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The Johnny Average Band (1980)
Englishman Mick Hodgkinson came to Woodstock NY in the late 1970s, and soon formed a band called Johnny Average and the Falcons, whose members worked regularly at Bearsville Studios. membership in The Falcons required you to assume an alter ego: Hodgkinson became Johnny Average, guitarist John Holbrook became Brian Briggs, and guitarist Mick Barakan became Shane Mundane, and then later Shane Fontayne. John Sebastian, of Lovin' Spoonful fame, would occasionally play with the band under the name Bobby Subterranean. These pseudonyms were used interchangeably with their own names - often on the same album! The Falcons would later form the basis for Mick Ronson's The New York Yanquis, along with a group of backup singers called The Falconettes: Nicole (Nikki) Wills, Anne Lange, Dede Washburn, and Cindy Cashdollar. The Falcons never released an album of their own, but members of the group released several solo projects. One such off-shoot was The Johnny Average Band, featuring Johnny Average, Nikki Wills, Shane Fontayne, and Frank Campbell. The album was entitled Some People and was released by Bearsville in 1980. Mick Ronson added lead guitar to one song on the album, 'Gotta Go Home'. (Later, Nikki Wills would record again with Mick Ronson as a member of The Phantoms.)
Lennex (1981)
Lennex was a rock band from Niagara Falls Canada, fronted by Rick Rose. Mick first ran across the group in 1981, when they supported Mick's band The New York Yanquis in Hartford CT. Rick Rose gave Mick a demo tape, and about a year later Mick began producing Lennex. They recorded a three-song demo which secured a deal with Attic Records in Toronto, and then began work on an album called Midnight In Niagara. The album was never released, although one track called 'Struggle' did appear on a flexidisc given away with Music Express magazine, with credits to Mick Ronson for production and backing vocals. After the Lennex album was shelved Lennex would undergo a lineup change, write new material, and emerge in 1983 as Perfect Affair.
Stanley Frank (1981)
Canadian recording artist Stanley Frank first came to prominence in 1975, with his critically acclaimed single 'S'cool Days'. He continued to release singles throughout the Seventies, before issuing his debut LP for A+M Records in 1980. Following the release of his debut, Stanley came to Bearsville Studios on two occasions to record demos with Mick Ronson, in 1981 and 1982. Two of the songs Mick produced, 'Canadian Boy' and 'Run For The Sun', are available on the Stanley Frank website.
Stanley Frank: 'Nothing was released on vinyl. All the songs were demos recorded while I was on A+M Records. I worked two sessions with Mick, both at Bearsville Studios. Aside from producing the sessions, Mick also sang and played some guitar on a couple of the tunes. I enjoyed meeting Mick and his wife Suzie. They were very cordial while I was staying at their home in upstate New York.'
Visit the Stanley Frank website
Les Fradkin (1982)
Les Fradkin was a singer, guitarist, and producer who in the early Seventies worked with a number of bands including The Left Banke, The Godz, Edison Lighthouse, Stories, and Hello People. He was also an original member Beatlemania!, performing as George Harrison. In 1982, Les was in New York recording with drummer Hilly Michaels and keyboard player Tommy Mandel, both veterans of the Ian Hunter Band. Hilly suggested using Mick Ronson on guitar, and soon they decided to form a band and try to get a record deal. A few songs were recorded, but no deal was offered and the group fell apart. In 2006, however, one song fromt eh sessions - 'Spare Change', was issued by Les Fradkin on his album Going Back.
Les Fradkin, inteviewed by to Sven Gusevik: 'Hilly Michaels was interested in working with me and he suggested Mick for the lead guitar slot. Mick came over to my apartment and heard my material and loved it. He then decided we should join together as a band to get a record deal. I played bass and sang. Our keyboardist on this session was Tommy Mandel. The Rickenbacker 12 string was overdubbed by me. I sang lead and Hilly and I did the background vocals. My favorite bit in the tune 'Spare Change' was how Mick and I got the 12-string sound with so much echo. My old apartment building in NYC had very long hallways (350') so we recorded the sound of my guitar in that hallway as an overdub to achieve this. For years, no one could figure out how we did this! We worked in 1982, but never performed live as a band. We didn't get a deal, alas. That kind stopped us cold.'
Visit the Les Fradkin website
The Mamas and The Papas (1982)
In 1982, Mick Ronson was invited to record in New York with John Phillips and The Mamas and The Papas. He asked his old friend Shane Fontayne to come along to the rehearsals, and the pair ended up recording four songs at Electric Ladyland with John Philips, Denny Doherty, Spanky McFarlane and Mackenzie Philips. The songs, which included the titles 'Yachts', 'Babies' and 'Not Too Cool', have never been released. Mick declined an offer to tour with the group, and suggested that Shane take the gig. (Shane stayed with The Mamas and the Papas until 1984. He and Mackenzie Philips would eventuallly marry and have a child together.)
Shane Fontayne: 'Mick asked if I would come along and we went to New York to rehearse before going into Electric Ladyland studios in Greenwich Village to record. We recorded four songs and soon John wanted to do some shows. Mick didn't want to go on the road, and proposed that I do The Mamas and The Papas tour instead.'
Los Illegals (1982)
Mick was heavily involved in the making of Internal Exile, the 1983 debut album by the Mexican-American band Los Illegals. Based in East L.A., the group was led by artist Willie Herron and also included Jesus Velo, Bill Reyes, Antonio Valdez, and Manuel Valdez. Mick is credited with producing, arranging, and mixing the album, as well as playing guitar and singing backing vocals.
Jesus Velo: 'Man that vato was truly loco, and ran the alleys and streets with us and started the whole 'Rock en Espanol' scene with us. He made an analogy of Mexico/USA/East L.A. and Ireland/England/Hull. I know this sounds far-fetched y really loco too, but such was his thinking and he was right. We got a million stories about taking that vato cruising in our '57 Chevy, running around like some bad Mexican TV show. Mick was becoming hip to the fact that we used 'Calo', which is our term for Chicano slang, and he was getting good at it too - although with a British accent! Oh yeah, he always had that fuzzy-haired vato around that never took off his glasses - he was a little nervous around us, but was well-liked in the barrio 'cuz of El Mick.'
Lisa Bade (1982)
In 1982, Mick Ronson played guitar and keyboards on five songs on Lisa Bade's debut album Suspicion, alongside his New York Yanquis bandmate Shane Fontayne. Bade's album consisted mostly of cover songs by contemporary artists such as Bryan Adams, Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, Nils Lofgren, Joan Armatrading, and Tom Waits.
Perfect Affair (1983)
Perfect Affair grew out of the band Lennex, which Mick had worked with since 1981. The group changed its name to Perfect Affair, and signed a deal with the Canadian label Attic Records. Mick Ronson produced the album, which was reocrded at Phase One Studios in Toronto Canada. Mick also sang backing vocals and played keyboards and guitar on the album. Near the end of the session Mick had to leave to fulfull prior obligations with The Payolas and Lisa Dal Bello, so Walter Zwol took over. The resulting album, Visions, was issued in Canada by Attic Records in 1983.
Rick Rose: Making this album was an unbelievable experience. Everything I thought about how to make records was thrown out the window. Mick suggested 'drama on tape - forget about trying to make something radio would like, let's make art'.
Ian Thomas (1984)
Canadian Ian Thomas recorded a pair of singles with a band called Tranquility Bass before striking out on his own in 1973. His first single, 'Painted Ladies', was a huge hit, and he went on to release several albums on GRT records. In 1980 Thomas left GRT for Rush's label Anthem Records, and his 1984 album Riders On Dark Horses was co-produced by Ian Thomas, Mick Ronson, and Max Norman. Norman had recently produced Ian Hunter's All of The Good Ones Are Taken album, and among the musicians on the Ian Thomas album is sax player John Panchyshyn, who would later tour with Ian Hunter as part of Roy Young's band. Ian Thomas is the brother of comedian Dave Thomas, a Second City veteran who teamed up with Rick Moranis to portray Bob and Doug McKenzie in the movie Strange Brew, for which Ian Thomas recorded the soundtrack. Reports that Mick Ronson played on that movie soundtrack LP appear to be groundless.
Cody Meville (1986)
In the summer of 1986, Mick Ronson and singer / songwriter Cody Melville recorded four songs at Proving Ground Studios in Detroit MI. The four tracks Mick and Cody recorded were 'Voices', 'One More Goodnight', 'Drop The Needle On', and 'International Appeal'. (Mick Ronson co-wrote the song 'Noises'). The songs were recorded with an eye toward getting a record deal, but nothing came of the effort.
Cody Melville: 'I always wanted to work with Mick. He was, and still is, one of my heroes. I contacted The Payola’s manager then in Canada – Bruce Allen I think – I told whoever that I was doing a record and that I wanted to get in touch with Mick to consider producing it. With that they gave me his number in Woodstock. I spoke to Suzie who gave me an address in England where he was staying - producing I believe - Kiss That. I sent him some tapes, then we spoke on the phone about what he thought, and I made changes and sent more tapes – and then at some point he agreed to produce four tracks and with those we would try and find a deal. We did pre-production for a week outside the studio, and then went into the studio for a week. Mick produced the stuff, and played pretty much everything. When we were in the studio we got an offer to open up for Public Image Ltd. In Detroit. We thought about throwing something together quickly just to do it, then better judgment took hold and we passed. But it was nice to be asked. Mick told our new managers he would play with us to get the thing rolling. When we left their office, he told me that it’s always good policy to tell people like them whatever they want to hear!'
Visit Session 86 on MySpace to hear the demos
Rick Rose (1987)
Mick returned to Niagara Falls Canada in 1987 to work with Rick Rose, whose earlier bands Lennex and Perfect Affair were both produced by Mick. Mick and Rick went into C.K. Recording Studios in July 1987, and the sessions resulted in the single 'Gypsy Jewelry' / 'Under The Sky, Under The Moon'. On the single, Mick is credited with producing, co-writing, and singing on the A side only. But when the B side appeared on a CD release in 2001, Mick was also credited with producing and co-writing the B side.
Visit the Rick Rose website
Marie Laure et Lui (1987)
Mick traveled to Geneva, Switzerland in 1987 to produce this French duo, consisting of composer Philippe Bourgogne and singer Marie-Laure Beraud. The sessions resulted in a single for Warner Brothers, issued in France: 'C'est Pas Le Perou' b/w 'Same Me Glace'.
Marie-Laure Beraud: 'We had two tracks to record for Warner Brothers at that time, and I was crazy about Transformer and the guitars on David Bowie's records. So we got in touch with Mick, and as he liked our tracks we decided to work together in a studio in Geneva for one week. He played on my Tele because he broke a string on his. I still have that guitar. He was gentle, clever and such an amazing guitar player. This week spent with him and my partner Philippe Bourgogne was magic.'
Visit the Marie-Laure Beraud website
Visit the Philippe Bourgogne website
Funhouse (1987)
Funhouse was a five-piece band that evolved from another Minneapolis band called Obsession. Influenced by the likes of Mott The Hoople and Cheap Trick, the group asked Mick Ronson to produce their demo tape. So in November of 1987, Mick traveled to Minneapolis from Nashville, where he had just finished producing David Lynn Jones.
The group consisted of vocalist Neal Sundet, guitarists Jeff Loven and Bryn Arens, bassist Greg Eidem, and drummer Joe Baecker. Mick and Funhouse did four weeks of pre-production at The Sound Gallery, and then went into Prince's Paisley Park Studios for three weeks of recording. Mick and Funhouse were among the first sessions held at the just-opened studio. Bryn Arens remembers a meeting between Prince and Ronson: Prince started rattling off all these songs - Bowie songs and Mott songs - and going, 'I love the guitar on this!' and 'How did you do that?' So Mick just said, [Brynn adopts his best Yorkshire accent] 'Just turn your wah-wah on, and leave it halfway.' And that was all he said about it!
Mick produced eight tracks for Funhouse, but didn't play on the sessions. Guitarist Bryn Arens wishes he had, though: 'Mick didn't play on anything, which is really a shame. He had a grand piano delivered into the studio, tuned up and ready for him at his whim.' Only one Funhouse track from the Mick Ronson sessions has ever been released. 'Twisted Heart' was included on a cassette single, along with two later recordings ('Gotta Let Loose' and 'World On Fire'). The single was credited to Minneapolis Funhouse to avoid confusion with several other bands called Funhouse, and was released on manager Herb Gart's Rainbow Collection label in 1991.
While in Minneapolis, Mick also jammed onstage with Funhouse, and the next year the group opened for Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson at First Avenue (the venue where Prince's Purple Rain was filmed.) Funhouse continued for a couple more years, eventually losing guitarist Jeff Loven and eventually changing their name to Rattling Bones and moving to New York City. After the group finally split, Bryn Arens returned to Minneapolis and formed Flipp, a popular - and outrageous - hard rock outfit now managed by Bill Aucoin and signed to Popularity records, run by Art Alexakis of Everclear.
The Phantoms (1987)
The Phantoms were, and still are, a dance band and vocal group based in Woodstock NY. Mick Ronson contributed the guitar solo to the song 'I Just Forgot', recorded for their debut album, released on cassette in 1987. The song also appears on a local sampler tape released by Wildlife Records called A Woodstock Sampler. The group was led by Joe Veillette, and at the time Nicole Wills was singing with the group. (Wills had worked with Mick Ronson on the Johnny Average Band album, and as a singer with the Falconettes.) Joe Veillette: 'I met Mick when he moved to Woodstock, through our producer Ralph Legnini, and found myself on stage with him on three or four occasions. He also had me do background vocals on a few projects that he produced. I wrote 'I Just Forgot' with my ex-wife, who was also in the Phantoms. The song was on our only release, a twelve-song all-original cassette that also had appearances by John Sebastian, Jorma Kaukonen, Gary Windo and Rick Danko. An interesting aside is that Todd Rundgren used my daugther Jasmine for the child's voice on XTC's 'Dear God'.' In addition to The Phantoms, Joe Veillette is also a member of Blind Mice, a three-piece acoustic group. He is also a world-class luthier, who has made instruments for Eddie Van Halen, Joe Perry, Earl Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, John Sebastian, Steve Miller and Lauryn Hill, among others.
Fatal Flowers (1988)
Fatal Flowers wanted Mick to produce their second album Younger Days, and met with him in London, but scheduling conflicts prevented this. He was available for their third album, though, and he traveled to Amsterdam in February 1988 to meet with the group. After searching unsuccessfully for a studio in Holland, Mick suggested the group travel to Woodstock and record at Nevessa Studios instead. Recording started soon afterward, swith Mick producing and playing guitar and keyboards. A few local musicians also helped out, including John Sebastian and Ann Lang (of the Falconettes). Lisa and Suzi Ronson also contributed vocals, as part ofthe 'Woodstock Party Chorus'. The album, entitled Johnny D. Is Back, was issued in 1988. A promotional video for the album's title track includes footage of the group at Nevessa Studios with Mick.
Richard Janssen, to Sven Gusevik: 'We were playing Fender guitars, but there was this little part that really should have been played on a Gibson. Mick said, 'Oh, we'll just get my old guitar down' - the guitar he used on all the Bowie stuff. He went out and returned with this really odd wrecked case, and there was the guitar - and it was totally covered in dust! The strings were all rusty. He went, 'Hmmm ... I haven't touched that one for a while.' You'd think he would cherish it, but to him it was just a guitar.'
The Toll (1988)
The Toll was a hard rock outfit based in Columbus OH. After signing with Geffen Records, the group released its debut album The Price of Progression, which was recorded at Bearsville Studios in February, March, and April 1988. The album features Mick Ronson's guitar on the formidable track 'Stand In Winter'.
The Fentons (1988)
Slide guitarist Paul Fenton was an alumni of Ottawa's first punk band The Action, as well as the legendary Rolling Stones-influences band The Blushing Brides. He and his brother Michael then formed The Fenton Brothers Band, which recorded an independent EP in 1985. In 1988 the band signed with Torrid Records, and enlisted Mick Ronson as producer when a meeting with Chris Spedding didn't work out. The group met with Ian and Mick in Toronto in early 1988, and ultimately agreed to travel to Woodstock and record with Mick at Nevessa Studios that September.
Five songs were recorded at the sessions. Paul Fenton: 'On 'Radio Wasteland' Mick broke the 6th string and I was amazed when he proceeded to record the whole song. 'I don't need that string', he said when I suggested that we stop the tape. I love what Mick did to 'Radio Wasteland'. He played all the guitars except the slide lead. The next song he played on was 'Houseboy', and he played the acoustic rhythm on my Martin D35. We watched him record it through the studio window as he complained about the excruciatingly high action on it. On the next song 'Shadow Play', I asked Mick to play all the rhythm guitar, because I play in open tunings and it didn't sound right on the low strings. I sent Rory Gallagher - who wrote 'Shadow Play' - a tape of Mick's version. I'm sure he must have gotten a kick out of it, as it was one of Rory's favorite songs. The next song we recorded was 'Behind All Those Locked Doors', which was a spacey Pink Floyd-ish song. The last night we were in Woodstock, Mick told me how much he liked my solo on it. He said, 'When you hear it, it makes you feel like this' - clenching his fist and making a contorted face. The last song was 'Shake Your Money Maker', a blues standard. Mick arranged this, especially the key change in the solo. We recorded my 1930 National in Nevessa's bathroom for an ambient sound.'
The day the Fentons left Nevessa, Ian Hunter arrived to pick up Mick Ronson for the start of their 1988 tour. The original plan was for the Fentons to return in January 1989 to resume recording, after the Ian Hunter tour ended. But problems with Torrid Records precluded this. This also meant that the five songs financed by the label were relegated to demo tape status, although 'Radio Wasteland' would eventually surface on a 1991 sampler album, sporting the new title 'Radio Has No Sound'. Another song from the sessions, 'Behind That Locked Door' would be re-recorded for a Paul Fenton solo album, with the Mick Ronson arranging credit still intact.
Fatal Flowers (1989)
When it came time for their fourth album, Fatal Flowers once again called on Mick Ronson to produce. Mick traveled to Holland to rehearse with the band, and appeared live with them at a festival in Holland before moving on to Powerplay Studios in Maur, Switzerland for the sessions. Mick brought his own engineer, Lenny de Rose, and recording began in August 1989. Once again, Mick produced and played guitar and keyboards. The resulting album was Pleasure Ground, which as issued in 1990.
Richard Janssen, to Sven Gusevik: 'He would pick up a guitar and go, 'Maybe we should have something like this', and we would press the RECORD button and use it on the album!'
Randy Vanwarmer (1991)
A Colorado native, Randy Vanwarmer moved from England to Woodstock NY in 1979, and signed with Bearsville Records. His debut album, Warmer, produced the top five hit 'Just When I Needed You Most'. In the late 1980s, Randy also scored a couple country hits. His handful of albums for Bearsville included contributions from many Bearsville regulars who were friends with Mick Ronson, including Shane Fontayne, Brian Briggs, Cyndi Cashdollar, Tony Levin, and Ian Kimmet.
In 1991, Randy went into Bearsville Studios to record a new album, and the musicians he used included Mick Ronson and Shane Fontayne. The sessions eventually saw the light in 1994 as Randy's The Vital Spark album. Interestingly, back in 1978 Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter recorded a version of 'Just When I Needed You Most' with Corky Laing, which was eventually released on the Secret Sessions album.
The Sonic Walthers (1992)
The Sonic Walthers were a Swedish hard rock band who had booked Mick Ronson to produce their next album, Medication. Unfortunately, Mick's illness forced him to cancel, although he did mix two tracks for the album. (There are no producer credits on the album.)
The Wildhearts (1992)
Mick was originally tapped to produce Earth Vs The Wildhearts, the debut album from The Wildhearts, but his poor health ruled that out. Mick did make the album his last guest appearance, though, when he added the guitar solo to 'My Baby Is A Headfuck' during the recording sessions at Wessex Studios in late 1992. When it was released in 1993, the band dedicated the album to Mick. Ginger: He was originally pencilled in to produce the whole album, then that fell through. I had this song with three solos on it, that I wanted him to play on, and didn't want to record it without him. He had nothing with him but a battered old blue Telecaster, which he didn't even play, opting instead to share our one Gibson that we had at the time. And he made us look like the amateurs that we were.
For more, see Sessions and Guest Appearances, 1960s and 1970s
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