By Patte Purcell
Producer Ronnie King is one of the desert’s legends. He is the founder of Ronnie King Music. A native son, his family’s musical roots are well known. He is an iconic multi-platinum producer of hits for Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Offspring, and more. He also plays a mean jazz piano. He’s a virtuoso that never ceases to amaze me. He performed at Fitz’s Christmas event at the McCallum last week. In the process he recorded a Facebook live video from his rehearsal with his brother, John Stanley King. In all its simplicity it gave me that ‘backstage feel’ I love. I decided it was time to catch up with Ronnie on his latest. As usual it was full of interesting news.
His big performance news is that he will be performing with reggae band Pepper, who he’s been making records with, when they open up for his friend Snoop Dog at the Rhythm, Wine and Blues Experience on March 4 at the Empire Polo Fields. He will also be having a little mixer at Chateau Relaxo (his desert studio and ranch) for his friends afterwards.
The biggest news is his new position as President of Aspire Music for Hollywall Entertainment. This company recently acquired a $75 million library of songs including some ‘never before released’ songs by Elvis Presley and Marvin Gaye. This gives them an unprecedented opportunity to record never heard original music by new artists they will be promoting. In addition, film scores will be one of the focuses. This opportunity according to Ronnie is ground breaking. In the old paradigm, a record is recorded and then a tour takes place. This library gives him a new way to bring out an artist or song, by introducing it through a film or television. Ronnie called it ‘branding’. This opens the door for new pathways for revenues for artists and producers alike. The other option that he’s excited about is that the business can offer stock options to its artists as it’s traded ‘over the counter’ on the stock market. This is certainly an innovative twist in the business and should produce some killer artists and deals. As always Ronnie looks to help the artist in his endeavors.
This innovative ability may lead to such interesting CD’s like ‘Snoop sings Sinatra’. He mused about a possible collaboration with Beyoncé on the CD. How much fun would that be? The company is based in Nashville and brings a plethora of experience along with the priceless library of music. It allows people to invest in music. With tax benefits granted by the state in addition to the write off there is a 33% tax rebate. People who love music can look to put their money where their heart is. How refreshing!
The other biggie for him this year is the release of his memoirs in the punk rock and rap recording industry entitled “Punks and Thugs.” This should be an interesting look inside the industry and is slated for launch before summer. It will chronicle his career producing and collaborating with multi-million dollar selling artists including Mariah Carey, Tyrese, Tupac, The Offspring, Rancid and of course Snoop Dogg.
Ronnie has also been nominated for two ‘Juno Awards’ which are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards. These would join his array of awards and platinum records. He is diamond certified with over 10 million units sold.
He also manages another reggae group called Tribe-O that will be performing at the Date Shed with Pato Banton on Jan. 7th. He wrote a song with them called ‘Coachella’ which he will be performing with them.
Should be a great time!
For more info about Ronnie King visit his impressive site at ronniekingmusic.com
