Ronnie White facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ronnie White
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ronald Anthony White |
| Born | April 5, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1995 (aged 56) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1955–1995 |
| Labels | Motown, Columbia Records |
| Associated acts | The Miracles |
Ronnie White (born April 5, 1939 – died August 26, 1995) was an American singer. His full name was Ronald Anthony White. He was a founding member of the famous music group The Miracles. Ronnie was the only member who stayed with the group from the very beginning.
He also helped discover the legendary singer Stevie Wonder. Ronnie wrote many popular songs for The Miracles and other artists. Some of these artists include The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Mary Wells. Ronnie White passed away in 1995 at age 56 from leukemia. In 2012, he was honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with The Miracles.
Contents
Ronnie White's Early Life and Music
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Ronnie White was born in Detroit, Michigan. He became friends with Smokey Robinson when they were kids. Smokey later became another co-founder of The Miracles. Ronnie was 12 and Smokey was 11 when they started singing together.
Soon, a third boy named Pete Moore joined them. In 1955, these three formed a group called The Matadors. They added Bobby Rogers and his cousin Emerson "Sonny" Rogers to make a five-person group.
The group changed its name to The Miracles. This happened after Sonny left and his sister Claudette Rogers joined. Claudette was from a related group called the Matadorettes.
The Miracles and Motown
The Miracles tried out for Brunswick Records but it didn't work out. Then, they started working with Berry Gordy. They soon became famous after signing with Gordy's Motown record label. Motown was a very important music company.
In the early days, Ronnie White and Smokey Robinson sang some songs as a duo called Ron & Bill. Ronnie helped Smokey write many hit songs for The Miracles. These included "My Girl Has Gone" and "A Fork in the Road".
Ronnie White is also known for helping to write and produce "My Girl". This is a very famous song by The Temptations. He also helped write their song "Don't Look Back".
He co-wrote "You Beat Me to the Punch" for Mary Wells. He also wrote "One More Heartache" for Marvin Gaye. Ronnie won awards for his songwriting from BMI.
Discovering Stevie Wonder
Ronnie White played a big part in bringing Stevie Wonder to Motown. He heard Stevie playing music with Ronnie's cousin. Stevie was not famous yet.
Ronnie was very impressed by Stevie's talent. He quickly told Motown about him. Stevie Wonder was signed to the label right away.
Changes and Later Years
In 1966, The Miracles took a short break from touring. They worked as songwriters and managers for the Motown label. But they returned to performing live in 1967.
After Smokey and Claudette Robinson left the group in 1972, Marv Tarplin also left. The group continued with Billy Griffin as their new lead singer. They had two more hits with Motown. One of them was the number-one song "Love Machine".
The Miracles left Motown in 1977 and signed with Columbia Records. The group broke up in 1978. Pete Moore decided to retire, and Billy Griffin went back to his solo music.
Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers brought The Miracles back in 1980. They called themselves "The New Miracles". This group lasted until 1983. Ronnie faced a difficult time after his first wife, Earlyn Stephenson, passed away.
Ronnie announced he was retiring shortly after this. The Miracles disbanded again. But Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers brought The Miracles back one more time in 1993.
Ronnie had two daughters, Michelle Lynn and Pamela Claudette, with his first wife. He later had a son named Ronald Anthony, II. His granddaughter, Maya Naomi, was born after he passed away. Sadly, his first daughter, Michelle, passed away from leukemia when she was 9 years old. Ronnie White later fought his own battle with leukemia. He passed away on August 26, 1995, at the age of 56.
See also
In Spanish: Ronnie White para niños
