And that was the moment where Mick was given the nickname that stuck with him for the rest of his life”. Mick was somewhat anonymous in The Mariners as he was playing alongside a local favourite and good friend, one Rick Kemp, later to become the bass player with Steeleye Span. With a gran like mine you had to be good at music!”īenny Marshall: “The first band I ever saw Ronson in was The Mariners. I found out years later that my grandmother taught Mick to play piano, so I guess she had a lot to do with his musical upbringing. Trevor Bolder: “To me, Mick Ronson will always be my mate from Hull, not a famous rock musician. He didn’t play an instrument for another three years but his musical grounding had taken root.
Hull was a tough city, and carrying a violin case made Mick a target of fun. He wanted to learn the cello, and attended violin lessons in preparation but gave up after three years. The first son of George and Minnie Ronson (with two younger siblings, Maggi and David), Mick was given an accordion by a neighbour when he was three, later took piano lessons and played the recorder at school and harmonium in the family church. Here we tell the true story of Mick’s life and legacy with new and contemporary observations from those who experienced the very special magic of glam rock’s brightest star. On November 5,2007, Mick Ronson was the third person to receive Classic Rock’s Tommy Vance Inspiration Award.
His passing in April 1993 after a valiant fight against liver cancer was a tragedy for music and the many people who had the privilege of meeting him, both fellow musicians and fans alike. Ronson was also a modest, thoughtful and generous figure. He was considered to be the finest British guitarist to emerge since the days of Clapton and Beck. He was band leader of the Bowie’s Spiders From Mars, and produced and played with dozens of other artists often more for pleasure than for self-acclaim or financial reward. He toured with Bob Dylan and was lifelong sideman to Mott The Hoople legend Ian Hunter. Mick Ronson became the undisputed king of glam rock guitarists, ace arranger and prolific producer on countless sessions from David Bowie and Lou Reed to John Mellencamp and Morrissey. He was a warehouseman, car mechanic and municipal gardener – but boy could he play guitar (and piano, recorder, violin, bass and drums).
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