Worked With:
- Born: April 05, 1939, Detroit, MI
- Died: August 26, 1995, Detroit, MI
- Active: '50s, '60s, '70s
- Genres: Rhythm & Blues
- Instrument: Producer
Biography
Ronald White, along with Smokey Robinson, was one of the founding members of the Motown group the Miracles. He co-wrote with Robinson the classics "My Girl," "Don't Look Back," and "You Beat Me to the Punch." He also played a key role in the career of Stevie Wonder. Robinson met White when both were preteens. White was the neighborhood paper boy. As adults, the two recorded as the duo Ron and Bill for Chess Records.White, Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Claudette Rogers founded the Matadors in 1955 while still in high school in Detroit, MI. They later became the Miracles and, after 1967, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The group was among the first that Berry Gordy signed to his Motown record label. White co-wrote "You Beat Me to the Punch," a number one R&B/number nine pop hit for Mary Wells. The Temptations' recording of "My Girl" parked at number one R&B for six weeks and went to number one pop on Billboard's charts in early 1965. It was included on the album The Temptations Sing Smokey, which held the number one R&B spot for 18 weeks and made it to number 35 pop in spring 1965. A sample from "My Girl" was used as the basis of the group's hit "Stay" from their 1998 platinum album Phoenix Rising. Another Temptations hit White co-wrote, "Don't Look Back," the flip side of "My Baby" (number four R&B), made it to number 15 R&B in late 1965 and was on the LP Temptin' Temptations. They were also featured in the high-rated 1999 NBC-TV bio series The Temptations. After being bolstered by his little brother, White brought 11-year-old Stevie Wonder to the attention of Berry Gordy.
Robinson and White also collaborated on "Fork in ihe Road," the radio-aired B-side of "Tears of a Clown," a 1965 number two R&B hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Other songs White co-wrote include "Got a Job" and "Bad Girl" for the Miracles and "One More Heartache" for a 1966 number four R&B smash for Marvin Gaye.
A Ronald White-related release is the movie soundtrack to My Girl. At the age of 57, Ronald White died on August 26, 1995, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide
