The Legendary Ronnie Milsap
As a country music, R&B and pop artist, he’s had 40 No. 1 hits.
He’s garnered 10 gold and platinum albums and six Grammy Awards.
He’s performed with the likes of Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers and Barry Manilow.
But what stands out most when it comes to the legendary Ronnie Milsap is his undeniable ability to achieve success both in his personal and professional life.
Milsap, however, was not born into Nashville royalty. His life, which began in the Appalachian town of Robbinsville, North Carolina, has been one of trial and tribulation. Stricken from birth with congenital glaucoma and sent at the age of 6 to Morehead State School for the Blind, he found refuge in both classical music and the late-night radio programs of country music, gospel and rhythm-and-blues.
By the age of 7, Milsap was recognized as a prodigy among his peers. His classical musical training combined with his natural talent earned him the title of “virtuoso” on the violin. He also mastered the piano, guitar, and a variety of stringed instruments as well as woodwinds.
But, according to his biography, it has been traditional pop songs that have “gnawed at his psyche ever since he was a kid.” Listening to the radio tunes of R&B, rock and Southern soul, Milsap quickly became a fan of Jo Stafford and Nat King Cole, and especially the restless spirit of Bobby Darrin.
“You’d think Frank Sinatra would be the guy,” Milsap said, “but to me, it was Bobby Darin.
Bobby Darin was always the coolest of all the cool. He came out of rock ‘n’ roll and then moved into this area of music, which apparently he knew very well. He was kind of a mix of everything.”
By the time he attended college in Atlanta, Milsap, a promising prelaw student, decided to focus on his musical pursuits full time. He developed a friendship with Ray Charles, who helped shape the sound of rhythm and blues and brought a soulful sound to everything from country music to pop standards. “I met Ray at a show and got to play for him,” Milsap recalled, “and I said, ‘I’m thinkin’ of goin’ in either an academic career, goin’ into law school, or music.’ He heard me play and sing and said, ‘You got a lot of music in your heart, son. You need to follow your heart.’ So I did.”
That led Milsap to New York’s Scepter Records, where he recorded R&B alongside such label mates as Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson, The Isley Brothers and The Shirelles.
By the late 1960s, according to sources, Milsap was a featured musician in Memphis clubs, weaving pop classics into his set list during several New Year’s Eve shows for Elvis Presley. In 1972, Milsap moved to Nashville to take up residence at Roger Miller’s King of the Road Hotel. The performances earned him a country recording contract, and within a short period, Milsap was a bona fide star, turning out hits steadily for a 20-year period.
Among his accomplishments, Milsap’s “Lost in the Fifties Tonight” single won Grammys in 1985 and 1986, and the album earned the Country Music Association’s album of the year. Another Grammy arrived in 1987 for his duet with Kenny Rogers, “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine.” His album of standards, Just for a Thrill, received a Grammy nod for best traditional pop recording in 2004.
Most recently, Milsap returned to the RCA Nashville label to record a new album that is due for release this summer, which will include “Local Girls,” the album’s first single. The project is yet another example of Milsap’s staying power as a top performer and as a leader on the contemporary music scene.
“This business is always changing,” Milsap once said. “If you’re going to be a leader, you’ve got to take chances.”
With more than 23 million records sold during his career, Milsap certainly has taken his fair share.