Ronnie Barron

US blues rock / soul keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter (BMI IPI# 61322514), born 9 October 1943 in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana; died 20 March 1997. Barron began his career in the bars & clubs of New Orleans, singing with the bands of musicians such as [a=Leonard James], [a=Earl Stanley] and [a=Mac Rebennack]. Early work by Barron was issued under several such pseudonyms, one being "Morgus The Magnificent" - a title taken from a 'crazed scientist' character on a popular sci-fi on a Louisiana TV station. "Drits & Dravy" was a pseudonym for Rebennack & Barron's recordings for the AFO label. In 1965 Barron left New Orleans and moved to California to work as a session musician with [a=Sonny & Cher], signing with [a=Don Costa] to RCA. In Los Angeles he also performed with the Prime Ministers, signing to Atlantic and backing [a=Bobby Darin] in 1966. He broke from sessioning to become a group member of [a=Paul Butterfield]'s newly-formed band Better Days in 1971 and he appeared on their releases in the following two years.

Between 1971 & 1988 Barron worked on recordings with a number of renowned artists, including [a=Tony Joe White], [a=Redbone], [a=Gene Clark], [a=Ry Cooder], [a=Dr. John], [a=John Mayall], [a=B.B. King], [a=Kim Carnes], [a=John Lee Hooker], [a=Canned Heat], [a=Tom Waits] and [a=Eric Burdon]. In 1988 he appeared as a bartender in the Steven Seagal film "Above The Law".