RONNIE DAWSON

Ronnie Dawson was an incredible outlaw, high octane, rockabilly/country singer who's first songs came out in the 1950's. The energy of his vocals and guitar playing is legendary. One of the songs he is probably most famous for is "Rockin' Bones" from the 1950's, covered by The Cramps. Of course Ronnie Dawson has recorded a wealth of material, and he made a big comeback in the 1990's, releasing several albums. The two I have are "Monkey Beat' (1994) and "Just Rockin' and Rollin"(2001). I highly recommend both. He passed away in 2003 from throat cancer.

I saw Ronnie Dawson live in the late 1990's. What a show. For a man his age, he was jumping around and running all over the place, delivering song after song with ease. His voice and guitar playing were as strong as ever. He never faltered. He was hanging out after the show selling some CD's, so I stopped and talked to him for a minute. He seemed like a nice guy, very down to earth. I bought "Monkey Beat" and he signed it for me.

As I said, Ronnie has a lot of material, so it is hard to recommend just one album. I would start with the two mentioned above. Also, try to find a compilation of his early songs.

Here's the classic "Rockin' Bones" from 1959. His voice is high pitched in his early releases, but mellows out in his later material.


Here's "Up Jumped the Devil" and "Crazy Shoes" from 1994's "Monkey Beat".

Up Jumped The Devil - Ronnie Dawson

Crazy Shoes - Ronnie Dawson