Ronald Bruce Rogers (born November 5, 1952), better known as Ron Rogers or Ronnie Rogers, is a songwriter, composer, recording artist and record producer from New York City. His career spanned from the late 1970s until the 1990s.
Life and career
Rogers was born in Soundview, South Bronx, New York in 1952.
After recording a debut RCA Victor LP entitled Gichy Dan’s Beachwood # 9, co-produced with songwriter August Darnell, Rogers composed the words and music to Don Armando's hit "Deputy of Love", which reached number one on the Billboard U.S. dance chart. Following this initial success, Michael Zilkha, founder of ZE Records, began publishing Rogers' compositions through Island Records. The compositions were recorded on 24-track analog recording decks by New York session musicians, including Rogers multitracking on piano, drums and vocals. Among the disco-inspired recordings were: "Spooks In Space" by The Aural Exciters, written by Rogers; Gichy Dan's "Cowboys and Gangsters", written and produced by Rogers; and Rogers' own solo EP "Don't Play With My Emotions", all released on ZE Records / Arista Records / Island Records.
Rogers went on to compose, produce and perform on recordings including "The Lifeboat Party", lead track of the Kid Creole and the Coconuts album Doppelganger; "Gina Gina", from Kid Creole's Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places LP; "City Nights/ Manhattan Cafe's" and "In The Middle Of The Night", released on Rogers' own Blue Chip record label, featuring vocalist Cory Daye of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band; and Elbow Bones and the Racketeers' UK Top 40 hit "A Night In New York", co-written with lyricist D. Clarkin and released on EMI. In total Rogers has writing or production credits on over 30 recordings.
Selected discography
* (#)X = denotes re-issues/remixes+number of releases
Year | Song (s) | Producer (s) | Written By | Artist | Title/Label |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Deputy of Love* (8) | August Darnell / Andy Hernandez | Ron Rogers | Don Armando | Don Armando's Rhumba Band / Ze Records |
1978 | all cuts | Ron Rogers / August Darnell | August Darnell | Gichy Dan | Gichy Dan's Beachwood # 9 / RCA |
1983 | The Lifeboat Party * 3X | August Darnell | Ron Rogers / August Darnell | Kid Creole and the Coconuts | Doppelganger ZE / Island Records |
1984 | Take Me For A Night In NY* 2X | August Darnell | Ron Rogers / D. Clarkin | Elbow Bones and the Racketeers | New York At Dawn / EMI America |
1983 | Cowboys & Gangsters * 5X | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Gichy Dan | Gichy Dan / ZE / Island Records |
1979 | Spooks In Space* 5X | Bob Blank | Ron Rogers | Aural Exciters | Spooks In Space / ZE |
1987 | So Far So Good * 2X | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers August Darnell | Kid Creole | I Too Have Seen The Woods / Sire Records |
1986 | City Nights / Manhattan Cafe's | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers / B.D.Hutz | Cory Daye | Cory Daye / Profile Records |
1987 | Gina Gina | August Darnell | Ron Rogers / August Darnell | Kid Creole and the Coconuts | Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places / Ze Records |
1987 | In The Middle Of The Night - all cuts | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Cory Daye | In The Middle of the Night / Blue Chip / Profile Records |
1983 | Don't Play With My Emotions * (2) - all cuts | Ron Rogers / Vince Traina | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Don't Play With My Emotions / ZE / Island Records |
1983 | Piranana * (2) - all cuts | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers / Caroline Loeb | Caroline Loeb | Piranana / ZE |
1995 | Dr. Paradise | Ron Rogers | August Darnell | Kid Creole | Private Waters in the Great Divide / Columbia |
1995 | Calling Out to Marlboro | Ron Rogers | August Darnell Ron Rogers | Kid Creole | Traveling Sideways / --- |
2004 | Naughty Boy / YA YA | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Mutant Disco / Strut Records |
2009 | Various cuts | Ron Rogers | Ron Rogers | Compilation | Zevolution / Strut Records |
References
- BMI Archived 2012-09-07 at archive.today
- Gichy Dan
- Recording Engineer Interview
- "The Lifeboat Party"
- Kid Creole Website
- "Gina Gina"
- City Nights/ Manhattan Cafe’s
- "Middle Of The Night"
- Blue Chip Label
- Discogs
- Doppelganger Credits
- Ze Records
- Ze Records
- Discogs
- Ze Records
- Ze Records
- Discogs
- Discogs
- Discogs
- Discogs