Long before he was a fixture on the country charts - during his prime, he racked up 35 number one hits - Milsap cracked the R&B charts with a version of Ashford & Simpson ’s “Never Had It So Good,” and that familiarity with rhythm & blues was apparent throughout his work.
Now, looking back on the last 50 years, no country singer had as smooth a touch as Ronnie Milsap.īlending country and soul so elegantly it could often appeal to a pop audience - and it did: “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me” went all the way to number five on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1981 - Milsap also had deep roots in soul. While staying at the notorious Hyatt House, Charley Pride saw the white kid playing rock & soul and suggested giving Nashville a try. Ronnie went on to work at the Whiskey for a good while.įrom Atlanta, Ronnie moved to Memphis where he was doing sessions with Chips Moman, where Elvis famously commanded, “ More thunder on the keys, Milsap,” during the recording of “Kentucky Rain.” It was there he was asked to play the Whiskey on the famed Sunset Strip in LA. Living in Atlanta, playing clubs and doing sessions, Ronnie caught wind that JJ Cale was looking for a keyboard player. It was Ray Charles who told the young pianist when he was offered a scholarship to Young Harris College’s law program, “ Son, I can hear the music inside you…” – It settled Milsap’s fate. Suddenly, he was sharing bills with Ray Charles and James Brown on a circuit that included the Howard Theater, the Royal Peacock, and more. There, Milsap discovered music – deviating from the school’s classical curriculum to explore the nascent realms of race music, rock & roll and jazz.īeing the brilliant kid he was, it wasn’t long until he’d found his way into the local clubs and the tiny indie labels.
Born blind (his family thought it was retribution for sin), Ronnie Milsap’s grandparents gave the boy over to the North Carolina State School for the Blind hoping for a better chance.
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