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Ronnie Milsap

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Template:Infobox soloRonnie Lee Milsap (born January 16, 1943 in Robbinsville, North Carolina, USA) is an American country music singer and musician with 40 number one hit songs to his credit.

Biography

Milsap was born with a congenital defect that left him blind. [1] Milsap lived with his grandparents until the age of six, when he was placed in the State School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Milsap showed musical aptitude at an early age. The school stressed classical music training, but he preferred country, gospel and rhythm-and-blues. He released his first single, Total Disaster, in 1963 at the age of twenty. This was followed by several Ashford And Simpson compositions, including the memorable "Let's Go Get Stoned," which, unfortunately for Milsap, was relegated to a b-side. A few months later, it would become a million-selling single for the more popular blind pianist, Ray Charles.

1972 found Milsap working regularly at Roger Miller's King of the Road Club in Nashville, Tennessee and he signed with RCA Records in 1973. He was at his peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s with songs that made his name familiar to pop as well as country audiences, such as "It Was Almost Like A Song," "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me," "Smoky Mountain Rain," "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World" and a remake of Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now" (which was named Billboard magazine's Number One Adult Contemporary hit of 1982). Milsap recorded for RCA until 1992. During that time he created five gold albums, one platinum album and one double platinum album. He also won six Grammy Awards and eight Country Music Association awards, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2005, Milsap re-signed with RCA Records and released a new country single in 2006, "Local Girls."

Milsap has 40 number one country hits third only to Conway Twitty and George Strait.

Milsap has recorded music with Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley and Barry Manilow.

Ronnie and his wife Joyce currently make their home in Nashville.

Milsap is also an avid Amateur radio operator. More info on him can be found at: http://www.qrz.com/wb4kcg

Selected discography

  • Where My Heart Is (1973)
  • Pure Love (1974)
  • Legend In My Time (1975)
  • Night Things (1975)
  • 20/20 Vision (1975)
  • It Was Almost Like A Song (1977)
  • Only One Love In My Life (1978)
  • Images (1979)
  • Milsap Magic (1980)
  • Greatest Hits (1980)
  • Out Where the Bright Lights Are Glowing (1981)
  • Inside (1982)
  • Keyed Up (1983)
  • One More Try For Love (1984)
  • Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1985)
  • Lost In the Fifties Tonight (1985)
  • Christmas with Ronnie Milsap (1986)
  • Heart & Soul (1987)
  • Stranger Things Have Happened (1989)
  • Back to the Grindstone (1991)
  • Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (1991)
  • True Believer (1993)
  • The Essential Ronnie Milsap (1995)
  • Only One Love (1997)
  • Live (2002)
  • Just for a Thrill (2004)
  • My Life (2006) RCA Nashville

Notes

  1. ^ Although most reports state that Milsap was born blind due to congenital glaucoma, some state that he was born blind due to congenital cataracts.

See also

Resources

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