1997). "A Short Movie – Ronnie Lane Remembered". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Platetectonic Music: home of Poi dog pondering Ronnie Lane". Poi Dog Pondering. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ "Paul Weller – House of Blues :: Concerts :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. 29 October 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ Matt Mead (22 May 2019). "Ronnie Lane – Just For A Moment – Box Set Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
Just For A Moment is a divinely compiled box set of Ronnie Lane's solo work released on Universal Music Catalogue. Long time collaborator Charlie Hart has put his heart and soul into compiling for the first time all of Ronnie's majestic solo work from 1973–1997 including unreleased tracks into one bulk release.
- ISBN 978-1-77196-073-1.
External links
- "Can You Show Me A Dream by John Hellier and Paolo Hewitt Archived 30 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Ronnie Lane at IMDb
- Slim-chance.co.uk The band have reformed
- The Forgotten Music of Ronnie Lane, a tribute from The Awl
- Video tribute to Ronnie Lane on YouTube
- Small Faces on Room for Ravers
- http://www.furious.com/perfect/ronnielane2.html "How a Face Became a Gypsy," by Ray Robertson